STS-76 Mission Control Center 
Status Report # 2

Friday, March 22, 1996, 5:30 p.m. CST

Closing on the Russian Space Station Mir at a rate of 661 nautical
miles per orbit, the STS-76 crew will perform several rendezvous burns
today as the third Shuttle docking mission proceeds as planned.

This afternoon, the Mission Management Team met in Houston to discuss
a leak seen in one of the hydraulic systems during the ascent portion
of the flight. After an examination of the data, engineers concluded
that the leak began as the high pressure hydraulic fluid system pumps
were started shortly before launch. Data showed a leak rate of about 1
percent of the system's total reservoir per minute leading flight
controllers to believe that about 20 percent of the reservoir leaked
from the system.

The leak stopped when the system was shut down after ascent, and no
further leakage has been detected.  Since the leak only appears while
the system is operating, mission managers are confident that the
system will remain stable on orbit, and that there is no reason to
change the duration of the mission.

Controllers will continue to monitor the system for any changes in its
status.

Today, crew members will configure the SpaceHab module for its
on-orbit operations, check out the spacesuits that will be used by
Mission Specialists Rich Clifford and Linda Godwin later in the
flight, and test the equipment that will be used for the rendezvous
operations.

The crew began its day today at 3:13 p.m. Central with the song
"Anywhere Is" by Enya. Atlantis, making its 16th flight, is performing
well as it circles the Earth in a 159 by 127 n.m. orbit.

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