05.23.97

Friday, May 23, 1997, 9:15 p.m. CDTSTATUS REPORT: STS-84-18

STS-84 MISSION CONTROL CENTER STATUS REPORT # 18



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.



The next Shuttle status report will be issued after landing on 
Saturday.

	
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