STS-80 Day 16 Highlights

Back to STS-80 Flight Day 15 Highlights:

On Wednesday, December 4, 1996, 8:30 a.m. CST, STS-80 MCC Status Report # 34 reports:

Columbia's five astronauts were notified this morning that their 16-day mission would end as originally scheduled with a landing at 6:33 a.m. central time Thursday at the Kennedy Space Center.

That news followed todays successful rendezvous and retrieval of the ORFEUS-SPAS astronomy spacecraft, which completed its two-week free-flight mission away from Columbia. The satellite was gently captured by the shuttle's remote manipulator system, or robot arm, by Mission Specialist Tammy Jernigan at 2:26 a.m.central time after Commander Ken Cockrell and Pilot Kent Rominger maneuvered Columbia within 35 feet of the satellite. The retrieval occurred as the orbiter approached Central America from the southwest on the 230th orbit of the flight.

The decision to plan for a Thursday landing came at the conclusion of this morning's Mission Management Team meeting and reflected the less than favorable weather predictions for a Friday landing at both the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In addition to the 6:33 a.m. opportunity, there is one additional opportunity to KSC at 8:10 a.m., and one to Edwards at 9:38 a.m.

About 3:30 a.m. today, one of Columbia'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.

Following the capture of ORFEUS-SPAS, the satellite was maneuvered through a planned profile to allow data to be gathered in support of the Orbiter Space Vision System experiment. OSVS is designed to evaluate the use of onboard television cameras and a series of strategically placed targets to provide the astronauts with precise measurements during retrieval activities. Jernigan, along with fellow Mission Specialists Tom Jones and Story Musgrave used these cues to perform about four hours of robot arm operations with ORFEUS-SPAS prior to locking the satellite in the payload bay at 7:14 a.m.

The STS-80 crew wraps up its last planned full day in space at 10:30 a.m. and will wake up at 6:26 p.m. to begin final preparations for their return trip home. Those preparations include checking the orbiter's flight control and reaction control systems for their readiness to support the entry and landing.

On Wednesday, December 4, 1996, 5:00 p.m. CST, STS-80 MCC Status Report # 35 reports:

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.

Go to STS-80 Flight Day 17 Highlights: