Conference 7.286::space

Another early morning launch (4:05 AM) which might be visible from the
North East!  Hmmm.  Come to think of it, I don't know if that is EDT or
EST, nor do I know what time sunrise might be in May, especially if it
is specified in EST.

Burns

This launch is scheduled for early Thursday morning.  Weather looks good for the
cape, but not so good for viewing here in New Hampshire.

Burns

Caught the launch on the WWW.

Looked OK from still photo's :-)
.

                         FLORIDA TODAY Space Online
                           STS-84 Mission Journal

     From crew arrival to wheels stop, this no-frills, text-only page
     will be updated by Mark DeCotis and Jim Banke throughout the
     STS-84 Atlantis mission to return to the space station Mir.
     Bookmark this page as your first stop to see what's going on
     aboard the shuttle.

     Look here for frequent updates during the day of launch and
     landing, and then check out
     "Space Today" (Graphics | Text Only) for current stories,
     releases, images and multimedia files.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
           STS-84 updates from countdown start through tanking.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Launch Journal: Thursday, May 15, 1997

By Mark DeCotis, Editor/Space Online
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, May 14, 1997

Update for 11 p.m. EDT

Atlantis' external tank is filled with its supercold propellant and the
crew have been seated for lunch and photos with their mission cake.

The ice inspection team is at the launch pad making sure everything looks
good on the vehicle. So far no issues have been reported.

Everything is on schedule, the weather remains favorable and there are no
technical problems reported.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 12:01 a.m. EDT

The seven crew members of shuttle Atlantis, scheduled for launch at 4:07:48
EDT this morning, are putting on their bright orange launch and entry suits
as they move closer to liftoff.

Commander Charlie Precourt, Pilot Eileen Collins and mission specialists
Jean-Francois Clervoy, Carlos Noriega, Edward Lu, Elena Kondakova and
Michael Foale have completed their weather briefings and are now being
assisted into their suits in the Operations & Checkout Building. They are
scheduled to depart for the launch pad at 12:22 a.m. EDT.

The six-member ice team has wrapped up its work at launch pad 39A, checking
the insulation on the shuttle's 153-foot external tank to ensure that there
is no dangerous accumulation of ice caused by 528,616 gallons of super-cold
liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Meanwhile, the closeout crew is busy in
the white room at the end of the orbiter access arm, awaiting the arrival
of the seven-member crew, scheduled for shortly before 1 a.m. EDT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 12:40 a.m. EDT

The convoy ride from the Kennedy Space Center Operations & Checkout
Building to launch pad 39A is over and the seven crew members of shuttle
Atlantis are preparing to board the orbiter.

The crew departed the O&C at 12:22 a.m. EDT to greetings and cheers of a
crowd of reporters, photographers and KSC employees. The crew was animated
- smiling and flashing thumbs up signs - before boarding the Astro Van for
the trip to the pad.

As usual, the convoy stopped at the KSC Launch Control Center at the foot
of the giant Vehicle Assembly Building to drop off officials and astronaut
Bob Cabana who will fly the weather aircraft. It then continued to the
launch pad under the watchful eye of the KSC security helicopter, arriving
at 12:40 a.m. EDT.

This mission, STS-84, marks the sixth flight to Mir. Astronaut Michael
Foale will replace astronaut Jerry Linenger aboard Mir. Linenger has had an
eventful 4 1/2 months aboard the Russian station, enduring a fire and
breakdowns in several of the station's key life support systems.

Foale is scheduled to remain aboard Mir until September when he will be
replaced by astronaut Wendy Lawrence. U.S. astronauts Norm Thagard, Shannon
Lucid and John Blaha preceeded Linenger to Mir. Lucid broke the duration
record for spaceflight by a woman that was held by Elena Kondakova, who
will fly aboard Atlantis this morning.

Kondakova was aboard Mir in February of 1995 when shuttle Discovery flew
the first-ever shuttle-Mir rendezvous mission, STS-63. Discovery was
piloted by Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot a shuttle mission.
Collins also will pilot Atlantis this morning.

Charlie Precourt, commander of this morning's flight, was pilot on STS-71,
the first shuttle-Mir docking mission, that flew in June of 1995.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 1:45 a.m. EDT

The crew of shuttle Atlantis arrived at the 195-foot level of launch pad
39A where the orbiter access arm and the white room are located at 12:43
a.m. EDT.

The crew enters the white room one at a time. There they are assisted by
members of the closeout crew in putting on equipment and making final
preparations before boarding the orbiter through the crew hatch.

Crew members waiting to board wait on the access arm where they can view
the Atlantic Ocean, the expanse of Kennedy Space Center and adjacent Cape
Canaveral Air Station.

Commander Charlie Precourt boarded the orbiter first, as is tradition, at
12:50 a.m. EDT. He was followed by Mission Specialist Michael Foale who
boarded at 12:55 a.m. EDT. Next was pilot Eileen Collins who exchanged hugs
with members of the closeout crew when she entered the white room. Collins
boarded at 1:03 a.m. EDT.

The first communication check between Precourt and the launch team occurred
at 1 a.m. EDT. Precourt told Capcom Dom Gorie in Houston: "Things look good
here."

Collins was followed aboard by Mission Specialist Edward Lu. Lu is the
loadmaster for the flight and is responsible for overseeing the transfer of
8,000 pounds of equipment from Atlantis to Mir. Lu climbed aboard at 1:10
a.m. EDT.

Next to board was Jean-Francois Clervoy who climbed aboard with a wave at
1:20 a.m. EDT. Elena Kondakova followed at 1:26 a.m. EDT. Carlos Noriega
was the last crewmember to board at 1:44 a.m. EDT.

Today's flight will be Precourt's third, Collins' second, the second for
Clervoy, the fourth for Foale and the first for Noriega and Lu. The flight
is the second for Kondakova who previously flew on the Russian Soyuz to
Mir.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 2 a.m. EDT

Here's some facts and figures as the countdown clock continues to tick
toward the scheduled 4:07:48 a.m. EDT launch of shuttle Atlantis on the
sixth shuttle-Mir docking mission:

This will be Atlantis' 19th flight and the 84th shuttle mission overall.

An on-time launch will put landing, at Kennedy Space Center, at about 7:49
a.m. EDT Saturday, May 24.

Assuming an on-time launch, Mir will be located at 22 degrees South
latitude, 94.3 degrees East longitude, 1,200 nautical miles west of
Australia, 11,496 nautical miles from KSC.

An on-time docking at Mission Elapsed Time of 1 day, 18 hours, 31 minutes
or 10:39 p.m. EDT on Friday, would have Mir traveling over Central Russia
near the Chinese-Mongolian border. Mir orbits at an altitude of 213
nautical miles.

An on-time launch for Atlantis would occur while Mir is in its 64,190th
orbit since its first component was launched on Feb. 20, 1986. Mir will
have traveled about 1.6 billion miles. This information was provided by
Johnson Space Center Public Affairs Officer Rob Navias.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 2:20 a.m. EDT

Main engine data for this morning's flight:

Main engine No. 1, No. 2032. It has five previous flights - STS-46, STS-60,
STS-71, STS-74 and STS-80. It has 4,614 seconds of total hot-fire time and
14 total starts.

Main engine No. 2, No. 2031. It has 14 previous flights - STS-29R, STS-33R,
STS-31R, STS-41, STS-37, STS-48, STS-50, STS-55, STS-51, STS-62, STS-64,
STS-67, STS-73 and STS-79, and 9,708 seconds of total hot-fire time. It has
20 total starts.

Main engine No. 3, No. 2029. It has 11 previous flights, STS-39, STS-44,
STS-47, STS-55, STS-51, STS-62, STS-64, STS-63, STS-69, STS-75 and STS-80
and 9,172 seconds of total hot-fire time and 22 total starts.

Meanwhile, launch officials have just announced that the time of the launch
window opening will remain the same: 4:07:48 a.m. EDT. The window closes at
4:14:47 a.m. EDT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 2:45 a.m. EDT

The closeout crew was given the "go" to begin closing the hatch on shuttle
Atlantis at 2:20 a.m. EDT.

The crew had to wait for missing paperwork - a book containing a missing
ascent APU page for the pilot's window flip book - to be delivered to the
launch pad and to be carried aboard the orbiter before they could proceed.

However, the book that was delivered also was missing the same page so the
page was removed from one of the mission specialist's books and inserted
into the pilot's book.

The closeout crew notified launch officials that they were proceeding with
the hatch closure at 2:27 a.m. EDT. The hatch was declared closed at 2:34
a.m. EDT. Cabin leak checks then began.

Weather officials said that weather at the Trans Atlantic abort landing
site at Zaragosa, Spain, is not acceptable and will remain that way through
the launch window. Moron, Spain, is now the primary TAL site with Ben
Guerir, Morocco as the backup. Flight rules mandate that one TAL site must
have acceptable weather for launch to proceed.

By the way, the last scrub to occur during the final stages of a countdown
was STS-74, the second docking mission, in November, 1995. The scrub was
called because of unacceptable TAL weather.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 3:10 a.m. EDT

The countdown clock for space shuttle Atlantis' launch is ticking toward
the final built-in hold at the T-minus 9 minute mark.

The clock was stopped at T-minus 20 minutes for a built-in 10-minute hold.
The hold at T-9 is longer than normal, 40 minutes as opposed to the usual
10, to give launch managers more of a cushion because of the shorter than
normal launch window.

Atlantis will be launched at an inclination of 51.6 degrees and into an
orbit of 160 nautical miles in altitude.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 3:18 a.m. EDT

The countdown clock is at T-minus 9 minutes and holding. The hold is 40
minutes and 48 seconds in duration to give managers a cushion because of
the shorter than normal seven-minute launch window that opens at 4:07:48
a.m. EDT.

The clock is scheduled to resume ticking at 3:58 a.m. EDT.

Meanwhile, the closeout crew finished its work in the white room and began
its departure at 3:16 a.m. EDT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 4 a.m. EDT

We are now within 9 minutes of launch of shuttle Atlantis from Kennedy
Space Center on the sixth shuttle-Mir docking mission. Liftoff is scheduled
for 4:07:48 a.m. EDT.

The countdown has resumed after the final built-in hold at T-minus 9
minutes.

We will update after launch or any other significant development.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 4:30 a.m. EDT: Atlantis launches!

Riding a 700-foot geyser of smoke and fire, space shuttle Atlantis
brightened the skies along Florida's Space Coast this morning, carrying a
crew of seven astronauts to the sixth rendezvous and docking with the
Russian Mir space station. Liftoff from Kennedy Space Center was on time at
4:07:48 a.m. EDT and spectacular. Atlantis roared off launch pad 39A and
streaked up the East Coast of the United States at an orbital inclination
of 51.6 degrees.

The launch, the 19th for Atlantis and the 84th in the shuttle program,
brought expressions of excitement and awe from the KSC press site. As
usual, the historic grandstand on the equally historic press mound shook as
Atlantis climbed into orbit on the strength of 7 million pounds of thrust
supplied by its three main engines and two solid rocket boosters.

Aboard Atlantis was astronaut Michael Foale who will replace U.S. astronaut
Jerry Linenger aboard Mir. Linenger has been on Mir for 4 1/2 months and is
a step closer to returning to Earth in time for the birth of his second
child.

Mir was west of Australia when Atlantis launched and because it was out of
range of Russian communications, it will be about 50 minutes before
Linenger and his two crewmates can be informed that his ride home is on its
way.

Docking of the two spacecraft is scheduled for late Friday night Eastern
time. Atlantis will stayed docked with Mir for five days to allow the crews
to transfer much needed supplies to the aging Russian outpost.

Atlantis is scheduled to land back at KSC on Saturday, May 24, at about
7:49 a.m. EDT.

Foale will become the fifth American to inhabit Mir. Norm Thagard was the
first, followed by record-setter Shannon Lucid, John Blaha and Linenger.

The next shuttle launch is Columbia on STS-94, a 16-day space science
mission that is a re-flight of STS-83 that was limited to just four days
because of a fuel cell problem. Columbia is scheduled to launch at 2:37
p.m. EDT July 1 and to land at 7:23 a.m. on July 17.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update for 5:40 a.m. EDT

At the post-launch press conference, Manager of Shuttle Integration Loren
Shriver and Launch Director Jim Harrington said:

Shriver: "Extremely happy to have Atlantis on its way. Very happy to have
these missions with short windows and renedezous scenarios going on time.
Weather coordinator who sits next to me had an entirely green board. Very
smooth countdown. Nothing happened in countdown. Team showed great deal of
professionalism. Ascent went right by the numbers. Everything that was
supposed to happen in pretty much a nominal manner."

Harrington: "One of the smoothest countdowns I've been part of."

Shriver: Not aware of any fuel cell or APU issues. Don't believe we are
working anything. We can't let our guard down (when it comes to technical
problems).

Shriver: Will check into missing page from pilot's flip card book that was
pulled from Clevroy's checklist and given to pilot after backup book
arrived still missing the APU page.

Harrington: Columbia in good shape (for next flight). Schedule is being
maintained. We have a little room but not much.

Mir flew over KSC after launch. The crew was able to see the launch pad by
using binoculars but did not see the liftoff. Mir was west of Australia
when Atlantis launched.

The reaction of astronaut and 4 1/2-month Mir inhabitant Jerry Linenger
when informed of the launch of Atlantis: "That's great." Linenger is to be
replaced on Mir by astronaut Michael Foale who is aboard Atlantis.

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    Re. .4
    
    >>                 <<< Note 969.4 by NETCAD::BATTERSBY >>>
    >>  -< Florida Today Updates (I reversed the order for easier reading) >-
    
    Many thanks for taking the effort to reverse the order. It is a LOT
    easier to read it this way!
    
    		      				--Eric--

    >>                                                      It is a LOT
    >> easier to read it this way!
    
    You're telling me! I've sent Florida Today email on this subject
    yesterday. I haven't heard back from them yet, but if I do, I'll
    advise as to what they said. I've been seeing a trend where other
    web sites also do the same thing. It's unbelievably awkward to
    have to scroll down to the bottom of something, toggle back up a
    short distance, slowly scroll down while reading this section,
    *then* scroll back upwards, find the next section to read that
    has a sense of chronological order, and start the above scrolling
    baloney all over again! Unbelievable!
    
    Bob

    re .6
    
    'Course if we're talking web then each item should be a separate page
    and they should be doubly linked. That way you can read them forwards
    or backwards according to taste. (The links would both be at the bottom
    of the page.)

STS-84
Report # 01 
Thursday, May 15, 1997, 5 a.m. CDT 
 
5 a.m. CDT Thursday, May 15, 1997

The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off precisely on schedule at 3:08
a.m. CDT today after a smooth and uneventful countdown.  The ascent
phase was completely nominal, as were the early phases of on-orbit
operations.  Forty-five minutes after launch, the vehicle's Orbital
Maneuvering System engines were fired to circularize Atlantis' orbit
at 185 statute miles.  Payload bay door opening followed shortly
thereafter.

At the time of launch, the Russian space station, Mir, was
approximately 11,500 miles west of Australia.  It was approximately
one hour after launch that the Russian control center was able to
advise the Mir crew of the successful launch of Atlantis.  Jerry
Linenger, the U.S. astronaut member of the Mir crew, responded to the
news with the exclamation,."That's great!"

After configuring Atlantis for on-orbit operations, the crew will
begin an eight-hour sleep period shortly after 8 a.m. CDT.  Atlantis
will continue its pursuit of Mir throughout today and tomorrow,
culminating with rendezvous and docking with Mir at 9:34 p.m. CDT
Friday.

STS-84 Report # 02 
Thursday, May 15, 1997 6 p.m. CDT 
 
      The STS-84 crew were awakened this afternoon to begin their
first full day in space as Atlantis continued its pursuit of the Mir
space station.  At the time of wake up, the Shuttle was approximately
5,800 nautical miles away from the orbiting Russian facility, closing
at a rate of approximately 350 n.m. every orbit.

     In a salute to the on-time start and smooth operation so far in
the flight, Mission Control chose Those Magnificent Men and Their
Flying Machines played by The American Military Band as the wake up
music to begin the STS-84 crew's second day in space.

     The main focus of flight day two will be the checkout of the
docking system and support equipment that will be used during 
tomorrow
night's rendezvous and docking with Mir.

     Among the docking preparation activities this evening and early
tomorrow morning, will be the installation of the center line camera
in the Orbiter Docking System.  That device will provide Commander
Precourt additional insight as he makes the final approach to the
station.  The crew also will extend the capture ring on the docking
system to verify it is healthy and ready to support mate operations,
test the hand-held laser device used for range and closure rates with
the Mir and set up the laptop computers which provide rendezvous 
data.

     In addition to preparing for the docking with Mir, the crew will
also begin activities with Biorack - the main science payload aboard
Atlantis.  Biorack is a multi-purpose unit that provides temperature
controlled environments, centrifuges for simulating gravity and a
protected workspace for specimen handling.  Investigations in the
Biorack facility include studies on plant growth, changes in several
generations of a single-celled organism grown during the flight,
changes in the components of white blood cells in a weightless
environment and monitoring the radiation environment in the spacecraft

     Early tomorrow morning, the crew will conduct an interview with
the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).  That interview is planned
to take place at 2:48 a.m. CDT.

     The STS-84 crew is scheduled to go to sleep at 8:08 a.m. tomorrow
morning.  Following an eight hour sleep period, they will be awakened
at 3:08 p.m. tomorrow afternoon to begin the final portion of the
rendezvous with Mir.  Docking of the two spacecraft is targeted for
9:34 p.m. CDT tomorrow evening.

     Atlantis continues to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes at an
altitude of 185 x 166 statute miles with all of the Shuttle's systems
operating in excellent condition.

STS-84 Report # 03 
Friday, May 16, 1997 
 
Atlantis continues to close on the Mir Space Station in anticipation
of tonight's sixth linkup between the Shuttle and the Russian space
complex.

Preparations for the docking are nearly complete as Atlantis' seven
astronauts worked throughout the overnight hours to check out the
rendezvous tools that will be used during the final phase of the
approach to Mir. This morning, Commander Charlie Precourt and Pilot
Eileen Collins fired Atlantis' jets in another in a series of burns to
refine the Shuttle's path to the Mir.

Overnight, Collins and Mission Specialists Carlos Noriega and
Jean-Francois Clervoy successfully checked out the programs and 
laser
range hardware that will be used throughout the rendezvous.  The 
crew
also extended the capture ring on the Orbiter Docking System to verify
it is healthy and ready to support mating operations following contact
between the two vehicles.  And, Precourt and Ed Lu setup a camera in
the Orbiter Docking System which will be used tonight as an extra
visual aid to help Precourt precisely guide Atlantis to its meeting
with the Mir. Docking remains scheduled for 9:34 p.m. Central time
tonight.

Clervoy, Lu and Russian cosmonaut Elena Kondakova spent several 
hours
throughout the night in the Spacehab module at the rear of Atlantis'
cargo bay working with the Biorack, a facility housing almost a dozen
experiments. The crew also took time this morning to discuss astronaut
Mike Foale's four-month mission on the Mir during an interview with
the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The astronauts are scheduled to go to sleep at 8:08 a.m. Following an 
abbreviated seven-hour sleep period, they will be awakened at 3:08 
p.m. to begin the terminal phase of the two-day chase to catch the Mir. 
They will move quickly into their rendezvous timeline late this afternoon 
as Noriega sets up the rendezvous tools on the flight deck, while 
Precourt and Collins power up backup systems on Atlantis to support 
docking operations.  

     Atlantis continues to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes at an
altitude of 185 x 166 statute miles with all of the Shuttle's systems
operating in excellent condition.

STS-84 Report # 04 
Friday, May 16, 1997 - 5 p.m. CDT  
 
 With the distance between Atlantis and Mir growing ever shorter,
crews aboard both vehicles are busy with preparations for this
evening's docking of the two vehicles.

  STS-84 Commander Charlie Precourt and the rest of his crew - Pilot
Eileen Collins, Mission Specialists Jean-Francois Clervoy, Carlos
Noriega, Ed Lu, Elena Kondakova, and Mike Foale are busy with final
preparations for tonight's docking with the orbiting Russian facility.

  The crew was awakened at 3:03 p.m. CDT this afternoon with the
song."Hold On, I'm Coming," by Sam and Dave, done in honor of the
pending exchange of U.S. astronaut Jerry Linenger aboard the Mir with
STS-84 astronaut Mike Foale.

  Docking remains scheduled for 9:34 p.m. CDT tonight. The terminal
initiation burn that begins the final approach phase is scheduled for
6:53 p.m. CDT. Atlantis has been closing in on Mir at a rate of about
270 nautical miles every orbit and will be about 8 miles behind the
station at the time of the terminal initiation burn.

  Yesterday, the crew finished the checkout of navigation tools that
will be used during the rendezvous, set up a camera in the Orbiter
Docking System to provide television views of the Mir docking target
for Precourt, and extended the outer ring of the Orbiter Docking
System.

  An on-time docking at 9:34 p.m. would place the two spacecraft at
42.5N, 15.3E traveling over the Adriatic Sea.. One orbit later, the
hatches between the two spacecraft will be opened and the planned 
five
days of docked operations will begin, including the crew exchange of
Foale and Linenger and the transfer of over 7,000 pounds of water,
experiments and logistical items between the two spacecraft.

STS-84 Report # 05 
 Saturday, May 17, 1997 - 5 a.m. CDT 
 
 Space Shuttle Atlantis and Space Station Mir joined together for the
sixth time last night with a flawless docking which occurred at 9:33
p.m. Central time over the Adriatic Sea.  Ten astronauts and
cosmonauts greeted one another and then began the business of
transferring about 7,000 pounds of food, water, experiments and other
supplies to each other's spacecraft..

  Commander Charlie Precourt guided Atlantis to its docking with the
Mir to cap off a 42-hour chase which began with the Shuttle's launch,
and less than two hours later, at 11:25 p.m., the hatches between the
two space vehicles swung open. Precourt greeted Mir 23 Commander
Vasily Tsibliev and, after embraces and handshakes, the crew 
members
made their way into the Mir Core Module for a brief welcoming
ceremony. During the ceremony, the Shuttle crew gave Tsibliev and
Flight Engineer Alexander Lazutkin baseball caps emblazoned with the
STS-84 crew insignia as well as the traditional Russian offering of
bread, tea and salt. Then, the ten astronauts and cosmonauts got 
down
to business, first conducting a joint safety briefing to familiarize
themselves with each other's craft.

  Among the first 'items' to be transferred to the station was
U.S. astronaut Mike Foale, who swapped places with Jerry Linenger to
maintain a permanent American presence in space which now has
stretched to 14 months.  The transfer of Foale's custom-made Soyuz
capsule seatliner marked the official start of Foale's tour of
duty. At the same time, Linenger became a Shuttle crew member once
again, having spent 123 days as a Mir crew member following his
arrival on the Russian outpost in January.  Linenger will have spent
just over 132 days in space if Atlantis lands next Saturday as is
currently scheduled.

  Foale will be a member of both the Mir-23 and Mir-24 crews until he
is relieved by astronaut Wendy Lawrence on Atlantis' next visit to the
Mir in late September.

  Running ahead of schedule, the astronauts also reported the
successful transfer of a new."Elektron" oxygen-generating unit from
Atlantis' Spacehab module to the Kvant-1 module on the Mir. That unit
is being installed as a backup to the operational Elektron in the
Kvant-2 module to augment the Mir's oxygen generation capability.

  Atlantis' astronauts will begin an extended 10-hour sleep period at
10:08 a.m. Central time this morning.  They will be awakened at 8:08
p.m. to continue their joint work with their Russian counterparts and
Foale, highlighted by the transfer of a new Elektron oxygen generating
unit from Atlantis' Spacehab module to the Mir, where it will be
installed by Tsibliev and Flight Engineer Alexander Lazutkin early
Sunday morning. The new unit, which will reside in the Kvant-1 module
to be used as a backup to the Elektron unit operating in the Kvant-2
module, will be activated for a few minutes Sunday evening.
Meanwhile, Foale and Linenger will continue a series of handover
briefings to acquaint Foale with his home for the next four months.

  The Atlantis-Mir space complex is orbiting the Earth every 90
minutes at an altitude of 213 nautical miles with all systems on both
craft operating in excellent condition.

STS-84 Report # 06 
Saturday, May 17, 1997 7 p.m. CDT 
 
 The crews aboard the joint Shuttle-Mir complex are scheduled to be
awakened this evening at 8:08 p.m. CDT to begin their second day of
docked operations.

  Earlier today at 9:15 a.m. CDT, the exchange of NASA astronauts
serving aboard Mir took place as STS-84 crew member Mike Foale
officially became a member of the Mir 23 crew.  NASA astronaut Jerry
Linenger, who served aboard Mir for 123 days, is now a member of
STS-84 Commander Charlie Precourt's crew, serving as Mission
Specialist.

  After they get through post-sleep activities, the STS-84 and Mir 23
crews will continue the transfer of items between the two spacecraft.
Precourt and Pilot Eileen Collins will conduct a photo survey of the
Mir station.  Mission Specialist Jean-Francois Clervoy will continue
work with Biorack - the primary science payload being carried in the
Spacehab module. Elena Kondakova also will work with some Biorack
experiments and will take environmental samples before helping with
Mir transfer activities. Carlos Noriega will perform a check of some
experiments being carried in the middeck and Ed Lu will activate a
radiation monitor experiment.  Foale and Linenger will continue their
handover discussions to help Foale prepare for his 4 � month stay
aboard Mir.

  Early tomorrow morning, Precourt and Mir 23 Commander Vasily
Tsibliev will answer qustions from CBS Correspondent Bill Harwood.
That interview is scheduled to take place at 5:48 a.m. CDT.

  Systems onboard the Atlantis-Mir complex continue to work normally
as it circles the Earth every 92 minutes at an altitude of 248 x 234
statute miles.

STS-84 Report # 07 
Sunday, May 18, 1997 - 6:30 a.m. CDT 
 
 The ten astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the Atlantis-Mir complex
spent their first full day of work together conducting science
investigations and transferring equipment from one spacecraft to the
other..

  The Spacehab double module at the rear of Atlantis' payload bay was
the focus of activity today as crew members conducted science
experiments in the Biorack facility and transferred items to and from
the Mir Space Station.

  Shuttle Commander Charlie Precourt and Pilot Eileen Collins
conducted several photo surveys of the Mir station and Mission
Specialists Jean-Francois Clervoy and Elena Kondakova worked with
Biorack - the primary science payload on board.  Kondakova also
performed some environmental air sampling before helping with Mir
transfer activities.  Carlos Noriega checked the progress of some
experiments being carried in the middeck and Ed Lu activated a
radiation monitor experiment.  The newest Mir 23 crew member, Mike
Foale, joined his new crewmates, Commander Vasily Tsibliev and Flight
Engineer Alexander Lazutkin in familiarizing himself with his orbital
home for the next four months. Foale also joined his predecessor on
Mir, Jerry Linenger, to discuss life and work aboard Mir and the
current status of Mir systems. Linenger spent his day transferring
many of the experiments he conducted during his tour of duty on Mir
back to Atlantis for their return to Earth.

  In an interview with CBS News, Precourt and Tsibliev praised the
sixth joint docking mission between the U.S. and Russia, indicating it
is serving as a worthwhile exercise to prepare for the assembly of the
International Space Station. Precourt also said the Mir appears to be
in good condition despite recent systems problems, and said Mir will
be a perfectly safe home for Foale for his stay on orbit.

  The new Elektron oxygen-generating unit, which was transferred to
the Mir from Atlantis early Saturday, will not be tested during the
docked phase of the flight. The 300-pound system will be installed in
the Kvant-1 module after the mission and will be tested after a
leaking cooling loop in Kvant-1 is fixed. The new unit will serve as a
backup to another unit currently operating in Kvant-2 as the primary
source of oxygen production for the Mir.

  The ten astronauts and cosmonauts will begin their sleep periods at
12:08 p.m. Central time today. Atlantis' seven crew members will be
awakened at 8:08 p.m., while the Mir 23 crew members will receive
their wakeup call from Russian flight controllers an hour later.

  The Atlantis/Mir complex continues to circle the Earth at an
altitude of 210 nautical miles with all systems in both spacecraft
operating normally.

STS-84 Report # 08 
Sunday, May 18, 1997 7:30 p.m. CDT 
 
 As they get ready to begin their third day of docked operations, the
crews aboard the Atlantis-Mir complex are well into the transfer
activities planned for the STS-84 mission.

  The crew will receive its wake up call to begin Flight Day 5 at 8:08
p.m. CDT this evening and the Mir-23 crew will be awakened about an
hour later to start its day.  The main focus this evening and early
tomorrow morning will be the continuing effort to transport science
equipment, logistics and water between the two spacecraft.  As of the
start of tonight's activities, approximately 58 % of the planned
transfer work has already been accomplished.

  Work planned for this evening includes Commander Charlie Precourt
and Pilot Eileen Collins setting up equipment to take environmental
air samples.  They'll also work with the Cosmic Radiation Effects and
Activation Monitor (CREAM) which has made multiple Shuttle
flights. Crew members will install a CREAM detector package at each of
four stations as early in the flight as possible and then stow them as
late as possible before the end of the flight.  Mission Specialist
Jean-Francois Clervoy will continue his work with the Biorack system
and a plant experiment before helping with transfer activities.
Carlos Noriega's transfer efforts will include moving a Protein
Crystal Growth dewar system from Mir to Atlantis for return to Earth.
Ed Lu will conduct a photo survey of the Mir station while Elena
Kondakova moves hot and cold water samples from Mir to Atlantis and
continues her work with Biorack experiments.

  Mike Foale and Jerry Linenger will continue their handover
discussions as Foale prepares for his upcoming 4 month stay on
Mir. Foale will serve aboard the Russian facility until he is replaced
by astronaut Wendy Lawrence when Atlantis again docks to Mir in
September on Mission STS-86.

  At 2:07 a.m. CDT Monday morning, Precourt will downlink a
congratulatory message to the 4th Air Expeditionary Wing in
celebration of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force. Later at
6:26 a.m. CDT, Precourt, along with Collins, Lu, Foale, Linenger and
Mir 23 Commander Vasily Tsibliev will conduct an interview with 
C-SPAN
anchor Brian Lamb and answer viewer call-in questions.

  Everything continues to go well as the Atlantis-Mir complex circles
the Earth every 92 minutes at an altitude of 248 x 234 statute miles.

STS-84 Report # 09 
Monday, May 19, 1997 
 
  The ten astronauts and cosmonauts of the Atlantis-Mir space complex
continued their work through the overnight hours, transferring water,
hardware and logistical supplies to and from each other's spacecraft
in the third day of joint operations between the Shuttle and the
Russian Space Station crewmembers.

  While that work continued, European Space Agency astronaut
Jean-Francois Clervoy and Russian Space Agency cosmonaut Elena
Kondakova, both Atlantis Mission Specialists, continued work in the
Spacehab module at the rear of the Shuttle's cargo bay, conducting
experiments in the Biorack facility. Kondakova also collected both
cold and hot water samples from the Mir's water system to return to
Earth to be analyzed for their purity.

  As planned, the newest member of the Mir 23 crew, Mike Foale, and
astronaut Jerry Linenger continued their handover activities to
prepare Foale for his 4 month stay on Mir.  Foale will serve aboard
the Russian outpost until he is replaced by astronaut Wendy Lawrence
during Atlantis' next visit to Mir in September.

  Atlantis' seven crew members were awakened Sunday night to begin
their fifth day of work on orbit by the French National Anthem,."La
Marseillaise," before starting the transfer activities, which are
already ahead of schedule with more than 50 percent of the total items
to be delivered to and from the Mir having been moved to their final
locations.

  Working in tandem, Commander Charlie Precourt and Pilot Eileen
Collins set up equipment to take environmental air samples and also
installed a radiation detection monitor Effects and Activation Monitor
at each of four locations in the Mir.

  While Clervoy and Kondakova conducted scientific work in the
Spacehab module, Carlos Noriega relocated a Protein Crystal Growth
dewar system from Mir to Atlantis for return to Earth while Ed Lu
conducted a photo survey of the Mir station

  Earlier today, Precourt downlinked a videotape of an international
meal conducted by the ten crew members of the Atlantis-Mir complex
shortly after their docking and sent a congratulatory message to the
Air Force's 4th Air Expeditionary Wing in celebration of the 50th
anniversary of the military service and the completion of wing's tour
of duty in Qatar in the Middle East.

  Several crew members took time out this morning to answer 
questions
from viewers of the C-SPAN cable television network, discussing the
progress of the mission and the condition of the Mir Space Station.

 Atlantis and Mir continue to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes at an
altitude of 213 nautical miles with all systems functioning normally.

  The crewmembers are scheduled to begin a sleep period at 12:08
p.m. Central time. Atlantis' crew will be awakened at 8:08 p.m. this
evening, with the Mir crewmembers receiving their wakeup call one 
hour
later.

Sounds like a clear evening this evening in New England...  Are there
any good viewing passes??

Cheers,
jeff

    Nope, it's still making morning sky passes here.
    The launch took place a little after 4:00 am (4:07:48 I believe
    was the exact time). So because it was launched on an ascending
    passage (up the northeast coast), southwest to northeast, it will
    take roughly about two weeks before it would start to appear in
    the evening skies for viewing. In the meantime, it will continue
    to make ascending node passages in the morning, then the orbit
    will migrate to making descending node passages (northwesterly
    to southeasterly) in the morning. Eventually it will swing into
    viewing in the evening sky, but the shuttle will have long since
    un-docked, and landed before it would have been viewable in the 
    evening skies, had it stayed in orbit long enough.
    Mir will of course stay up there to be seen in the evening a
    couple weeks from now.
    I'll do a pass prediction on my pc at home tonight and will post
    it here tomorrow, for those early morning people who might be 
    willing to take a look for them before they separate.
    I believe though that the weather here in the northeast is going
    to get cloudy again tonight, and the shuttle is scheduled to
    undock from MIR tomorrow. But there may be following mornings
    when they could both be seen separately.
    
    Bob

    STS-84 Report # 10 
    Monday, May 19, 1997 - 5:30 p.m. CDT  
     
      The STS-84 crew will begin Flight Day 6 activities at 8:08 p.m. CDT
    this evening when they receive a wake up call from Mission
    Control-Houston.  The Mir 23crews's wake up alarm on the Russian
    station will sound about one hour later.
    
      Now more than 67 hours into docked operations, the crews aboard the
    Atlantis-Mir complex are nearing the completion of their transfer
    activities for the STS-84 mission.  The crews will begin their fourth
    day of docked operations with 76% of transfer operations complete with
    188 of 249 items having already been moved between the two vehicles.
    More than 87% of the resupply items for the Mir station are already
    onboard.  For the items coming back on Atlantis, 59% of the U.S. items
    and 71% of the Russia items are already stowed for the return to
    Earth.
    
      In addition to continuing their transfer efforts and working with
    the Biorack, activities this evening will include tests with the Mir
    Structural Dynamics Experiment (MiSDE).  This experiment will gather
    structural dynamics data on the Mir-Atlantis mated configuration by
    firing maneuvering thrusters on either the Shuttle or Mir.  For
    tonight's data collection, only Atlantis' thrusters will be used.
    
      The two crews will take a break from their transfer activities and
    science work to conduct an interview with the Cable News Network (CNN)
    early tomorrow morning.  The CNN event will take place just after 7
    a.m. CDT Tuesday morning.
      
      The Atlantis-Mir complex continues to circle the Earth every 92
    minutes at an altitude of 248 x 234 statute miles.
    
    

    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.

    STS-84 Report # 12 
    Tuesday, May 20, 1997 - 7:00 p.m. CDT  
     
    The crews aboard the Atlantis-Mir complex will begin their final full
    day of joint docked operations this evening as they finish up transfer
    operations and prepare for tomorrow night's undocking.
    
    Mission Control will wake the seven person crew aboard Atlantis at
    8:08 p.m. CDT this evening to begin Flight Day 7 activities.  The
    three members of the Mir-23 crew will start their day about one hour
    later.
    
    At the Mission Management Team meeting earlier today, NASA officials
    decided to not proceed with a request made by Russian space officials
    to dump about 600 pounds of Mir condensate water through Atlantis'
    waste water dump nozzles. Since the procedures to perform this work
    were not completely defined and not wanting to over subscribe the
    Shuttle crew on their last day of docked operations, NASA managers
    decided to decline the request.
    
    As they wrap up their transfer activities early tomorrow morning,
    STS-84 Commander Charlie Precourt, and Mir-23 Commandeer Vasily
    Tsibliev along with some of their crewmembers will conduct a tour of
    the Mir station about at 12:30 a.m.
    
    When they complete the movement of equipment between the two vehicles,
    the two crews will review inventory lists to insure that all items
    have been transferred.  Former Mir resident Jerry Linenger and the
    newest member of the Mir-23 crew, Mike Foale, also will complete their
    handover discussions.
    
    With their transfer work behind him, the Atlantis and Mir crews will
    hold a joint news conference, answering questions from news media in
    the United States, Europe and Russia.  The crew news conference is
    planned for 5:28 a.m. CDT on Wednesday.
    
    During the conference, STS-84 Commander Precourt, Mir 23 Commander
    Tsibliev along with former Mir resident Jerry Linenger and the new
    member of the Mir 23 crew, Mike Foale, will hold an informal farewell
    ceremony.  Precourt and Tsibliev will then shake hands one last time
    and the hatches between the two vehicles will be closed.
    
    The Atlantis crew will then install the centerline camera in the
    Orbiter Docking System for use during tomorrow night's undocking.
    Precourt and his crew will also review the undocking procedures before
    turning in for a slightly abbreviated 7 hour sleep period.
    
    When they wake up Wednesday evening, the STS-84 crew will immediately
    begin final undocking activities.  About two hours after wake up,
    Atlantis will separate from the Mir ending more than 120 hours of
    docked operations.
    
    

    STS-84 Report # 13 
    Wednesday, May 21, 1997 8:00am CDT
    
      The ten astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the Atlantis-Mir space
    complex said their final farewells and closed the hatches on their two
    spacecraft this morning, wrapping up five days of joint operations in
    which about 7,000 pounds of supplies, experiments and water were
    transferred between the two vehicles, as well as astronaut Mike Foale,
    who swapped places with Jerry Linenger for the start of a four-month
    research mission on the Russian outpost.
    
      The final handshakes by Commanders Charlie Precourt and Vasily
    Tsibliev came moments before the hatches between Atlantis and Mir
    swung shut at 7:43 a.m. Central time, leaving Foale behind on the
    Russian outpost to begin his tour of duty along with Tsibliev and
    Flight Engineer Alexander Lazutkin.
    
      The final farewells and hatch closure set the stage for the undocking
    of Atlantis from the Mir tonight at 8:04 p.m. Central time, which will
    complete the sixth docking flight between the U.S. and Russia. Plans
    called for Atlantis to back away below Mir to a distance of 3300 feet
    to test a European Space Agency sensor device designed to compute
    range and range rate data for ESA resupply vehicle dockings
    contemplated for the new International Space Station in the next
    decade.
    
      There will be no flyaround of the Mir by Atlantis after undocking
    tonight as has been the case in previous missions to allow for the ESA
    sensor studies. The laws of orbital mechanics will allow Atlantis to
    separate from Mir naturally without additional jet thruster firings.
    
      Overnight, Linenger and Foale took viewers of NASA Television on a
    comprehensive tour of the Mir Space Station, displaying all of the
    station's modules and points of interest, including the locations of
    experiment activity and an area near the spot outside the Kvant-1
    module where a brief fire broke out in February due to the failure of
    an oxygen-generating canister.
    
      The ten crew members also fielded questions from reporters in the
    U.S. and Europe during a joint crew news conference in the Mir Core
    Module. They discussed the results of their mission and prospects for
    continuing U.S-Russian space cooperation in the future.
    
      Atlantis' astronauts began their workday shortly after 8
    p.m. Tuesday night when Mission Control played the Russian National
    Anthem - called."Patriotic Song" - in honor of cosmonaut and Mission
    Specialist Elena Kondakova.  The two crews on Atlantis and Mir, now
    seperated by closed hatches, will turn in at 11:08 Central time this
    morning for abbreviated sleep periods. The seven astronauts will be
    awakened at 6:08 p.m. to prepare for undocking, one hour after the Mir
    23 cosmonauts are awakened by Russian flight controllers.
    
      Atlantis and Mir continue to fly smoothly on in an orbit about 220
    miles above the Earth, circling the planet every 90 minutes. All
    systems on both spacecraft continue to function normally.
    
    

    STS-84 Report # 14 
     Wednesday, May 21, 1997 - 6:30 p.m. CDT  
     
     Docked operations between the Atlantis and Mir will conclude this
    evening when the Shuttle undocks at approximately 8:04 p.m. CDT to
    conclude the joint work conducted during this sixth Shuttle-Mir
    mission.
    
      The crew aboard Atlantis were awakened at 6:08 p.m. to begin Flight
    Day 8.  The wake up music this evening was."Triste et Bleu" by French
    singer Michele Jonasz which was requested by Mission Specialist
    Jean-Francois Clervoy.
    
      The crew are now in their post-sleep period and will shortly begin
    final preparations for tonight's undocking.
    
      Once Atlantis is ready to undock from Mir, the initial separation
    will be performed by springs that will gently push the shuttle away
    from the docking module. Both the Mir and Atlantis will be in a mode
    called."free drift" during the undocking.  During "free drift"
     the steering jets of each spacecraft are shut off to avoid
    any inadvertent firings.
    
      Once the docking mechanism's springs have pushed Atlantis away to a
    distance of about two feet from Mir, where the docking devices will be
    clear of one another, Atlantis' steering jets will be turned back on
    and fired in the Low-Z mode to begin slowly moving away from Mir.
    
       For the STS-84 mission, Atlantis will continue away from Mir until
    it reaches a distance of approximately 3,000 feet below the Mir where
    it will stop to test a European laser docking sensor.  Unlike previous
    Shuttle-Mir flights, there will be no fly-around of the station for
    photo documentation.  When Atlantis reaches the 3,000 foot distance,
    instead of firing jet thrusters to perform a separation maneuver, the
    Shuttle will depend on the natural forces of one spacecraft being in a
    lower orbit than another which will cause the Shuttle to move ahead of
    the Mir.
    
      Early tomorrow morning at 7:44 a.m., Mission Specialist
    Jean-Francois Clervoy and his Atlantis crewmates will conduct an
    interactive event with students gathered at the Arianspace launch
    center in Kourou, French Guiana and a French radio network in Paris,
    France.
    
      About 30 minutes later at 8:14 a.m., Carlos Noriega, who was born in
    Lima, Peru, will receive a VIP phone call from Peruvian President
    Albert Fujimori and the U.S. Ambassador to Peru, Dennis Jett.  Noriega
    will also answer questions from the CBS Telenoticias organization in
    Miami.
    
      The STS-84 crew will begin an eight hour sleep period at 12:08
    p.m. and will receive a wake up call from Mission Control at 8:08
    p.m. Thursday evening to begin Flight Day 9.
    
    

    STS-84 Report # 15 
    Thursday, May 22, 1997,1 a.m. CDT  
     
     Bidding one another goodbye and."dasvedanya," Atlantis' seven
    astronauts and Mir's three cosmonauts ended five days of joint
    operations Wednesday night when the Shuttle undocked from the Space
    Station at 8:04 p.m. high above the Ukraine, east of the capital of
    Kiev.
    
      Atlantis' undocking from Mir was modified from previous joint
    missions in that a flyaround of the station for photographic purposes
    was not conducted.
    
      Instead, Pilot Eileen Collins guided Atlantis below the Mir after
    the two spacecraft completed their physical seperation, stopping three
    times at distances of 90, 300 and 1,500 feet to collect data from a
    European sensor device designed to assist future rendezvous' of a
    proposed European Space Agency resupply vehicle with the International
    Space Station.  Once that was completed, the shuttle took advantage of
    natural orbital mechanics to drift beneath and out in front of Mir as
    it faded from view.
    
      As a final farewell shortly after undocking, Atlantis' astronauts
    sang."The Cosmonauts' Song" to Mir-23 crew members Vasily Tsibliev,
    Alexander Lazutkin and astronaut Mike Foale, who is beginning his
    four-month research mission on Mir. Foale and his new crewmates played
    music as Atlantis departed following the joint phase of the flight.
    
      In all, 7,537 pounds of water and supplies was transferred between
    Atlantis and the Mir during the five days of joint activity between
    the crew members.  3,870 pounds of supplies was delivered to the Mir,
    while items totaling 2,630 pounds were moved to Atlantis for the trip
    back to Earth.  More than a thousand pounds of water was delivered to
    the Mir for use by the cosmonauts.
    
      Following undocking, science work continued as Mission Specialist
    Elena Kondakova worked with plant experiments in the Biorack facility.
    
      Jerry Linenger, in the homestretch of his four month stay on orbit,
    continued a daily regime of exercise on a treadmill installed on the
    Shuttle's middeck floor.  Commander Charlie Precourt acted as an
    observer, collecting data on the treadmill's operation.
    
      With the major objectives of their mission now complete, the
    astronauts will begin an eight hour sleep period about noon and will
    receive a wake up call from Mission Control shortly after 8
    p.m. tonight to begin the routine pre-landing checkout of Atlantis'
    systems for its planned return to Earth Saturday morning at the
    Kennedy Space Center.
    
      Atlantis continues to orbit the Earth at an altitude of about 237
    statute miles, completing one orbit of the Earth every 92 minutes. All
    of Atlantis' systems are functioning normally.

    STS-84 Report # 16 
    Thursday, May 22, 1997 - 6:30 p.m. CDT  
     
      With the exchange of two crew members and more than three tons of
    food, water, equipment and experiment samples complete, the main
    objectives of the STS-84 mission have been achieved and the astronauts
    aboard the Atlantis are turning their attention toward packing up for
    the return home.
    
      Mission Specialist Jerry Linenger will return to Earth on Saturday
    after 122 days aboard the Mir Space Station, while fellow astronaut
    Mike Foale will remain on the orbiting Rusian facility for four and a
    half months of research.  Atlantis and Mir are now just over 3,000
    nautical miles apart and the distance is growing by about 23 n.m. each
    orbit.
    
      Commander Charlie Precourt and his crew are scheduled to wake at
    8:08 p.m. CDT this evening to begin what should be their final full
    day in space.  Their activities this evening and early tomorrow will
    include stowing experiments and equipment and checking out orbiter
    systems used during the deorbit, entry and landing phases of the
    flight.
    
      Precourt, along with Pilot Eileen Collins and Mission Specialist
    Carlos Noriega will perform a test of the Reaction Control System
    (RCS) jets that are used to maneuver the Shuttle in space.  They will
    also check the Shuttle's flight control systems to verify the various
    aerosurface hardware - the elevons, rudder and speed brake used to
    steer the Shuttle once it is back in Earth's atmosphere - are in good
    working order.
    
      Several crew members will help with the final stowage of Mir
    transfer items in the Spacehab and general cabin stowage in the
    middeck and will participate in an educational video being shot
    onboard.  Elena Kondakova will stow the VHF radio gear that was used
    for ship-to-ship communications with Mir.  Jean-Francois Clervoy and
    Kondakova will be responsible for teardown of Spacehab hardware in
    preparation for entry and landing.  Ed Lu and Kondakova will stow
    Atlantis' KU-band communications antenna, and Jerry Linenger, who has
    been in space since mid-January, will get a final exercise period in
    before his return to Earth.
    
      Precourt, Collins, Kondakova and Linenger will pause from their
    return preparations early tomorrow morning to participate in an
    interview with the NBC."Today" Show and Connus Communications.  The
    two interviews are scheduled for 4:38 a.m. CDT on Friday.
    
      Atlantis and the STS-84 crew are scheduled to return to Kennedy
    Space Center on Saturday morning.  The deorbit burn is planned for
    5:51 a.m. CDT with a landing a little over an hour later at 6:53
    a.m. CDT at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility.  The long
    range weather forecast shows good weather for Atlantis' return the
    Florida spaceport.
    
    

    
    ( I'm back - adding the rest for completeness )
    
    STS-84 Report # 17 
    Friday, May 23, 1997 - 6:30 a.m. CDT 
     
     Atlantis is set to conclude its voyage in space at 6:52 a.m. Central
    time tomorrow at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, following this
    morning's checkout of systems that will be used during reentry and
    landing.  Weather forecasters predict a possibility of showers near
    the landing strip at KSC but generally favorable conditions for both
    landing opportunities. The backup landing site at Edwards Air Force
    Base, California is not being considered for a Saturday homecoming.
    
      Commander Charlie Precourt, Pilot Eileen Collins and Mission
    Specialist Carlos Noriega spent the morning testing Atlantis' flight
    control surfaces and thruster jets to ensure they are ready to support
    the Shuttle's high speed return to Earth.
    
      The astronauts' final day on orbit was also devoted to stowing
    equipment and finishing experiment work in the Spacehab module in the
    cargo bay. The crew will go to bed later today at 12:08 p.m. Central
    time for an extended nine-hour sleep period which will end with a
    wakeup call from Mission Control at 9:08 this evening.
    
      Deorbit preparations will begin just before 2 a.m. Saturday followed
    an hour later by closing of Atlantis' payload bay doors.  The
    astronauts are scheduled to don their launch and entry suits shortly
    after 4 a.m. and strap into their seats about 5 a.m.  Entry Flight
    Director Wayne Hale is expected to poll the flight control team for
    the final decision for the deorbit burn 20 minutes prior to the
    planned firing of Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines at 5:47
    a.m.
    
      In addition to 2,600 pounds of items being brought back from the Mir
    Space Station, Atlantis is ferrying home astronaut Jerry Linenger, who
    is returning to Earth after 122 days on the Mir. If Atlantis lands as
    planned Saturday, Linenger will have logged 132 days in space on this
    flight, the second longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut
    behind the record 188-day stay in orbit by Shannon Lucid last year.
    Linenger's replacement on the Mir, Mike Foale, began his work in
    earnest today with experiment data collection and housekeeping chores
    along with his two Russian crewmates.
    
      Atlantis continues to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes in excellent
    condition at an altitude of about 230 statute miles.

    STS-84 Report # 18 
    Friday, May 23, 1997 - 9:15 p.m. CDT  
     
      The STS-84 crew aboard Atlantis are busy with final stowage of
    experiments and equipment in preparation for return to Earth early
    tomorrow morning while the flight team in Mission Control continues to
    assess the weather forecast for the landing site on Saturday.
    
      The current weather forecast for Saturday has several issues.  The
    prime threat against an Atlantis homecoming on Saturday, is the chance
    of rain showers within 30 n.m. of Kennedy Space Center.  There is also
    a concern with broken cloud cover that might be over the Florida
    landing site tomorrow.  The alternate landing site at Edwards Air
    Force Base in California is not being called up for support on
    Saturday.
    
      This evening's wake up call to Atlantis' came at 9:08 p.m.
    Continuing a theme observed in STS-84 wake up calls, today's musical
    selection was."The Star Spangled Banner".  Mission Control, in a
    salute to the international nature of the STS-84 flight and makeup of
    the crew, on various mornings has played the national anthems of
    Russia, France, Great Britain, Peru and the United States.
    
      If everything goes as planned, deorbit preparations will begin just
    before 2 a.m. tomorrow morning followed an hour later by the closing
    of Atlantis' payload bay doors.  The astronauts are scheduled to don
    their launch and entry suits shortly after 4 a.m. and strap into their
    seats about 5 a.m.  Entry Flight Director Wayne Hale is expected to
    poll the flight control team for the final decision for the deorbit
    burn 20 minutes prior to the planned firing of Atlantis' orbital
    maneuvering system engines at 5:47 a.m.
    
      The deorbit burn will last 3 minutes, 14 seconds, and will take
    place 220 n.m. over the southern portion of the Indian Ocean.  The
    deorbit burn will slow Atlantis down enough to allow the Shuttle to
    fall back into the Earth's atmosphere.  About 30 minutes after the
    burn, Atlantis will begin to feel the effects of Earth's atmosphere as
    it travels north of Hawaii over the Pacific Ocean at an altitude of
    400,000 feet.
    
      Atlantis will travel in a northwest to southeast path across the
    United States as it makes its approach into the area around the
    Kennedy Space Center.  Touchdown of Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center's
    Shuttle Landing Facility is planned for 6:52 a.m. CDT.
    
      Should the weather prevent the crew from utilizing the first landing
    opportunity, a second one is available one orbit later.  The second
    opportunity would call for a deorbit burn at 7:22 a.m. CDT and a
    landing at KSC at 8:28 a.m. CDT.
    
      Following landing, the STS-84 crew will remain at KSC overnight and
    will return to Houston on Sunday morning.

    STS-84 Report # 19 
     Saturday, May 24, 1997 - 9 a.m. CDT 
     
      The Shuttle Atlantis, carrying seven astronauts including Jerry
    Linenger, glided to a delayed, but smooth landing this morning at the
    Kennedy Space Center to wrap the sixth docking mission to the Russian
    Mir Space Station and the delivery of astronaut Mike Foale for the
    start of his four month tour of duty.
    
      It was the eighth straight Shuttle landing at the Florida spaceport.
    
      After passing up the first landing opportunity of the day because of
    clouds over KSC, Commander Charlie Precourt and Pilot Eileen Collins
    guided Atlantis to a textbook touchdown at 8:28 a.m. Central time on
    runway 33 to wrap up a 3.6 million mile mission to bring Linenger
    home after 132 days in space. Linenger's voyage, which began with his
    launch to the Mir in January, was the second longest single
    spaceflight in U.S. history.
    
      Thick clouds prevented Atlantis from coming home on the first chance
    for landing, but the skies cleared in time one orbit later, and
    Precourt fired the ship's braking rockets, enabling Atlantis to drop
    out of orbit for its high speed return to Earth. Atlantis passed over
    the Northwest U.S., the Plains states and the Southeast before
    entering Florida air space for its homecoming.
    
      The astronauts were scheduled to return to their crew quarters about
    an hour after landing, where Linenger was to begin extensive medical
    tests as part of his post-flight rehabilitation to readapt to the
    effects of gravity following his long stint in orbit.
    
      Atlantis' astronauts will remain at the Kennedy Space Center tonight
    to relax before returning to Houston Sunday afternoon to a homecoming
    at Ellington Field.