STS-86 Day 11 Highlights

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On Sunday, October 5, 1997, 8:00 a.m. CDT, STS-86 MCC Status Report # 20 reports:

On board Atlantis, the seven-member crew is preparing their vehicle for its high-speed reentry and landing at the Kennedy Space Center today at 5:59 p.m. Central time. While generally favorable weather conditions are expected, weather forecasters will continue to track wind conditions at KSC which are expected to be near the cross wind limit.

This morning, the astronauts will finish stowing any final items necessary to secure Atlantis' crew cabin for this afternoon's planned landing. Mission Specialists Vladimir Titov and Jean-Loup Chretien will button-up the SPACEHAB module today, shutting down systems and securing any loose items, prior to closing the entry hatch to that module.

Following an on-board briefing to review reentry procedures, the astronauts will begin their deorbit preparations just before 1 p.m. CDT Sunday. Atlantis' payload bay doors are scheduled to be closed about 2:11 p.m. and the crew will don their launch and entry suits shortly before 3 p.m. Entry Flight Director Linda Ham is expected to poll the flight control team for a final."go/no go" decision for the deorbit burn 20 minutes prior to the planned firing of Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines at 4:52 p.m.

There is a second opportunity for Atlantis to return to KSC today, in the event weather prohibits landing on the first opportunity, with the deorbit burn at 6:30 p.m. central time with landing to follow at 7:36 p.m. The back-up landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, California has not been called up to support landing opportunities today. If Atlantis lands on the second opportunity, it should create a bright plasma trail in the skies over the southeast as it streaks toward Florida.

Atlantis' crew may be able to view the launch of a Progress resupply vehicle this morning, with the Progress scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome shortly after 10 a.m. central time. At the time of the launch, Atlantis will be traveling toward the northeast, overhead Jordan. About three minutes later, Atlantis should be close enough to the launch site to allow them to view the rocket plume.

A landing today will conclude a 144-day stay in space for astronaut Mike Foale. Foale's replacement on the Mir, David Wolf, is continuing his work with his two crewmates on board the Mir.

The next STS-86 status report will be issued following either Atlantis' landing at the Kennedy Space Center.or a wave-off of landing opportunities.

On Sunday, October 5, 1997, 7:30 p.m. CDT, STS-86 MCC Status Report # 21 reports:

The homecoming of the shuttle Atlantis and astronaut Mike Foale was postponed 24 hours after clouds at the Kennedy Space Center.in Florida prevented a landing on the two opportunities available at the Florida spaceport.

Atlantis' landing was waved off until Monday early this evening by Flight Director Linda Ham after forecasters predicted broken clouds and extensive cloud coverage over the 3-mile long landing strip at KSC.

The waveoff offered Foale and his crewmates a bonus day in space, extending Foale's time on orbit to a 145th day since his launch in May, the second longest single mission by an American astronaut in U.S. spaceflight history.

Mission managers decided after tonight's waveoff to call up landing support at the backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, California Monday with forecasters calling for similar weather conditions in Florida tomorrow and clear skies and winds near crosswind landing limits forecast for Edwards.

There will be four landing opportunities Monday, two at KSC and two at Edwards on consecutive orbits. The first landing opportunity at KSC would call for a deorbit burn at about 3:48 p.m. Central time with a landing at the Florida spaceport at about 4:55 p.m.

During their deorbit preparations, Atlantis' astronauts viewed the rocket plume from the launch of a Russian Progress resupply ship for the Mir Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan. Atlantis was flying over Jordan at the time of the launch. The Progress currently attached to the Mir will be jettisoned Monday morning to make way for the new Progress' linkup on Tuesday. All of the Mir's systems continue to function normally in support of astronaut David Wolf and his new Mir 24 crewmates.

Atlantis' astronauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at 11:34 p.m. Central time and will be awakened at 7:34 a.m. to resume deorbit preparations. The shuttle continues to fly flawlessly in a 207 by 191 nautical mile orbit in support of on-orbit operations.

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