STS-80, Mission Control Center 
Status Report # 24
Friday, November 29, 1996, 6 p.m. CST

   As Columbia's astronauts began their 11th day in space, NASA
engineers and managers continued troubleshooting and analysis of the
balky shuttle hatch handle which forced a cancellation of the
spacewalk by Tammy Jernigan and Tom Jones Thursday night.

  Throughout the day, teams of engineers conferred on possible options
to free up the hatch handle, which stops after about 30 degrees of
rotation, unable to release latches around the circumference of the
airlock hatch. Mission Operations Representative Jeff Bantle said the
analysis conducted so far indicates that the most likely suspect for
the problem could be a misalignment of the hatch against the airlock
seal.

  Engineers are examining possible procedures to assist in opening the
hatch that could include warming up the airlock hatch through a
reorientation of the shuttle; applying pressure against the airlock
seals; and having crewmembers apply force against the hatch while the
handle is rotated with the airlock depressurized. Still, however,
engineers have not as yet determined the exact nature of the problem
nor found a definitive solution. 

  Shuttle managers will get an update from the engineers conducting
the analysis on Saturday morning and are expected to make a decision
at that time on whether any further spacewalks will be attempted
aboard Columbia.

  The astronauts were awakened at 2:56 p.m. Central time to the sound
of the song "Changes" by David Bowie, reflecting the modifications
being made to the flight plan because of the airlock hatch handle
problem. Throughout the night tonight and early Saturday morning, the
astronauts will assist in the engineering analysis of the hatch
problem in any ways that may be needed by ground controllers, make
preparations for a possible second spacewalk attempt, and have
exercise sessions, which are a standard activity on long shuttle
flights.

  Columbia is in a 222 by 211 statute mile orbit. The shuttle is
orbiting about 27 miles ahead of the ORFEUS-SPAS astronomy satellite,
which is in its 10th day of free-flying celestial observations.

                                        ### 

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