Mission Control Center
STS-64 Status Report #8
 
Tuesday, Sept. 13, 8 a.m. CDT
 
The STS-64 crew today is preparing to release a small science satellite that 
will spend about 40 hours flying free of Discovery as it collects information 
on the Sun and its solar winds.
 
The Spartan-201 satellite will be released from Discovery's robot arm at 
about 4:30 p.m. CDT (4/23:07 MET). Following deployment, the orbiter 
will perform three separation burns to move it away from Spartan to a 
station-keeping point about 50 miles behind. Spartan-201 will then begin its 
mission to look for evidence explaining how the solar wind is generated by 
the Sun.
 
The solar wind originates in the corona, the outermost atmosphere of the 
Sun. Spartan-201- carries two separate telescopes to study the corona. The 
White Light Coronagraph measures density distribution of  electrons 
making up the corona. The other telescope, the Ultraviolet Coronal 
Spectrometer investigates the temperatures and distribution of protons and 
hydrogen atoms through the layers of the corona. This information, which 
will be recorded on board the satellite and retrieved after landing, will help 
scientists characterize this part of the Sun.
 
Spartan will be retrieved on Thursday to be berthed once again in 
Discovery's payload bay for the return home.
 
Overnight, the Robot Operated Materials Processing System continued to 
processes semiconductor samples. Fifty-four of the 100 ROMPS samples 
have been processed, and controllers are pleased with the system's 
performance so far.
 
Crew members began their fifth day in space at 6:23 a.m. CDT with a 
parody of the Beach Boys song "I Get Around" called "We Orbit Round" 
by Mach 25. The astronauts' efforts to conserve Discovery's cryogenic 
fuels are paying off. Flight controllers in Houston say the outlook for an 
additional day in space is promising. 
 
Discovery, which continues to function without problems, is orbiting the 
Earth at an altitude of 140 x 141 nautical miles. 
 
-end-