STS-81
Report # 04 
Monday, January 13, 1997  6 p.m. CST 
 
 Atlantis and its six-member crew continue to close on Russia's Mir
space station with docking set for 9:53 p.m. CST Tuesday.

  As of 6 p.m., Atlantis was trailing Mir at a distance of 6,300 miles
and catching up at a rate of 570 miles each orbit. Commander Mike
Baker and Pilot Brent Jett will fire Atlantis' reaction control system
jets at 8:40 p.m. CST to fine-tune the Shuttle's approach to Mir.  In
preparation for the docking, the crew has checked out the laptop
computers and laser range finders they will use throughout the
rendezvous and docking activities.  Hatch opening and welcome
ceremonies should begin an hour and a half after docking.

  Today, Mission Specialists Jeff Wisoff, John Grunsfeld and Jerry Linenger 
will spend a significant part of their day working with the
on-board treadmill, which is designed for use in the Russian Service
Module of the International Space Station. These tests will evaluate
the restraint system, motorization, running surface stability, and
effectiveness in reducing disturbances to the microgravity environment
during exercise. Three astronauts will perform 30-minute evaluations
as part of their normal daily exercise.  Mission Specialist Marsha
Ivins will work with experiments in the double Spacehab module, in
particular those associated with the Biorack experiment facility

  The crew began its second full day on orbit to the sounds of "It
Keeps You Runnin" by the Doobie Brothers in honor of their upcoming
work with the Treadmill Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System
(TVIS).

  Mission Specialist Jerry Linenger will exchange places on Mir with
John Blaha, joining the Mir-22 crew and working with Commander Valery
Korzun and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri.  His four-month stay on
Mir will see the arrival of Mir 23 Commander Vasily Tsibiliev, Flight
Engineer Alexander Lazutkin and Cosmonaut Researcher Reinhold Ewald,
and the departure of Korzun, Kaleri and Ewald.

  Baker and Linenger will be interviewed by the Cable News Network at
5 a.m. Tuesday.

------ 
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