Mission Control Status Report #5
STS-74

Tuesday, November 14, 1 995    5 a.m. CST

STS-74 crew members early Tuesday successfully mated a 15-foot, Russian 
built docking module from the Space Shuttle AtlantisU payload bay to the 
shuttleUs Orbiter Docking System.  The mating operation went by the book with 
no problems reported.

Chris Hadfield, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut and STS-74 mission 
specialist, used the shuttleUs robot arm to hoist the docking module out of the 
aft portion of the payload bay, rotated it to a vertical position, and moved it 
to within five inches of the Orbiter Docking System.  At that point, the 
shuttle fired its downward steering jets and moved the shuttle toward the 
docking module.  Once the two spacecraft were locked together, the docking ring 
on the Orbiter Docking System retracted, and a series of hooks and latches were 
engaged insuring an airtight seal between the two spacecraft.

The mating was confirmed at 1:17 a.m. CST with Atlantis was over the eastern 
portion of Europe on its 30th orbit.  Shortly after the capture, Commander Ken 
Cameron expressed the crewUs appreciation for the training that prepared them 
for the docking module installation.

At about 3 a.m. CST, the crew received a go from ground flight controllers to 
ungrapple the robot arm from the docking module.  Shortly after that, crew 
members raised the orbiterUs cabin pressure from 10.2 pounds per square inch 
to 14.7 psi.  The cabinUs pressure was lowered in the event that a problem 
during the mating process neccessitated an emergency spacewalk.

Crew members also mounted a centerline camera into the top hatch of the 
docking module.  The camera will provide the primary visual cue for Cameron as 
he maneuvers Atlantis to its docking with RussiaUs Space Station Mir early 
Wednesday.

Atlantis is trailing Mir by about 1450 statute miles and is closing at a rate 
of about 180 statute miles every orbit.  A series of rendezvous jet firings 
will further refine the closing rate, leading up to a docking with Mir at 12:27 
a.m. CST Wednesday.

The crew is scheduled to begin a shortened sleep period at 12:31
p.m. today and will be awakened at 6:31 p.m. today.  Flight
controllers are working toward an earlier start to the crewUs sleep
period to enable the astronauts to get additional rest time in advance
of tomorrowUs docking.

Because of the federal government furlough situation, it is likely
that the JSC Newsroom will close about 10 a.m. CST today and reopen
when the furlough is lifted.