STS-49 MCC Status Report #21 

                      MISSION CONTROL STATUS
                     STS-49 Status Report #21


Friday, May 15, 1992, 7 a.m.

Flight controllers overnight drew up plans for a light day of pre-
landing preparations for the STS-49 crew.

Friday's activities will consist mainly of preparations
for a landing at 3:57 p.m. CDT Saturday at Edwards Air Force Base
in California.  One Friday highlight is a planned crew news
conference at 3:17 p.m. CDT.

Endeavour astronaut Kathy Thornton capped the record-setting first
flight of Endeavour by setting a new standard for space walking
women Thursday. She and Tom Akers stepped outside the orbiter to
test techniques similar to those that will be used during the
upcoming assembly of Space Station Freedom.  The unprecedented
fourth "EVA" of the mission lasted 7 hours and 45 minutes - the
second longest American space walk after Akers and Mission
Specialists Pierre Thuot and Rick Hieb had set the record at 8
hours 29 minutes the day before.

The four space walks brought the STS-49 total EVA time to 25 hours
and 27 minutes, or 59:23 person hours. The four space walks
comprised a 38 percent increase in total shuttle EVA person hours,
which now has reached 212:17. Commander Dan Brandenstein took the
lead in the number of rendezvous performed, with three Intelsat
rendezvous bringing his total to five.

Also Thursday, the Intelsat control team fired the perigee kick
motor that had been installed on the satellite by Thuot and Hieb.
The firing was successful, and the Intelsat VI satellite in
excellent health on its way to geosynchronous orbit.