STS-80
Report # 05 
 Thursday, November 21, 1996 6 p.m. CST 
 
 While the astronomy satellite they released Tuesday began its
scientific work, Columbia's astronauts turned their attention today
to preparations for the major activities still to come during their
two remaining weeks in space.

  Columbia reached a distance of about 32 miles from the ORFEUS-SPAS
satellite before firing its engines this afternoon to again begin
closing in on the spacecraft. In the early hours of Friday morning,
when the shuttle reaches about 17 miles from ORFEUS-SPAS, another
engine firing will again separate the shuttle from the
satellite. Columbia will then reach a point around 57 miles from
ORFEUS-SPAS by Friday evening when the crew releases a second
satellite, the Wake Shield Facility (WSF).

  In preparation for two spacewalks to be performed by Payload
Commander Tammy Jernigan and Mission Specialist Tom Jones later in the
flight, three spacesuits aboard Columbia were checked out
today. Jernigan, Jones and astronaut Story Musgrave inspected the
suits, finding everything in excellent condition for the upcoming
spacewalks, which will test techniques and equipment that may be used
for future construction of the International Space Station.

  Later this evening, Musgrave is scheduled to perform pre-deploy
checkouts of the WSF satellite, a spacecraft that will fly free from
the shuttle for three days to investigate the use of space as a vacuum
for creating advanced semiconductor materials. The WSF is planned to
be released from Columbia at about 7:11 p.m. CST Friday.

  Other experiments conducted by the crew today included the VIEW-CPL,
an investigation of capillary pumped loop equipment in weightlessness
designed by University of Maryland students. Such technology may one
day be used in cooling systems for future spacecraft, allowing fluids
to be pumped without the use of moving parts. Late this afternoon,
Commander Ken Cockrell and Pilot Kent Rominger spoke with the Fox News
Channel during a 10-minute interview, fielding general questions about
their flight and life on the shuttle.

  Columbia is in a 220 by 216 statute mile orbit. The crew will go to
sleep at 2:56 a.m. Friday and awaken at 10:56 a.m. Friday to begin Day
4 of STS-80.