STS-78 Mission Control Center
Status Report #15

Thursday, June 27, 1996; 7 AM, CDT
  
  Life and Microgravity Spacelab experiments are continuing today as
Columbia's astronauts document how space flight is affecting their
minds and bodies.

  Work will concentrate on sessions at the Human Behavior Workstation,
which measures the ability of the astronaut to respond to changes in
his or her environment. The crew will also conduct investigations with
the Astronaut Lung Function Experiment, to measure the effects of
microgravity and heavy exercise on pulmonary capability, and the
Torque Velocity Dynamometer, which measures leg muscle strength.

  The seven STS-78 astronauts were awakened shortly before 3 AM Central
time today to the sound of "Every Breath You Take, Every Move You
Make" by Police -- played in honor of the Lung Function experiment and
the flight controllers in Mission Control overseeing what is expected
to be the longest Shuttle flight in history. A decision by mission
managers to extend the flight to 17 days for additional science will
likely be made over the weekend after consultations with payload
managers at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama
and a review of Shuttle systems.

  Payload Commander Susan Helms is scheduled to be interviewed by KNX
Radio in Los Angeles at 8:59 a.m. Central time and Commander Tom
Henricks and Payload Specialist Jean-Jacques Favier will participate
in an educational discussion of the mission's scientific aspects with
French students at a Paris technical school at 2:39 p.m.

  Columbia again is orbiting with its tail to the Earth to minimize
disturbance to the microgravity experiments. There are no problems
being tracked aboard the oldest orbiter in the Shuttle fleet.

The JSC newsroom is open around the clock throughout the STS-78
mission.

***

NASA Mission Status Reports and other information are available
automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to
jscnews-request@listserver.jsc.nasa.gov.  In the body of the message
(not the subject line) users should type "subscribe" (no quotes). This
will add the email address that sent the subscribe message to the news
release distribution list. The system will reply with a confirmation
via E-mail of each subscription.  Once you have subscribed you will
receive future news releases via e-mail.