Date set for Endeavour

THE SPACE SHUTTLE Endeavour/STS72 is poised for an early-morning launch on 11 January in the first of a planned eight Shuttle missions in 1996.

The six-man crew, including the first Japanese NASA mission specialist, Kiochi Wakata, will deploy a Spartan-class research satellite. This will be retrieved later, along with Japan's Space Flyer Unit, launched on an H2 booster in 1995.

Two space walks, will also be conducted during the ten-day mission, to allow space-station assembly procedures to be practised in preparation for the Alpha Space Station programme.

Source: Flight International