STS-84
Report # 11 
Tuesday, May 20, 1997 6:30 a.m. CDT 
 
  The fourth day of docked operations between Space Shuttle Atlantis
and the Mir Space Station was highlighted by the continuing transfer
of water, experiments and logistical supplies between the two
spacecraft.

  The ten crewmembers worked in relative silence throughout the night
and the overnight hours to remain ahead of the timeline for the
exchange of about 3 tons of items earmarked for use by U.S. astronaut
Mike Foale during his four month stay on the Mir and those designated
for return to Earth for researchers and officials of the Russian Space
Agency.

  Atlantis' seven crew members were awakened last night by flight
controllers to the sound of the Peruvian national anthem in honor of
Mission Specialist Carlos Noriega to begin another day of transfer
work.

  About 190 of 249 items have already been hauled between the two
vehicles by the astronauts and cosmonauts.  More than 87 percent of
the resupply items for the Mir Space Station are already onboard.
Fifty nine percent of the U.S. items and 71 percent of the Russian
items have been stowed in the Spacehab module in the rear of Atlantis'
cargo bay for their return to Earth.  Nearly 700 pounds of water have
been collected and delivered to the Russian outpost in 7 bags with 2
additional 100-pound bags scheduled for delivery today.  A total of 10
bags of water totaling 1,000 pounds are expected to be delivered to
Mir before the hatches are closed between the two craft tomorrow
morning.

  U.S. and Russian flight control teams continue to refine procedures
which may be used for the dumping of about 600 pounds of condensate
water from the Mir through Atlantis' waste water dump nozzles
tomorrow. The condensate has been collected in special containers on
the Mir and Russian officials expressed interest in removing the
condensate from the station to free up room on the Mir. A final
decision on implementing the procedure is expected to be made this
morning by NASA's Mission Management Team.

  Foale, the newest member of the Mir 23 crew, continues to be briefed
by departing U.S. astronaut Jerry Linenger on life and work on the
Russian station as they continue their handover activities to prepare
Foale for his long duration mission. on Mir.  Foale will serve aboard
the complex until he is replaced by astronaut Wendy Lawrence during
Atlantis' next visit to Mir in September.

  In addition to continuing their transfer efforts, Commander Charlie
Precourt and Pilot Eileen Collins fired Atlantis' jet thrusters
several times to collect data for the Mir Structural Dynamics
Experiment, which is designed to characterize the effect of such
firings on a space station's solar arrays and mechanical integrity.

  With their joint docked operations heading into the homestretch, the
ten crew members are scheduled to go to sleep at 12:08 p.m. Central
time this afternoon. Atlantis' astronauts will be awakened at 8:08
p.m. to begin the seventh day of their mission. The Mir 23 cosmonauts
will be awakened one hour later.

  The Atlantis-Mir space complex continues to orbit the Earth every 90
minutes at an altitude of 213 nautical miles with all systems
operating normally.

The next STS-84 status report will be issued at 5 p.m. Central time.


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