MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-70 Status Report #7

Sunday, July 16, 1995, 2 p.m. CDT

  With its spacecraft continuing to perform flawlessly, Discovery's crew
sailed through a third day of work with the various experiments,
ranging from biological studies to Earth-observing cameras.

  Although the crew has experienced some difficulty with aligning the
HERCULES camera using star sightings, investigators with the
Department of Defense study said they are delighted with the views
they have seen from the device so far. The crew sent Mission Control
views of Florida and the Bahamas today taken by the camera, which
automatically prints the latitude and longitude of the subject matter
on the video. The crew members also sent video of star alignments they
have performed, and investigators say the video provides excellent
insights into possible improvements to the device.

  Other experiments included observations of a series of small
steering jet firings by Discovery using the Windex experiment, an
optical device that studies the glowing phenomena created as the
shuttle encounters atomic oxygen in orbit. The crew also reported at
least 60 contacts with amateur radio operators around the world using
the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment. During the mission, the
astronauts will speak with students at 10 schools worldwide using the
ham radio. In another study, the Visual Function Tester, crew members
reported their eyesight is affected slightly by weightlessness, taking
somewhat longer to adjust and focus on near objects. The experiment
studies this reaction to weightlessness, which has been noted since
the early flights of the Gemini Program.

  The crew also took time out to hold a press conference this morning,
answering questions from reporters in Florida and Ohio, the home state
of four out of the five astronauts aboard Discovery.

  The crew is wrapping up their day now and preparing to begin an
eight-hour sleep period at 4:12 p.m. They will awaken for Day 5 of
STS-70 at 12:12 a.m. CDT Monday.

--end--