STS-81 Day 7 Highlights

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On Saturday, January 18, 1997, 6:00 a.m. CST, STS-81 MCC Status Report # 13 reports:

Atlantis' astronauts and the cosmonauts of the Russian Space Station Mir continued to transfer hundreds of pounds of water, supplies, and logistical items to each other's spacecraft this morning as consideration was given to extending the flight by one day to try to reclaim lost data from an experiment for the International Space Station program.

More than 1,300 pounds of water have now been transferred from Atlantis to the Mir to resupply the Russian outpost, along with equipment which will be used by astronaut Jerry Linenger during his four-month research mission.

A bioprocessing device and an experiment used to grow cartilage cells during astronaut John Blaha's four month stay on the Mir were transferred to Atlantis early today for the trip back to Earth.

Linenger spent most of the day collecting water samples from the Mir for analysis back on Earth and Blaha continued to exercise on a treadmill on the Mir to stay in shape for his return to Earth next week and a readaptation to gravity after four months of weightlessness.

NASA managers will meet this morning to consider options to recoup lost data from the Treadmill Vibration Isolation System (TVIS) experiment. The treadmill device was used by three astronauts early Tuesday to collect data on how vibrations imparted by crew exercise may be reduced or eliminated on the International Space Station. Those vibrations could disturb delicate microgravity experiments on the new space complex, whose assembly is scheduled to begin late this year. The loss of data was traced to a faulty laptop computer attached to the treadmill device.

Atlantis is scheduled to undock from the Mir Space Station at 8:15 p.m. Sunday, leaving Linenger behind on the Mir to begin his four months of scientific studies. In preparation for his mission aboard Mir, which includes the first spacewalk by an astronaut as part of a Mir crew, Linenger videotaped the path he and Mir-23 Commander Vasily Tsibliev will follow throughout that spacewalk scheduled for March. The two will review the tape before the spacewalk once Tsibliev and Mir-23 Flight Engineer Alexander Lazutkin arrive on Feb. 12. The taping is being conducted now to take advantage of the unique perspective the shuttle's windows provide of the station.

Crew sleep is scheduled for 11:30 this morning with wakeup planned at 7:27 tonight.

On Saturday, January 18, 1997, 6:00 p.m. CST, STS-81 MCC Status Report # 14 reports:

As flight controllers prepare to awaken the nine astronauts and cosmonauts of the orbiting Atlantis-Mir complex for their final full day of docked operations, a decision on whether to extend the STS-81 mission has been delayed.

NASA managers met Saturday morning to consider adding a day following undocking to regain lost data from a treadmill experiment, but decided to wait until Monday to make a final decision. Schedulers are adding a second assembly, exercise session and tear-down of the Treadmill Vibration Isolation System (TVIS) to the timeline, but managers won't commit to the extra day until it is known whether the data gathering can be completed in the existing 10-day flight plan.

The treadmill device was used by three astronauts early Tuesday to collect data on how vibrations imparted by crew exercise may be reduced or eliminated on the International Space Station. The loss of data was traced to a faulty component of the laptop computer attached to the treadmill device.

Atlantis is scheduled to undock from the Mir Space Station at 8:15 p.m. CST Sunday, leaving astronaut Jerry Linenger behind for four months of scientific studies. John Blaha, now a member of the STS-81 crew, will return to Earth aboard Atlantis after four months of research on Mir. Commander Mike Baker and pilot Brent Jett will guide Atlantis in a fly-around of the Russian station after the vehicles separate.

Mission specialist Marsha Ivins continues to oversee the transfer of hundreds of pounds of water, supplies, and equipment between the two spacecraft. By the end of flight day seven early Saturday, 93 percent of items had been transferred. More than 1,400 pounds of water have been carried from Atlantis to resupply the Russian outpost.

Baker, Jett, Blaha, Ivins and mission specialists Jeff Wisoff and John Grunsfeld are scheduled to awaken at 7:27 tonight. All the U.S. and Russian crew members will participate in a joint news conference from orbit at 1:27 a.m. CST Sunday, followed at 3:27 a.m. by a farewell ceremony. Hatches between the two craft will close about 6:30 a.m.

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