STS-72 Mission Status Report # 8
Mission Control Center

Tuesday, January 16, 5 a.m. CST

Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata extended Endeavour's robot arm
early today and plucked a NASA science satellite out of orbit to
successfully complete the second satellite retrieval of the STS-72
mission.

The 2600-pound OAST-Flyer satellite was grappled at 3:47 a.m.,
following two days of free-flying investigations by a group of
experiments sponsored by NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space
Technology.

Within minutes of capturing the satellite, Wakata lowered the
OAST-Flyer onto its truss platform in Endeavour's cargo bay, just
as he did with the Japanese Space Flyer Unit following its retrieval
on Saturday.

The capture of the OAST-Flyer culminated a textbook rendezvous
performed by Commander Brian Duffy and Pilot Brent Jett, who guided
Endeavour alongside the satellite through a series of maneuvering jet
firings.

The satellite retrieval clears the way for the next major event of the
flight --- a six hour spacewalk by astronauts Leroy Chiao and Winston
Scott. It will be the second spacewalk for Chiao and the first for
Scott. The second spacewalk is scheduled to begin about 11 p.m.

Chiao and Scott will conduct more tests of tools and procedures to be
incorporated in the assembly of the International Space
Station. During the spacewalk, Scott will be maneuvered away from the
payload bay on the end of the robot arm to evaluate his spacesuit's
resistance to extreme cold.

Flight controllers, meanwhile, continue to keep an eye on one of two
components of the Shuttle's flash evaporator system, which provides
cooling for Endeavour and its associated avionics. The low-end cooling
system, called the topping evaporator, shut down early Monday because
of what is believed to be a formation of ice in the system.  Plans
currently call for another attempt to flush out the ice once the
second spacewalk is completed. Endeavour's cabin pressure will be
raised to 14.7 pounds per square inch to force warm air into the
system which could help melt the ice. The cooling system problem had
no impact on the retrieval of the OAST-Flyer and is not expected to
affect the second spacewalk. Endeavour is receiving adequate cooling
from a primary cooling system and the radiators which are deployed on
the payload bay doors.

Endeavour is currently orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 190
statute miles, completing one orbit of the planet every 90 minutes.
The next status report will be issued at 5 p.m. when the JSC newsroom
closes.  The newsroom will reopen at 10 p.m.