STS-80
Report # 35 
Wednesday, December 4, 1996  5 p.m. CST 
 
Columbia's astronauts will wake up to begin what could be their final
day of the mission as flight controllers in Houston keep an eye on
weather systems in Florida.

Commander Ken Cockrell and his crew will awaken at 6:29 p.m. CST,
starting the 16th day of the mission. After the post-sleep period,
Cockrell and Pilot Kent Rominger will test the orbiter's control
surfaces and steering jets to ensure that they can support landing
operations. Other crew members will deactivate the last experiments on
the middeck of the orbiter and pack their equipment for the return
home.

Should weather in Florida look as if it can support landing, crew
members will begin their deorbit preparations around 1:30 a.m. early
Thursday morning. Cockrell would then fire the Orbital Manuevering
System engines at 5:27 a.m. to bring Columbia home to the Kennedy
Space Center at 6:33 a.m. CST.  In addition to the first opportunity,
there is one additional opportunity to KSC at 8:10 a.m., and one to
Edwards at 9:38 a.m.

Columbia's systems are ready to support landing operations. Earlier
today, one of the orbiter's three navigation units was taken offline
due to an apparent failure in the attitude platform electronics. The
failure of Inertial Measurement Unit 1 has no effect on Columbia's
mission duration or reentry activities, with the remaining two IMUs
performing well.

Until it is time to return home, Columbia will circle the Earth in a
234 by 211 mile orbit.


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