STS-49 Mission Control Status Report #5 

                      MISSION CONTROL CENTER
                      STS-49 Status Report #5


Saturday, May 9, 1992, 7 a.m. CDT

Planning shift flight controllers continued to review the
activities for Endeavour's third day in orbit, but the team's
duties were light as the newest shuttle in the fleet continues
to perform almost flawlessly.

The crew is scheduled to be awakened about 9:40 a.m. CDT Saturday.

After the crew completes its post-sleep activities, Mission
Specialist Bruce Melnick will power up the robot arm and move it
into position to shoot video of a simultaneous waste and supply
water dump.  That activity is scheduled for about 1:25 p.m. CDT.

About 3:12 p.m. CDT, Endeavour's orbital maneuvering engines will
fire to put Endeavour in an orbit proportionally equivalent but
just below that of Intelsat, which is in a 198 by 196 nautical
mile orbit.  Endeavour will converge with Intelsat at noon Houston
time Sunday.  A plane change maneuver, intended to coordinate the
arrival of both spacecraft at their orbital apogees one hour
before capture, is scheduled for 11:17 p.m. Saturday.

Intelsat flight controllers reported earlier this morning that the
spacecraft's spin had been reduced from 9 to 5 rotations per
minute.  A rotation of 0.6 rpm is required for Astronaut Pierre
Thuot to latch onto the Intelsat using a JSC-developed and built
capture bar.

Just before 9 p.m. CDT Saturday, the crew will talk with
Congressman Jim Bacchus and four of the original 7 Mercury
astronauts Sen. John Glenn, Wally Shirra, Scott Carpenter and Alan
Shepard.  The Mercury astronauts will be honored at the "Give Kids
the World" annual gala at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando.