STS-80.Press.Kit    [ 5Nov96, 62kb](61k)




TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS/GENERAL RELEASE
2.0 MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION
3.0 STS-80 QUICK LOOK
4.0 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES
5.0 DEVELOPMENTAL TEST OBJECTIVES, DETAILED SUPPLEMENTARY
OBJECTIVES
6.0 MISSION SUMMARY
7.0 STS-80 ORBITAL EVENTS SUMMARY
8.0 PAYLOAD AND VEHICLE WEIGHTS
9.0 SHUTTLE ABORT MODES
10.0 ORFEUS-SPAS II
10.1 SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES
10.2 SCIENCE PAYLOAD
10.3 THE ASTRO-SPAS CARRIER
11.0 WAKE SHIELD FACILITY-3 (WSF-3)
11.1 WAKE SHIELD FACILITY DEPLOY AND RENDEZVOUS
11.2 PROXIMITY OPERATIONS WITH WSF-3 AND ORFEUS-SPAS-2
12.0 STS-80 EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITIES



  12.1 EVA DEVELOPMENT FLIGHT TESTS (EDFT)
  12.2 CRANE
  12.3 BATTERY ORBITAL REPLACEMENT UNIT
  12.4 CABLE CADDY
  12.5 PORTABLE WORK PLATFORM
  12.6 BODY RESTRAINT TETHER
  12.7 MULTI-USE TETHER
13.0 SPACE EXPERIMENT MODULE
14.0  NIH-R4
15.0 CCM-A (formerly STL/NIH-C-6)
16.0 BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN CANISTER (BRIC)-09 EXPERIMENT
17.0 COMMERCIAL MDA ITA EXPERIMENT (CMIX-5)
18.0 VISUALIZATION IN AN EXPERIMENTAL WATER CAPILLARY PUMPED
LOOP (VIEW-CPL)
19.0 CREW BIOGRAPHIES


1.0 NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS

For Information on the Space Shuttle




Ed Campion     Policy/Management     202/358-1778
  Headquarters, Washington, DC

Rob Navias     Mission Operations/Astronauts     713/483-5111
  Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Bruce Buckingham     Launch Processing/KSC Landing Information
407/867-2468
  Kennedy Space Center, FL

June Malone     External Tank/Shuttle Propulsion     205/544-0034
  Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

Cam Martin     DFRC Landing Information     805/258-3448
  Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA

For Information on STS-80 Experiments & Activities

James Cast     WSF / VIEW-CPL / CMIX     202/358-1779

  Headquarters, Washington, DC

Doug Isbell     ORFEUS-SPAS     202/358-1547
  Headquarters, Washington, DC

Mike Braukus     NIH-R / BRIC     202/358-1979
  Headquarters,  Washington, DC

Tammy Jones     SEM     301/286-5566
  GoddardFlight Center,  Greenbelt, MD



GENERAL RELEASE

RELEASE:  96-206

TWO SATELLITES DEPLOYED & RETRIEVED, PAIR OF SPACE WALKS
HIGHLIGHT NASA'S FINAL MISSION FOR 1996


NASA's final Shuttle flight for 1996 will again demonstrate the
versatility of the Space Shuttle system.  During Mission STS-80,
Columbia's five person crew will deploy and retrieve two free-
flying spacecraft, conduct two space walks and perform a variety
of microgravity research experiments in the Shuttle's middeck
area.

The STS-80 crew will be commanded by Kenneth D. Cockrell, who
will be making his third space flight.  The pilot, Kent V.
Rominger, will be making his second flight.  The three mission
specialists for STS-80 are Tamara E. Jernigan who is making her
fourth flight, Thomas D. Jones who is making his third flight and
Story Musgrave who is making his sixth space flight.

Columbia is currently targeted for launch on Nov. 8, 1996, from
NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39-B.  The two-hour,
thirty-minute launch window opens at 2:47 p.m. EST.  The planned
mission duration is 15 days, 16 hours, 44 minutes.  A launch at
the opening of the window would set Columbia and her crew up for a
return to KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility on Nov. 24 at 7:31 a.m.


NASA Television is available through the Spacenet-2 satellite
system.  Spacenet-2 is located on Transponder 5, channel 9, C
Band, at 69 degrees West longitude, frequency 3880.0 MHz, audio
6.8 Mhz.

 The schedule for television transmissions from the Orbiter and
for mission briefings will be available during the mission at
Kennedy Space Center, FL; Marshall Space Flight Center,
Huntsville, AL; Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA;
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX; and NASA Headquarters,
Washington, DC.  The television schedule will be updated to
reflect changes dictated by mission operations.

Television schedules also may be obtained by calling COMSTOR at
713/483-5817.  COMSTOR is a computer data base service requiring
the use of a telephone modem.  A voice update of the television
schedule is provided daily at noon Eastern time.

Status Reports

updated with status reports, photos and video clips throughout the
flight.  The NASA Shuttle Web's address is:

http://shuttle.nasa.gov

If that address is busy or unavailable, Shuttle information is
available through the Office of Space Flight Home Page:

http://www.osf.hq.nasa.gov/

General information on NASA and its programs is available
through the NASA Home Page and the NASA Public Affairs Home Page:

http://www.nasa.gov

or http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/hqpao/hqpao_home.html

Information on other current NASA activities is available
through the Today@NASA page:


http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/NewsRoom/today.html

The NASA TV schedule is available from the NTV Home Page:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/ntv.html

Status reports, TV schedules and other information are also
available from the NASA Headquarters FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
server, ftp.hq.nasa.gov.  Log in as anonymous and go to the
directory /pub/pao.  Users should log on with the user name
"anonymous" (no quotes), then enter their E-mail address as the
password.  Within the /pub/pao directory there will be a
"readme.txt" file explaining the directory structure:
--  Pre-launch status reports (KSC):
ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/statrpt/ksc
--  Mission status reports(JSC):
ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/statrpt/jsc
--  Daily TV schedules:
ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/statrpt/jsc/tvsked.

NASA's Spacelink, a resource for educators, also provides
mission information via the Internet.  The system fully supports
the following Internet services:

--  World Wide Web:  http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov

--  Gopher:  spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov

--  Anonymous FTP:  spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov

--  Telnet :  spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov

Spacelink's dial-up modem line is 205/895-0028.
Access by CompuServe

Users with CompuServe accounts can access NASA press releases by
typing "GO NASA" (no quotes) and making a selection from the
categories offered.


3.0 STS-80 QUICK LOOK

Launch Date/Site:...............Nov. 8, 1996/KSC Launch Pad 39-B
Launch Time:....................2:47 PM EST
Launch Window: .................2 hours, 30 minutes
Orbiter:....................... Columbia (OV-102), 21st flight
Orbit Altitude/Inclination:.....190 nautical miles, 28.5 degrees
Mission Duration:...............15 days, 16 hours, 44 minutes
Landing Date:...................Nov. 24, 1996
Landing Time:...................7:31 AM EST
Primary Landing Site:...........Kennedy Space Center, FL
Abort Landing Sites:
     Return to Launch Site... KSC
     Transoceanic Abort Sites.... Ben Guerir, Morocco
.....Moron, Spain
     Abort-Once Around .......... Edwards AFB, CA

Crew:
Ken Cockrell, Commander (CDR), 3rd flight
Kent Rominger, Pilot (PLT), 2nd flight

     Tammy Jernigan, Mission Specialist 1 (MS 1), 4th flight
Tom Jones, Mission Specialist 2 (MS 2), 3rd flight
     Story Musgrave, Mission Specialist 3 (MS 3), 6th flight

EVA Crew:      Tammy Jernigan (EV 1), Tom Jones (EV 2)

Cargo Bay Payloads:     ORFEUS-SPAS-02
     WSF-03
     EDFT-05

In-Cabin Payloads:      PARE-NIH-R
     CMIX
 VIEW-CPL
  BRIC
CMIX
CCM-A


4.0 CREW RESPONSIBILITIES


Payloads
 Prime        Backup

ORFEUS-SPAS......................JerniganMusgrave
Wake Shield Facility.............Musgrave      Jones
EVA..............................Jernigan (EV 1)
         ........................Jones (EV 2)
Intravehicular Crewmember....... Musgrave--------
RMS............................. JonesJernigan, Rominger
Rendezvous.......................CockrellRominger, Musgrave
Orbiter Space Vision System..... JerniganJones
CMIX.............................RomingerMusgrave
BRIC.............................JonesJernigan
Earth Observations...............MusgraveJones
VIEW-CPL.........................RomingerJernigan
PARE-NIH.........................CockrellMusgrave


5.0 DEVELOPMENTAL TEST OBJECTIVES,
DETAILED SUPPLEMENTARY OBJECTIVES



DTO 255: Wraparound DAP Flight Test Verification
DTO 312: ET TPS Performance
DTO 667: Portable In-Flight Landing Operations Trainer
DTO 671: EVA Hardware for Future Scheduled EVA Missions
DTO 700-10: Orbiter Space Vision System Flight Video Taping
DTO 700-11: Orbiter Space Vision System Flight Unit Testing
DTO 833: EMU Thermal Comfort and EVA Worksite Thermal Evaluation
DTO 840: Hand-Held Lidar Procedures
DSO 485: ITEPC Bay 3 Starboard, Aft
DSO 487: Immunological Assessment of Crewmembers
DSO 901: Documentary Television
DSO 902: Documentary Motion Picture Photography
DSO 903: Documentary Still Photography


6.0 MISSION SUMMARY TIMELINE



Flight Day One:
Launch/Ascent
OMS-2 Burn
Payload Bay Door Opening
RMS Checkout
ORFEUS-SPAS Deploy

Flight Day 2:
Orbiter Space Vision System
Operations
CMIX Operations
VIEW-CPL Operations

Flight Day 3:
EMU Checkout
WSF Predeploy Preparations
SPAS Rendezvous Burns

Flight Day 4:
Wake Shield Deploy

Rendezvous Burns

Flight Day 5:
VIEW-CPL Operations
Secondary Experiments

Flight Day 6:
Off Duty Time
VIEW-CPL Operations
Rendezvous Burns

Flight Day 7:
Wake Shield Facility Rendezvous
and Grapple
SPAS Rendezvous Burns

Flight Day 8:
Wake Shield Facility Grapple,
Unberth and Attached Science
VIEW-CPL Operations

Orbiter Space Vision Operations
Secondary Experiments
Cabin Depress
SPAS Rendezvous Burns

Flight Day 9:
EVA Tool Setup
Middeck Preparations for EVA
SPAS Rendezvous Burns

Flight Day 10:
EVA Preparations
Prebreathe
EVA 1 (6 hours)

Flight Day 11:
EVA Tool Setup
EMU Maintenance
SPAS Rendezvous Burns


Flight Day 12:
EVA Preparations
Prebreathe
EVA 2 (6 hours)

13:
SPAS Rendezvous Burns
Off Duty Time
Orbiter Space Vision System
Operations
EVA Questionnaires
Tool Stowage
PILOT Operations

Flight Day 14:
ORFEUS-SPAS Rendezvous and
Grapple
Orbiter Space Vision System
Operations
PILOT Operations


Flight Day 15:
Crew News Conference
Hubble Space Telescope Vernier
RCS Reboost Demonstration
PILOT Operations
Flight Control System Checkout
Reaction Control System Hot-Fire
Cabin Stow

Flight Day 16/17:
Deorbit Preparation Briefing
Deorbit Prep
Payload Bay Door Closing
Deorbit Burn
KSC Landing



7.0 STS-80 ORBITAL EVENTS SUMMARY

(Based on a Nov. 8, 1996 Launch)

EVENT               METTIME OF DAY
(EST)

Launch          0/00:002:47 PM, Nov. 8
ORFEUS-SPAS Deploy             0/07:009:47 PM, Nov. 8
Wake Shield Facility Deploy    3/05:107:57 PM, Nov. 11
Wake Shield Facility Grapple   6/09:0711:54 PM, Nov. 14
EVA 1 Begins  (6 1/2 hrs.)     9/06:209:07 PM, Nov. 17
EVA 2 Begins (6 1/2 hrs.)     11/06:509:37 PM, Nov. 19
ORFEUS-SPAS Grapple           13/10:351:22 AM, Nov. 22
Crew News Conference14/06:058:52 PM, Nov. 22
Deorbit Burn            15/15:386:25 AM, Nov. 24
KSC Landing 15/16:447:31 AM, Nov. 24

MET:  Mission Elapsed Time (Days/Hours:Minutes after launch.)

8.0 PAYLOAD AND VEHICLE WEIGHTS


Vehicle/Payload                 Pounds
Orbiter (Columbia) empty and 3 SSME's181,740
Shuttle System at SRB Ignition4,524,590
Orbiter Weight at Landing with Cargo226,954
ORFEUS-SPAS7,876
Wake Shield Facility       4,650
WSF Carrier System       4,750

9.0 SHUTTLE ABORT MODES

Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims toward safe and
intact recovery of the flight crew, Orbiter and its payload.
Abort modes for STS-80 include:

--  Abort-To-Orbit (ATO) -- Partial loss of main engine thrust
late enough to permit reaching a minimal 105-nautical mile orbit
with the orbital maneuvering system engines.

--  Abort-Once-Around (AOA) -- Earlier main engine shutdown with
the capability to allow one orbit of the Earth before landing at

the Kennedy Space Center, FL.

--  Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) -- Loss of one or more main
engines midway through powered flight would force a landing at
either Ben Guerir, Morocco; or Moron, Spain.

--  Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) -- Early shutdown of one or more
engines, and without enough energy to reach a TAL site, would
result in a pitch around and thrust back toward Kennedy until
within gliding distance of the Shuttle Landing Facility.

10.0 ORFEUS-SPAS II

The Orbiting and Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet
Spectrograph-Shuttle Pallet Sattelite II (ORFEUS-SPAS II) mission
is the third flight to use the German-built ASTRO-SPAS science
satellite.  The ASTRO-SPAS program is a cooperative endeavor
between NASA and the German Space Agency, DARA.

ORFEUS-SPAS II, a free-flying satellite, will be deployed and

retrieved using the Space Shuttle Columbia's Remote Manipulator
System (RMS).  The goal of this astrophysics mission is to
investigate the rarely explored far- and extreme-ultraviolet
regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and study the very hot
and very cold matter in the universe.

ORFEUS-SPAS II will be attempting a large number of observing
programs.  Among the many areas in which scientists hope to gain
new insights during this mission are the evolution of stars, the
structure of galaxies, and the nature of the interstellar medium,
and others.  Many of the objects they are planning to look at have
never before been observed in the far-ultraviolet.

ASTRO-SPAS is a carrier designed for launch, deployment and
retrieval by the Space Shuttle.  Once deployed from the Shuttle's
RMS, ASTRO-SPAS will operate quasi-autonomously for 14 days in the
vicinity of  the Shuttle.  The carrier's inclination will be 28.4
degrees with an altitude of 218 statute miles.  After completion
of the free flight phase, the satellite will be retrieved by the
RMS, returned to the Shuttle cargo bay and returned to Earth.


The one-meter diameter ORFEUS-Telescope with the Far Ultraviolet
(FUV) Spectrograph and the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Spectrograph
comprises the main payload.  A secondary, but highly
complementary, payload is the Interstellar Medium Absorption
Profile Spectrograph (IMAPS).  In addition to the astronomy
payloads, ORFEUS-SPAS II carries the Surface Effects Sample
Monitor (SESAM), the ATV Rendezvous Pre-Development Project (ARP),
and the Student Experiment on ASTRO-SPAS (SEAS).

10.1 SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES

The ORFEUS-SPAS II mission is dedicated to astronomical
observations at very short wavelengths, specifically the two
spectral ranges Far Ultraviolet (FUV, 90-125 nanometers) and
Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV, 40-90 nanometers).  This part of the
electromagnetic spectrum, which is obscured by the Earth's
atmosphere precluding ground-based observations and not observed
by the Hubble Space Telescope, includes a high density of spectral
lines (especially from various states of hydrogen and oxygen),

which are emitted or absorbed by matter covering a wide range of
temperatures.

The primary scientific objectives are:
--  Investigation of the nature of hot stellar atmospheres
--  Investigation of cooling mechanisms of white dwarf stars
--  Determination of the nature of accretion disks around
collapsed stars
--  Investigation of supernova remnants
--  Investigation of the interstellar medium and potential star
forming regions

 mission, which flew on the Shuttle Discovery
STS-51 mission in September 1993, provided valuable information in
this largely unexplored region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
ORFEUS-SPAS I provided information on the details of the structure
and dynamics of interstellar gas clouds and insight into how
molecular hydrogen is created in interstellar space.  Also studied
were neutral and ionized gas in the interstellar medium from the
local solar neighborhood out to the distant halo of our galaxy.

ORFEUS-SPAS I also obtained spectra of a very diverse group of
important astrophysical objects, including a compact interacting
binary star with an enormous magnetic field, three hot white dwarf
stars and the distant active galaxy PKS2155-304.

Star formation is not yet completely understood.  Stars are,
however, known to be formed in dense clouds of interstellar gas
and dust.  Under gravitational contraction, these clouds can
become dense enough to trigger star formation. ORFEUS-SPAS II data
will help to measure the size, distance, density and temperature
of such clouds, which in turn aids in understanding of the
circumstances under which interstellar clouds collapse and new
stars are born.

Once a star is formed, its evolution is mainly ruled by its
mass.  High mass stars burn energy through nuclear fusion more
than 100,000 times faster than Earth's Sun, through processes
which give rise to bright ultraviolet emission and strong winds of
hot ionized material.  ORFEUS-SPAS II will study the surfaces and
winds of such objects.


Low-mass stars like Earth's Sun burn their energy reserves
relatively slowly, not emitting large amounts of ultraviolet
radiation.  The outermost layers of their atmospheres can become
very hot, however, due to turbulent convection which creates shock
waves.  ORFEUS-SPAS II will measure ultraviolet spectra of such
layers of relatively cold stars to help understand the physics of
these processes.

Most stars end up as compact white dwarfs.  These stars take a
very long time to cool down.  During that time, they emit most of
their energy in the ultraviolet wavelength range, and are among
the brightest EUV sources.  ORFEUS-SPAS II will observe compact
white dwarfs to gain a new understanding of their cooling
mechanisms.

Once their energy reserves have been depleted, larger stars
explode as supernovae and return their mass back to the
interstellar medium.  ORFEUS-SPAS II is capable of tracing
supernova remnants.


Under certain conditions, the stars of binary systems can
exchange material, forming hot accretion disks.  ORFEUS-SPAS II
observations of these systems are aimed at determining how fast
the stars exchange material and other characteristics of the disk.
Scientists believe that a similar phenomenon takes place on a
much larger scale in the centers of some galaxies, known as Active
Galactic Nuclei (AGN).  In AGN, massive black holes are believed
to be surrounded by huge accretion disks.  Direct observation of a
possible AGN in the Milky Way galaxy is obscured by dense clouds
of dust.  AGNs are inherently bright, but appear faint because
ormous distance from Earth.  Because very little data is
available on AGNs, even a single spectrum of these exotic objects
obtained by ORFEUS-SPAS II could lead to an important new
understanding.

For the science community ORFEUS-SPAS II offers one additional
major advantage over the first flight: half the observing time
during the mission has been made available to the general science
community.  Including the instrument teams, ORFEUS-SPAS II will

have more than 40 research teams around the world receiving and
analyzing data from the mission.
10.2 SCIENCE PAYLOAD

The ORFEUS-SPAS II science payload is provided by German and
U.S. research institutions with funding provided by DARA and NASA.
Science operations will be conducted in the mobile German SPAS
Payload Operations Center (SPOC) at Kennedy Space Center.
The core instrument is the ORFEUS telescope with the FUV Echelle
spectrograph and the EUV spectrograph, built into the telescope
structure.  The 1-meter diameter ultraviolet telescope has a 2.4-
meter focal length.  An iridium coating on the primary mirror
serves as a reflection enhancement for ultraviolet wavelengths.
Essential stability against mechanical and thermal load
deformations is provided by the carbon fiber epoxy compound tube
structure.

The EUV spectrograph is directly exposed to light reflected off
the main mirror.  It covers the spectral range 40-115 nanometers,
offering a resolution of about 5,000 over the whole bandwidth.  In

order to achieve this unprecedented high resolution over such a
wide band-width, a completely new design was used, which produces
high quality spectra.

FUV Echelle spectrograph is operated alternatively with the
EUV spectrograph, by flipping a mirror into the beam reflected off
the primary mirror.  The FUV spectrograph covers the wavelength
range 90-125 nanometers and provides a spectral resolution on the
order of 10,000.  Two reflection gratings disperse the light into
a spectrum, which is projected onto a two-dimensional micro
channel-plate-detector.  The detector is optimized for high
spatial resolution.

IMAPS, the Interstellar Medium Absorption Profile Spectrograph
is a separate instrument, attached to the ASTRO-SPAS framework.
IMAPS operates independently of the ORFEUS telescope.  IMAPS will
be operated for more than two days over the duration of the free
flight mission and during that time will observe the brightest
galactic objects at extremely high resolutions.  This resolution
allows study of fine structure in interstellar gas lines.  The

phase to re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.  Among the SESAM
samples are also witness samples to the telescope mirror, allowing
for accurate calibration measurements after landing.  Sample
spaces are available to scientific and industrial users.

The ATV Rendezvous Pre-Development Project (ARP), part of the
European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), is an
element of the European manned space transportation program.
Among the objectives of the ARP are to develop and validate ground
simulation facilities; develop and demonstrate on-board control
software and in-orbit relative GPS capabilities; and to
demonstrate the operation of the optical rendezvous sensor in
orbit.

The Student Experiment on ASTRO-SPAS (SEAS) is an electrolysis
experiment built by studentsGerman high school of
Ottobrunn.  It consists of eight experiment chambers containing
various metal salt solutions and two electrodes.  Metal 'trees' of
different shapes will grow on one electrode.  Photographs taken of
this process during the mission will be compared to those of

identical experiments conducted on the ground under the full
influence of Earth's gravity.

THE DARA SCHOOL PROJECT

For this second ORFEUS-SPAS mission, DARA has developed an
innovative educational program designed to reach students in 170
German schools teaching astronomy, physics and computer science.
The classes, which already are in progress, have been tailored to
prepare the students to use ORFEUS-SPAS data in the study of
general astronomy, the life and death of stars, stellar spectral
analysis, as well as how to work with the data on computers via
the Internet.  DARA supplied the necessary written course
information and developed an ORFEUS-SPAS Internet home page, where
students will receive and work directly with the data obtained
during the mission.

10.3 THE ASTRO-SPAS CARRIER

The ASTRO-SPAS being used during the ORFEUS-SPAS II mission

provides standardized equipment support panels, extensive onboard
facilities and resources to the scientific payloads.  Energy is
provided by a powerful lithium-sulfur dioxide battery pack.
Precise attitude-control is achieved by a three-axis stabilized
cold gas system in combination with a star tracker and a specially
developed space-borne GPS receiver.
ASTRO-SPAS is a unique carrier for a wide variety of scientific
applications, as in the case of ORFEUS-SPAS, to infrared Earth
sensing, as in the case of CRISTA-SPAS, which maps trace gases in
Earth's middle and upper atmosphere.
Additional information and updates during the mission can be
found on the ORFEUS-SPAS II Home Pages on the Internet at:
http://snoopy.gsfc.nasa.gov/~orfeus2/orfeus.html
or http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/RWatt_DARA.

11.0 WAKE SHIELD FACILITY-3 (WSF-3)

On STS-80, the free-flying Wake Shield Facility (WSF-3) will be
making its third flight into orbit.  The Facility is a 12-foot
diameter, free-flying stainless steel disk designed to generate an

"ultra-vacuum" environment in space in which to grow semiconductor
thin films for use in advanced electronics.  The STS-80 astronaut
crew will deploy and retrieve the WSF during the 16-day mission
using Columbias "robot arm," or Remote Manipulator System.
Wake Shield is sponsored by the Space Processing Division in
NASA's Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications.
Wake Shield was designed, built and is operated by the Space
Vacuum Epitaxy Center at the University of Houston--a NASA
Commercial Space Center--in conjunction with its industrial
partner, Space Industries, Inc., also in Houston.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space has only a moderate natural vacuum,
one that can be greatly improved through the generation of an
"ultra vacuum" wake behind an object moving through orbit.  The
WSF, as it flies, moves the residual LEO gas atoms out of the way,
leaving few, if any, behind in its wake.

This unique ultra vacuum produced in the wake of the WSF has
been shown in past flights to be 100 to 1,000 times better than
the best operating ground-based laboratory chamber vacuums.  Using

this ultra-vacuum in space, the WSF has already grown the highest
purity aluminum gallium arsenide thin films, and holds the promise
of producing the next generation of semiconductor materials along
with the devices they will make possible.

Wake Shield has flown twice before.  The first flight on STS-60,
in 1994, although experiencing a hardware problem that resulted in
the vehicle remaining attached to the robot arm, proved the vacuum
wake concept, and realized the space epitaxy concept by growing
the first-ever crystalline semiconductor thin films in the vacuum
of space.

The major objective of this third flight aboard STS-80 is to
grow thin "epitaxial" films which could have a significant impact
on the microelectronics industry because the use of advanced
semiconducting thin film materials in electronic components holds
a very promising economic advantage.  The commercial applications
for high quality semiconductor devices are most critical in the
consumer technology areas of personal communications systems,
fiber optic communications, high-speed transistors and processors,

and opto-electronic devices.

The majority of electronic components used today are made of
silicon semiconductors; however, there are many other
semiconductors,  principally compound semiconductors, that have
higher predicted performance than silicon. Epitaxy, growing
atomically ordered thin films in a vacuum environment, is one
method of generating such advanced semiconductor materials.  A
prime barrier to improving epitaxial films is the limit on the
quality of the vacuum which can be generated in an industrial
growth chamber.  To improve the material, the vacuum in which it
is grown must be improved.  A wake-generating satellite can
provide this enhancement in vacuum conditions.

The WSF consists of the Cross Bay Carrier and the Free Flyer.
The Carrier remains in the Shuttle payload bay and has a latch
system which holds the Free Flyer to it.  Weighing approximately
9,300 pounds, (the Free Flyer itself is 4,625 pounds), the WSF
occupies one quarter of the Shuttle payload bay.  The Shuttle
Remote Manipulator System (RMS), is used to remove the Free Flyer

from the Carrier and deploy it for free flight in space.

WSF follows behind Columbia at a station-keeping distance of
approximately 25 nautical miles.  The Free Flyer is a fully-
equipped spacecraft, with cold gas propulsion for separation from
the Shuttle and a momentum bias attitude control system.  Seventy-
two kilowatt-hours of energy, stored in silver-zinc batteries,
power the thin-film growth furnaces, substrate heaters, process
controllers, and a sophisticated array of vacuum characterization
devices, including mass spectrometers and total pressure gauges.
Flight plans call for WSF-3 to be deployed on Flight Day 4.
Rendezvous is planned for Flight Day 7 with operations and
investigations continuing in the payload bay for an additional
day.

A number of cooperative payloads are flying in conjunction with
WSF-3.  For further information on these experiments, and for more
detailed information on the mission and the Space Vacuum Epitaxy
Center itself, please access the Internet at the following
addresses:


http://www.svec.uh.edu/wsf.html

or http://www.svec.uh.edu/svec.html.

At the University of Houston, the Wake Shield Program Manager
is:

Dr. Alex Ignatiev, Director
Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center
University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5507
Voice: 713/743-3621
Fax: 713/747-7724
e-mail: Ignatiev@uh.edu


11.1 WAKE SHIELD FACILITY DEPLOY AND RENDEZVOUS

The Wake Shield Facility will be deployed using Columbia's
robotic arm on Flight Day 4 by Mission Specialist Tom Jones.

the Shuttle's direction of travel, and release it.

11.2 PROXIMITY OPERATIONS WITH WSF-3 AND ORFEUS-SPAS-2

The WSF will fly free from Columbia for three days, and during
that time, the ORFEUS-SPAS also will be flying free from Columbia.
At the time the WSF is released, Columbia will be about 50
nautical miles ahead of ORFEUS-SPAS.  WSF will fire thrusters to
begin a slow separation, with the WSF trailing Columbia along with
ORFEUS-SPAS.  The WSF will reach a maximum distance of
approximately 20 nautical miles from Columbia and no less than 25
nautical miles from ORFEUS-SPAS during its free-flight.

 While the WSF and ORFEUS-SPAS are both in free-flight, Columbia
may perform as many as two small engine firings per day to
maintain the proper distance from the satellites.  The WSF also
may fire a thruster daily to maintain its position.  Once the WSF
has been retrieved on Flight Day 7, Columbia will maintain a
distance of about 25 nautical miles from ORFEUS-SPAS until it is
retrieved on Flight Day 14.


12.0 STS-80 EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITIES

12.1 EVA Development Flight Tests (EDFT)

Astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Tom Jones will perform two six-
hour spacewalks during STS-80, one on Flight Day 10 and another on
Day 12, to evaluate equipment and procedures that will be used
during construction and maintenance of the International Space
Station.

The spacewalks are the fifth in a continuing series of
Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) called the EVA Development Flight
Tests (EDFT). This flight test series of spacewalks is designed to
evaluate equipment and procedures planned for the station and to
build spacewalking experience in preparation for assembly of the
station.  Jernigan is designated Extravehicular Crewmember 1 (EV-
1) and will be distinguished by red bands worn on the legs of her
spacesuit.  Jones is designated EV-2.  Astronaut Story Musgrave
will serve as the Intravehicular (IV) crewmember, assisting

Jernigan and Jones from inside Columbia's crew cabin.  STS-80
Pilot Kent Rominger also will assist with the spacewalks,
controlling the robotic arm from inside the cabin.

On the first spacewalk, an end-to-end demonstration of a
maintenance task simulating the changing out of an International
Space Station battery will be performed. A crane designed for use
in moving large Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) on the space
station will be evaluated as part of the  task. ORUs can be any
piece of equipment that may be replaced on the station's exterior,
and, for this evaluation, the simulated station battery will be
moved using the crane.

The evaluation should take almost three hours of the first
spacewalk. Following the large-ORU evaluation, the astronauts will
evaluate the crane's ability to move a small ORU, a cable caddy
that previously was used during an STS-72 spacewalk.

The second spacewalk will evaluate working with the simulated
battery from a mobile platform designed for the end of the

International Space Station's robotic arm. Both spacewalkers will
evaluate working with the simulated battery from the platform,
which will be attached to the end of Columbia's robotic arm, for a
total of almost two hours each.

The astronauts also will evaluate a variety of other work aids
and tools designed for use during station operations, including  a
Body Restraint Tether (BRT), a type of "third hand" stabilizing
bar for spacewalkers; a Multi-Use Tether (MUT), a type of
stabilizing tether similar to the BRT that can be anchored to
either round U.S. handrails or square Russian handrails; and a
power tool designed for the station.

Detailed descriptions of the major items to be evaluated:

12.2 CRANE

The 156-pound crane is 6 feet tall and has a boom that
telescopes from lengths of 4 feet to 17.5 feet.  It is designed to
aid spacewalkers in transporting objects with a mass as great as

600 pounds to various worksites on the International Space
Station's truss.  The crane boom's attachment mechanism may also
provide temporary stowage for large units during maintenance. The
crane will be unstowed and installed to a socket along the left
middle side of  Columbia's cargo bay for the evaluations. The
crane's boom can be extended by turning a ratchet fitting using a
power tool or by using a manually operated hand crank. The crane
can also be moved from side to side and up and down by hand
cranks.

12.3 BATTERY ORBITAL REPLACEMENT UNIT

A simulated battery for the International Space Station will be
used for evaluations performed during STS-80 because the batteries
will be among the most massive station ORUs. The station batteries
will be mounted on the truss near the solar arrays and will
provide power when the station moves into night on each orbit.
object to be used during STS-80 is not a real battery,
although its size, 41 x 39 x 19 inches, and mass, about 354
pounds, closely imitate a station battery. It is also stowed in

Columbia's cargo bay in fittings similar to those planned for
stowing such replacement units during space station operations.

12.4 CABLE CADDY

The Cable Caddy is a small carrier designed to hold about 20
feet of replacement electrical line for the space station. The
operations of the Cable Caddy were flight-tested on STS-72, and on
STS-80 it will be used only to simulate a small ORU for the space
station. No cable will be unwound. The Cable Caddy has a mass of
almost 50 pounds.

12.5 PORTABLE WORK PLATFORM

The platform, a mobile EVA worksite designed for the end of the
International Space Station's mechanical arm, was first flight-
tested on STS-72. Similar to the platform used at the end of the
Shuttle arm during past spacewalks, such as those to service the
Hubble Space Telescope on STS-61, the platform offers greater
movement with a swiveling foot restraint; a storage location for

tools and temporary storage for large space station ORUs.
The platform is composed of several components.  An Articulating
Portable Foot Restraint, a foot platform that can be swiveled to
various orientations using two foot pedals, allows a spacewalker
to reposition the platform without dismounting. A Portable Foot
Restraint Work Stanchion (PFRWS) holds tools and equipment. A
Temporary Equipment Restraint Aid (TERA) will hold large ORUs.
Jernigan and Jones will evaluate the platform by using it mounted
at the end of Columbia's mechanical arm to perform operations with
the simulated station battery.

12.6 BODY RESTRAINT TETHER

The Body Restraint Tether (BRT) seeks to provide the astronaut
with a "third hand" to add stability while working. The tether is
designed to hold a spacewalker steady when clamped to a handrail,
freeing the astronaut's hands for work. It was first flown on STS-
69 and further evaluated on STS-72. The tether should provide a
quick method of supplying stability for a spacewalker when a foot
restraint is not available.


12.7 MULTI-USE TETHER

The Multi-Use Tether (MUT) is similar to the BRT, but it has can
perform a greater variety of tasks. Different end effectors can be
attached to the tether to grip station ORUs, various spacewalking
tools or handrails.

13.0 SPACE EXPERIMENT MODULE

The Space Experiment Module (SEM) is a NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center Shuttle Small Payloads Project education initiative that
provides increased educational access to space.  The program
targets kindergarten through university level participants.  SEM
stimulates and encourages direct student participation in the
creation, development, and flight of  zero-gravity and
microgravity experiments on the Space Shuttle.

The SEM system provides reusable modules for experiments within
a 5-cubic-foot Getaway Special Canister.  The system uses a

Goddard-provided internal support structure, battery, power
distribution system, data sampling and storage device and harness.
Experiments may be active (requiring power to run mechanisms) or
passive (having no mechanisms or requiring no power).  Customized
data sampling schemes are programmed before flight for each
experiment, and data reduction and processing are completed after
flight.

SEM's first flight includes a number of experiments sponsored by
the Charleston, SC, school district (CAN-DO).  Their experiments
include Gravity & Acceleration Readings,  Bacteria-Agar Research
Instrument, Crystal Research in Space, Magnetic Attraction Viewed
in Space, and numerous passive items such as algae, bones, yeast,
and photographic film.

Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, also is sponsoring a
number of experiments:  Fluid Thermal Convection, NADH Oxidase
Absorbence in Shrimp, and a Passive Particle Detector experiment.
Hampton Elementary School in Lutherville, MD, is experimenting
with seeds, soil, chalk, crayon, calcite, Silly Putty, bubble

solution, popcorn, mosquito eggs, and other organic compounds.

Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, IL, has a Surface
Tension experiment.  Albion Jr. High in Strongville, OH, is flying
a heat transfer experiment and will study the heating properties
of copper tubes and pennies.  Poquoson Middle School in Poquoson,
VA, will conduct a Bacteria Inoculation in Space experiment and
NORSTAR (Norfolk Public Schools Science and Technology Advanced
Research) in Norfolk, VA, will observe the behavior of immiscible
fluids.

The SEM mission manager and project engineer is Dr. Ruthan Lewis
of the Shuttle Small Payloads Project at Goddard Space Flight
Center, Greenbelt, MD.  The SEM Home Page on the World Wide Web
may be accessed directly at:

http://sspp.gsfc.nasa.gov/sem.html

14.0 NIH-R4


NIH-R4 is the fourth in a series of collaborative experiments
developed by NASA and the National Institutes of Health.  NASA's
Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, is the experiment
developer.

Principal investigators of the NIH-R4 experiment, "Calcium,
Metabolism and Vascular Function After Space Flight," are Drs.
David McCarron and Daniel Hatton of the Oregon Health Sciences
University, Portland.  For many years, they have investigated th
role of calcium in blood pressure regulation.  Calcium has long
been recognized as a critical mineral in the normal development
and function of bone and muscle.  These researchers were among the
first to demonstrate that calcium also is essential for normal
cardiovascular function.

In the microgravity environment, there is an overall loss of
calcium from the body, associated with well-documented decreases
in bone and muscle mass.  Changes in cardiovascular function also
have been noted, although the role of calcium in cardiac function
in microgravity has not been investigated.


This flight experiment will study blood pressure regulation and
function in rats fed either a high- or a low-calcium diet before
and during space flight.  Seven rats with genetically induced
hypertension will be housed in each of two enclosures, which fit
in lockers in the Space Shuttle's middeck.  The high-calcium diet
will be available in one enclosure and the low-calcium diet in the
other.  The researchers expect that the high calcium diet will be
beneficial in maintaining good cardiovascular function (as well as
bone and muscle mass), while the low calcium diet will exaggerate
the effects of microgravity.

This study will add to the body of knowledge necessary to
maintain the health of astronauts during space flight.  In
addition, it will add new and exciting data to a growing body of
evidence that calcium is a mineral with myriad functions critical
to the normal function of human life on Earth.

The NIH-R4 investigators previously investigated pregnancy-
induced hypertension (elevated blood pressure).  Their studies

have shown that during pregnancy, when there is a large
requirement for calcium during development of the fetus,
increasing the intake of calcium in the diet reduces the elevated
blood pressure often seen in pregnant women.  Using rats with
genetically induced hypertension, they investigated the chemical
and biological mechanisms by which calcium produces these
beneficial effects.  Other studies have shown that calcium is
important in preventing the development of high blood pressure in
normal humans and rats.  Finally, studies by other researchers
have shown that increased dietary calcium can reduce blood levels
of cholesterol, reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and
be beneficial in the treatment of osteoporosis.

15.0 CCM-A (formerly STL/NIH-C-6)

NASA/CCM-A is one in a series of bone cell experiments to be
conducted aboard the Space Shuttle.  Results from a previous
Shuttle flight, NIH.C4 on STS-69, indicate that bone is affected
by microgravity at the cellular level.  The investigators
participating in the STS-80 CCM-A mission hope to confirm their

previous findings, and further test the hypothesis that the
absence of gravity has a negative effect on bone formation.

Weightlessness results in bone loss in astronauts, similar to
what occurs in people who undergo prolonged bed rest or, in some
cases, lose the use of one of their limbs due to injury or
disease.  The exact cause of the bone loss is not yet clear, but
it is at least partially due to decreased activity of osteoblasts,
the cells which produce the matrix which mineralizes to become
bone.  Weightlessness results in similar decreased bone formation
in both rodents and humans.

Studies performed on rats implicate transforming growth factor-b
(TGF-b) as having an important role in decreased bone formation
during space flight.  TGF-b, a protein produced by bone cells, is
important in the communication between cells.  The gene for TGF-b
was found to be expressed in bone at a reduced level following
space flight, but the level was dramatically increased (within 24
hours) when normal activity was reestablished following space
flight.


This experiment to be flown on STS-80 will determine if TGF-b
gene expression is reduced in cultured bone cells following space
flight and how quickly the levels of TGF-b return to normal after
flight.  Results from this experiment will help us determine th
usefulness of cultured bone cells in understanding how the
acceleration due to gravity functions to maintain bone cell
activity.  Although cultured bone cells have enormous potential to
be used to increase our understanding, there are many pitfalls.
Unless the culture can be shown to mimic a response occurring in
the whole organism, it will not be possible to interpret the
relevance of the findings.

The cells to be used in this study are unique.  They are derived
from human bone and are normal in the sense that they are not
transformed (tumor-cell-like).  The cells have been genetically
altered to allow them to grow nearly indefinitely at a low
temperature (35 degrees F, 161 C) but when cultured at a higher
temperature (39) they stop growing and become mature osteoblasts
that synthesize bone matrix.  This experiment will study the

effects of weightlessness and recovery on the mature form of the
osteoblast-like cells.

The Principal Investigator for this study is Dr. Russell T.
Turner of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.  The co-investigators
are Drs. Thomas C. Spelsberg and Steven A. Harris, also of the
Mayo Clinic.


Osteoblast adhesion and phenotype in microgravity

Bone loss during space flight is well documented, but remains
incompletely understood.  Among the unanswered questions are the
direct effects that microgravity exerts on bone cells, and the
mechanisms by which these cells recognize changes in gravity.
This study will focus on bone cells of the osteoblast family,
which synthesize bone matrix and also may participate in its
breakdown (resorption) by regulating the formation and activity of
bone-resorbing cells, osteoblasts.


Because osteoblastic cells are direct targets for breakdown-
stimulating agents like parathyroid hormone (PTH), the experiment
will test the hypothesis that microgravity can produce direct
effects on osteoblastic cells similar to those of PTH.  In
addition, the study will examine whether microgravity alters the
interaction of osteoblastic cells with their matrix, resulting in
changes in shape or cellular organization known to affect the
function of numerous cell types.

In this study, a permanent line of osteoblastic cells will be
cultured in the middeck compartment of the Space Shuttle.
Parallel control cells will be maintained on Earth under identical
conditions.  During flight, batches of both control and
experimental cells will be fixed for analysis and samples of
culture medium will be collected for biochemical studies.
Following the flight, the cells will be analyzed to identify
changes in shape and function.

Medium samples will be analyzed to
identify the presence of bone matrix proteins and matrix-degrading

enzymes that may participate in early stages of bone turnover.
The principal investigator of this study is Dr. Robert Majeska,
Department of Orthopaedics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New
York;  the co-investigator is Dr. Sandra Masur, Department of
Ophthalmology at Mount Sinai.  The project is sponsored by NASA's
Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications Small
Payloads Program, and the National Institute of Arthritis and
Musculoskeletal Diseases.

16.0 BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN CANISTER (BRIC)-09 EXPERIMENT

Research on the effects of genetic expression and microgravity
on plants will help improve growth rates and biomass production of
plants grown in space and may enhance crop productivity on the
Earth.

Although various effects of microgravity on plants have been
observed, little is known about the underlying mechanisms
involved.  BRIC-09 will study the influence of microgravity on
genetically altered tomato and tobacco seedlings that have been

modified to contain elements of soybean genes.  This study should
provide information about  plants' molecular biology and insight
into understanding the transport and distribution mechanisms for
hormones within plants.  The proposed research could provide
crucial information on how to improve growth rates and biomass
production of space-grown plants as well as information on how to
enhance crop productivity on the Earth.

The basic hypothesis of the research is that alterations in
genetic expression should be responsible for many changes in
growth and development of microgravity-grown plants.  The proposed
rshould identify the mechanisms involved in these changes
at the molecular level.

The principal investigator will observe genetic changes in the
altered tomato and tobacco seedlings as molecular markers to study
the effects of microgravity on the plants' development.

The principal investigator is Dr. Yi Li, Kansas State
University, Division of Biology, Manhattan, KS.

The experiment uses approximately 200 seeds evenly distributed
on the Nylon membrane inside 22 petri dishes, which will be loaded
five BRIC-60 canisters.  Ground controls will be run at the
Kennedy Space Center with a 48-hour delay.  Some plant material
will be fixed or frozen for microscopic and enzymatic analysis.
Some material will be stained so it can be detected by light
microscopy.  Some material will be photographed and fixed for
morphology studies.

Two types of genes will be isolated:  one is the genes whose
expression is eliminated or reduced under the microgravity
environment, and the other are the ones whose expression is
enhanced under the microgravity environment.

oposed research will provide information that will help
improve growth rates and biomass production of plants grown in
space and may enhance crop productivity on the Earth.  The
improvement of growth rate and biomass production of space-grown
plants is particularly useful for the development of life support
systems to support crews over long-duration flights.  The

improvement of growth and biomass production of space-grown plants
is also an important step toward commercial application of space
using plants as bioreactors for pharmaceutical products and for
other commercial purposes.

17.0 COMMERCIAL MDA ITA EXPERIMENT (CMIX-5)

CMIX-5 is the last in a series of five Shuttle flights linking
NASA and the University of Alabama/Huntsville (UAH) Consortium for
Materials Development in Space, with flight hardware privately
developed by Instrumentation Technology Associates (ITA) of Exton,
PA.

UAH research will include diabetes treatment; cell reaction in
microgravity that may lead to tissue replacement techniques; the
development of gene combinations that are toxic to insect pests
but not harmful to other species, thus creating a natural
pesticide; and an environmental monitoring model using mysid
shrimp.


A key activity for ITA will be the ongoing effort to grow large
protein crystals of urokinase for research linked to breast cancer
inhibitors.  There will also be an ITA materials analysis study to
see if the use of sealants in microgravity can lead to better
protection of national monuments against acid rain.  ITA also is
sponsoring seven elementary and high school research activities as
well as experiments linked to the National Space Society and the
International Space University.

Three flight hardware elements will be used on CMIX-5.  The
Bioprocessing Modules developed by UAH are valves connected by
tubing to syringes containing research samples.  ITA's hardware
consists of a Liquid Mixing Apparatus, vial containers to mix
multiple fluids and an enhancement of their materials dispersion
apparatus.  The Dual Materials Dispersion Apparatus (DMDA)
experiment container increases the number of data points and also
provides video capability to record changes in the research
samples as they develop.  CMIX-5 will employ three DMDA labs
containing more than 900 experiments.  The CMIX contacts are:
JOHN CASSANTO, ITA AT 610/363-8343

MARIAN LEWIS, UAH AT 205/890-6553

18.0 VISUALIZATION IN AN EXPERIMENTAL WATER CAPILLARY PUMPED
LOOP (VIEW-CPL)

Capillary Pumped Loop (CPL) technology, to be flown on
Columbia's middeck, is an option for spacecraft thermal
management.  A CPL collects and transports excess heat generated
by spacecraft instruments.  The heat is transported to a
spacecraft radiator for rejection into space.  Requiring no
mechanical pump, a CPL can transport more energy for longer
distances than heat pipes currently used today.

The purpose of the STS-80 experiment is to help develop a
complete understanding of CPL physics in a microgravity
environment by viewing the fluid flow inside the evaporator.  The
liquid and vapor visual data, collected on video tape through a
special window in the evaporator, along with temperature and
pressure data, will be used to refine theories on CPL operation
modes.  The ultimate goal is to apply the results of this

experiment to improve CPLs of the future.

VIEW-CPL was developed by the Department of Mechanical
Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, as part
of NASA's In-Space Technology Experiment Program (IN-STEP).  For
further information on VIEW-CPL, please contact: Dr. Keith E.
Herold via e-mail at herold@eng.umd.edu or Kimberly R. Kolos at
krkolos@glue.umd.edu

19.0 CREW BIOGRAPHIES

Kenneth D. Cockrell will serve as Commander (CDR) for STS-80.
Cockrell was born on April 9, 1950, in Austin, TX. He graduated
from Rockdale High School, Rockdale, TX, in 1968, received a
bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the
University of Texas in 1972 and a master of science degree in
aeronautical systems from the University of West Florida in 1974.

Cockrell was selected as an astronaut by NASA in January 1990
and became qualified for a flight assignment July 1991.  A veteran

of two space flights, STS-56 in 1993 and STS-69 in 1995, he has
logged over 482 hours in space.

Kent V. Rominger (Commander, USN) will serve as Pilot (PLT) on
Mission STS-80.  Rominger was born on August 7, 1956, in Del
Norte, CO.  He graduated from Del Norte High School in 1974,
received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from
Colorado State University in 1978 and a master of science degree
in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate
School in 1987.

Rominger reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992 and
after completing the one year of required training became
qualified for future flight assignment.  He made his first space
flight from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5, 1995, on STS-73 during which
Rominger served as pilot.  Rominger has logged a total of 15 days,
21 hours, 52 minutes and 21 seconds in space.

Tamara E. Jernigan (Ph.D.) will serve as Mission Specialist-1
(MS-1) on STS-80.  Jernigan was born on May 7, 1959, in

Chattanooga, TN.  She graduated from Santa Fe High School, Santa
Fe Springs, CA, in 1977, received a bachelor of science degree in
physics (with honors) and a master of science degree in
engineering science from Stanford University in 1981 and 1983.
Jernigan also earned a master of science degree in astronomy from
the University of California-Berkeley in 1985 and a doctorate in
space physics and astronomy from Rice University in 1988.

Jernigan was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in June
1985 and became an astronaut in July 1986.  A veteran of three
space flights, Jernigan was a mission specialist on STS-40 in 1991
and STS-52 in October 1992.  She was the payload commander on STS-
67 in March 1995 and has logged over 854 hours in space.

Thomas D. Jones (Ph.D.) will serve as Mission Specialist-2
(MS-2) on STS-80.  Jones was born January 22, 1955, in Baltimore,
MD.  He graduated from Kenwood Senior High School, Essex, MD, in
1973, and received a bachelor of science degree in basic sciences
from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in
1977, and a doctorate in planetary science from the University of

Arizona in Tucson in 1988.

  After a year of training following his selection by NASA in
January 1990, Dr. Jones became an astronaut in July 1991.  In 1994
he flew as a mission specialist on successive flights of Space
Shuttle Endeavour and the Space Radar Laboratory payload.  His
first flight was in April 1994 on STS-59 and then in October 1994
on STS-68.  Dr. Jones has logged over 22 days (539 hours) in
space.

Story Musgrave (M.D.) will serve as Mission Specialist-3 (MS-
3) on STS-80.  Musgrave was born on August 19, 1935, in Boston,
MA, but considers Lexington, KY, to be his hometown.  He graduated
from St. Mark's School, Southborough, MA, in 1953, received a
bachelor of science degree in mathematics and statistics from
Syracuse University in 1958, a master of business administration
degree in operations analysis and computer programming from the
University of California at Los Angeles in 1959, a bachelor of
arts degree in chemistry from Marietta College in 1960, a
doctorate in medicine from Columbia University, New York, NY, in

1964, a master of science in physiology and biophysics from the
University of Kentucky in 1966, and a master of arts in literature
from the University of Houston in 1987.

Musgrave was selected as a scientist-astronaut by NASA in August
1967.  A veteran of five space flights, Dr. Musgrave was a mission
specialist on STS-6 in 1983, STS 51-F in 1985, STS-33 in 1989 and
STS-44 in 1991.  He was the payload commander on STS-61 in 1993
and currently has more than 858 hours in space.

Musgrave's sixth flight into space aboard Columbia on STS-80
will have two noteworthy aspects to it.  First, he will tie NASA
astronaut John Young's record for most number of space flights by
any human being.  Secondly, at age 61, Musgrave will be the oldest
person ever to fly in space.













