MISSION CONTROL CENTER
STS-63 Status Report #12


Wednesday, February 8, 1995, 6 a.m. CST

Discovery’s crew focused on preparations today -- for a spacewalk planned for Thursday 
and the shuttle’s return to Earth planned for Saturday morning.

The crew was awakened after an extra hour of sleep today to the tune of Pink Floyd’s 
“Time” as they entered the final days of shuttle mission STS-63.

Payload Commander Bernard Harris and Mission Specialist Mike Foale spent several 
hours this morning unstowing and checking the spacesuits they’ll use tomorrow for a  
five hour spacewalk. The spacewalk will evaluate the warmth provided by thermal 
garments added  to the spacewalkers’ gear and as well as the astronauts’ ability to 
maneuver large objects, in this case, the Spartan satellite. Harris and Foale reported the 
suits and other gear are in excellent shape and ready for the spacewalk.

Also, Commander Jim Wetherbee and Pilot Eileen Collins checked out the flight control 
systems Discovery will use for landing. The cockpit displays and controls, navigation aids 
and the shuttle’s aerosurfaces were tested and found in excellent shape as well.

Later this morning, the crew will be interviewed by NBC’s Today Show, and, shortly 
afterward, Collins will speak to students at the Elmira Free Academy, Elmira, N.Y., her 
alma mater. In addition, Wetherbee will have an opportunity to speak with his counterpart 
Commander aboard the Mir Space Station via a Mission Control, Houston, and Mission 
Control, Kaliningrad, Russia, link.

Discovery is now about 31 nautical miles from the Spartan satellite that will be retrieved 
tomorrow and almost 300 nautical miles from Mir, circling Earth every 92 minutes in a 
213 by 207 nautical mile orbit.
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