>KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SPACE SHUTTLE STATUS REPORT >(UPDATED) FRIDAY, JULY 12, 1996 (7:07 PM EDT) > >KSC Public Affairs Contact: Bruce Buckingham (fax 407-867-2692) >E-mail: Bruce.Buckingham-1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov > >MISSION: STS-79 -- 4th MIR DOCKING & SPACEHAB DM > >VEHICLE: Atlantis/OV-104 >LOCATION: Vehicle Assembly Building >TARGET LAUNCH DATE/TIME: mid-September >LAUNCH WINDOW: 7-10 minutes >TARGET KSC LANDING DATE/TIME: TBD >MISSION DURATION: 8 days, 20 hours >CREW SIZE: 6 >ORBITAL ALTITUDE and INCLINATION: 196-245 statute miles/51.6 degrees > >NOTE: Mission managers decided late today to not roll Atlantis back out to >the pad in order to destack the vehicle from its current set of solid rocket >boosters and re-stack it to another set. Atlantis has been in the Vehicle >Assembly Building since Wednesday when it was taken off Pad 39A due to >threats from Hurricane Bertha. > > This decision will delay Atlantis' launch until mid-September. > > Atlantis' boosters are being replaced because of hot gas seepage into >the field joints of the Columbia STS-78 boosters, which was launched on June >20. > > An investigation found that the most probable cause of the seepage was >related to the use of a new adhesive and cleaning fluid. Time to switch back to Elmer's glue? :)