STS-76 Day 7 Highlights

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On Thursday, March 28, 1996, 7:30 a.m. CST, STS-76 MCC Status Report # 12 reports:

The Atlantis and Mir crews bid an emotional farewell to one another early this morning, in what STS-76 Commander Kevin Chilton called "a bittersweet moment."

Shortly after 3 am. CST today, Atlantis and Mir commanders Chilton and Onufrienko, along with spacewalkers Linda Godwin and and Rich Clifford, took time out to talk with CBS' "Up to the Minute." The space flyers discussed the success of their joint mission and the 6-hour spacewalk conducted Wednesday by Godwin and Clifford.

On Thursday, March 28, 1996, 10 a.m. CST, STS-76 MCC Status Report # 13 reports:

The Atlantis and Mir crews bid an emotional farewell to one another early this morning, in what STS-76 Commander Kevin Chilton called 'a bittersweet moment.' Atlantis is now scheduled to undock this evening and land at 6:57 a.m. CST Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center. one day earlier than originally planned, to avoid predicted rain and clouds in Florida on Sunday.

The eight astronauts and cosmonauts exchanged handshakes and hugs in the Mir core module, and then praised mission control centers in both Houston and Kaliningrad for their support throughout the joint phase of the mission.

"We just don't believe that in a few minutes the STS-76 crew will go through the docking module and we'll say farewell," said Mir 21 Commander Yuri Onufrienko. "We will observe each other only through the portholes -- they'll be looking at us and we'll be looking at them. It will be sad to say farewell to such a good team."

At the start of the farewell ceremony, the Mir crew received a call from Vladimir Solovyev, Chief Flight Director at Mission Control Kaliningrad, congratulating the crews on the success of the mission.

With the official goodbyes complete, the eight astronauts and cosmonauts spent time together for a more personal farewell between friends. Hatches between the Shuttle and Mir were closed for the final time at about 7:15 a.m. today, in preparation for Atlantis' undocking at about 7:08 p.m. tonight.

When the capture mechanism on the docking module releases and Atlantis moves away from the Mir Space Station, the STS-76 crew will leave behind former crewmate Shannon Lucid to begin more than four months of scientific research on board Mir. Lucid is inaugurating a continual American presence on board Mir that will continue to 1998. Following tonight's undocking from Mir, Atlantis will fly around the space station once, instead of twice as previously planned, before firing its engines and dropping into a lower orbit of about 220 nautical miles altitude. Tonight, the crew also will perform checkouts of the shuttle's flight control systems and steering jets in preparation for the Saturday landing.

Prior to this morning's hatch closure, the crews transferred about two tons of scientific equipment, logistical material, and resupply items between the two spacecraft, including 1,507 pounds of water in 15 containers. They also performed a final check of their inventory lists to ensure all the transfer activity was complete.

The decision to aim Atlantis toward the one-day-early landing in Florida was made by shuttle managers this morning. The Kennedy Space Center is the only landing site that will be considered on Saturday, with the primary landing opportunity set to begin with a deorbit engine firng at 5:53 a.m. CST leading to the 6:57 a.m. CST touchdown. A second opportunity to land at KSC also exists on Saturday, starting with a deorbit burn at 7:29 a.m. CST leading to an 8:33 a.m. CST touchdown. The Saturday weather forecast for Florida predicts light winds and scattered clouds, good weather for a landing.

If Atlantis should have to stay in space until Sunday for any reason, both KSC and Edwards Air Force Base, Ca., would be considered for a landing. A total of five opportunities are present for a Sunday landing, two to KSC and three to Edwards.

On Thursday, March 28, 1996, 8:30 a.m. CST, STS-76 MCC Status Report # 14 reports:

Space Shuttle Atlantis and the Russian Space Station Mir moved slowly away from each other Thursday night, following an undocking at 7:08 p.m. CST. Atlantis spent about an hour flying around Mir at a distance of 600 feet, conducting a photographic survey. The shuttle initiated a separation burn at 8:07 p.m. central time, dropping into a slightly lower orbit and moving ahead of Mir.

Tonight, the crew also was scheduled to perform checkouts of the shuttle's flight control systems and steering jets in preparation for the landing Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center.

The Atlantis and Mir crews bid an emotional farewell to one another early Thursday, in what STS-76 Commander Kevin Chilton called "a bittersweet moment." The eight astronauts and cosmonauts exchanged handshakes and hugs in the Mir core module, and then praised mission control centers in Houston and Kaliningrad for their support throughout the joint phase of the mission.

With the separation of the two spacecraft, the STS-76 crew leaves behind former crewmate Shannon Lucid to begin more than four months of scientific research on board Mir. Lucid is inaugurating a continual American presence on board Mir that will continue to 1998.

Atlantis is now scheduled to land at 6:57 a.m. CST Saturday at the Kennedy Space Center, one day earlier than originally planned, to avoid predicted rain and clouds in Florida on Sunday. The decision to aim Atlantis toward the one-day-early landing in Florida was made by shuttle managers Thursday morning. The Kennedy Space Center.is the only landing site that will be considered on Saturday, with the primary landing opportunity set to begin with a deorbit engine firing at 5:53 a.m. CST leading to the 6:57 a.m. CST touchdown. A second opportunity to land at KSC also exists on Saturday, starting with a deorbit burn at 7:29 a.m. CST leading to an 8:33 a.m. CST touchdown. The Saturday weather forecast for Florida predicts light winds and scattered clouds, good weather for a landing.

If Atlantis should have to stay in space until Sunday for any reason, both KSC and Edwards Air Force Base, CA, would be considered for a landing. A total of five opportunities are present for a Sunday landing, two to KSC and three to Edwards.

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