Mission Control Status Report #25
5 p.m. CST  Wednesday, November 1, 1995

   All systems aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia continue to work well
as the orbiter's seven member crew continues its microgravity work in
the United States Microgravity Lab-2.

  Members of the Red Team handed over to their Blue Team counterparts at 2:38 
p.m. CST. After a 12-hour workday, the Blue Team will hand over to the Red 
Team at 2:38 a.m. Thursday.

  This afternoon, mission specialists Michael Lopez-Alegria and Cady
Coleman participated in an interactive educational event with students
in Bozeman, Montana, and Las Cruces, New Mexico.

  Columbia continues to orbit the Earth at an 170-mile high altitude
in a gravity gradient attitude with the orbiter tail pointing towards
the Earth and the port wing pointing in the direction of
travel. Because the gravity gradient attitude shades portions of the
orbiter, thermal conditioning periods are needed to warm the underside
of the orbiter and subsequently increase the landing gear tire
pressure. Thus far in this mission, Columbia has undergone two warm-up
periods and two more are expected. The next session is scheduled for
Thursday and will last about nine hours.