11.05.98

Thursday, November 5, 1998, 5:00 a.m. CSTSTATUS REPORT: STS-95-15

STS-95 MISSION CONTROL CENTER STATUS REPORT #15



The Moody Blues awakened Discovery&rsquo;s seven astronauts at 4:15 
a.m. Central time this morning for their eighth day of on-orbit 
science activities. The song, "I Know You&rsquo;re Out There 
Somewhere," was chosen by Commander Curt Brown&rsquo;s family.



With the Spartan solar science satellite again secured in its berth in 
Discovery&rsquo;s payload bay, the astronauts will turn their full 
attention to some of the more than 80 experiments on board. They also 
will begin shutting down some of the experiments and facilities in 
anticipation of their return to Earth on Saturday morning.



Mission Specialist Steve Robinson will power up the Orbiter Space 
Vision System (OSVS) for an image optimization test. OSVS will be 
used in International Space Station assembly as a key source of 
precision data with which the robot arm operator will perform station 
assembly activities. Robinson and European Space Agency Mission 
Specialist Pedro Duque also will power up the Extravehicular Mobility 
Unit (EMU) and check the unit&rsquo;s communications system. The EMU 
would be used should a spacewalk become necessary; it provides 
pressure, thermal and micro-meteoroid protection, oxygen, cooling 
water, drinking water, food, waste collection (including carbon 
dioxide removal), electrical power and communications.



As they have throughout the flight, Commander Curt Brown, Pilot Steve 
Lindsey, Mission Specialist Steve Robinson and Payload Specialist 
John Glenn will complete a back-pain questionnaire as part of a study 
of how the muscle, intervertebral discs and bone marrow change due to 
microgravity. Results will be compared with data provided by 
astronauts during previous missions.



Glenn will continue blood sample analysis and blood processing that 
are part of the Protein Turnover (PTO) experiment, which is studying 
the muscle loss that occurs during space flight. Better understanding 
of the mechanisms of muscle loss may help scientists combat the 
muscle wasting commonly seen as a result of aging and in bedridden 
individuals.



Deactivation of some of the experiments will begin today. After using 
the Electronic Nose one last time to test the shuttle&rsquo;s air 
quality, Brown will deactivate it for the duration of the mission. 
The Electronic Nose is a miniaturized electronic air quality 
monitoring system that mimics the way the human nose detects changes 
in the air. Duque also will do a final shutdown of the Microgravity 
Science Glovebox and stow equipment associated with the facility.



Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski will check on the fish in the 
Vestibular Function Experiment Unit (VFEU). By studying how the 
balance organs of oyster toadfish in the VFEU adapt to microgravity, 
scientists hope to gain important insights about similar functions in 
humans and apply this information to develop therapies for 
equilibrium disorders on Earth.



At 12:10 p.m. Central time, the entire crew will gather for a press 
conference with U.S. and Japanese reporters at the Johnson Space 
Center in Houston, as well as with reporters gathered at the European 
Space Agency&rsquo;s Villafranca tracking facility outside Madrid, 
Spain. At 2:40 p.m. Central time, the astronauts will gather again 
for a conversation with Vice-President Al Gore and former Mercury 
astronaut Scott Carpenter from the White House.



Before going to sleep Wednesday night, the entire crew will gather for 
the traditional crew photograph. Then Glenn and Japanese Payload 
Specialist Chiaki Mukai will don for the last time their sleep nets 
and suits to monitor brain waves, eye movements, muscle tension, body 
movements and respiration during sleep. Mukai also will swallow a 
capsule containing either melatonin or a placebo as part of the sleep 
study.



Lindsey and Mukai will conduct additional work with the Astroculture 
experiment to study the growth of plants in the weightless 
environment of space. Brown and Glenn will complete the eighth and 
ninth feedings of the bone cell cultures that are part of the 
Canadian OSTEO experiment.



Preliminary weather forecasts indicate generally favorable weather to 
support Saturday&rsquo;s landing at 11:10 a.m. Central time at the 
Kennedy Space Center. Remnants of tropical storm Mitch are expected 
to pass through the area and move off Florida&rsquo;s east coast 
Friday night, allowing good weather for landing on Saturday.



Discovery is orbiting the Earth every 95 minutes at an altitude of 
about 341 statute miles with all systems operating in excellent 
condition.



The next STS-95 status report will be issued at approximately 6 p.m. 
Central time Thursday.

	
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