Ed Campion
Headquarters, Washington, DC                                                 September 5, 1996
(Phone:  202/358-1780)

Rob Navias
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone:  713/483-5111)

Bruce Buckingham
Kennedy Space Center, FL
(Phone:  407/867-2468)

LAUNCH ADVISORY:  96-183

ATLANTIS MOVED BACK OUT TO LAUNCH PAD;
SEPTEMBER 16 SET AS NEW LAUNCH DATE


     NASA managers early this morning approved the return of Space Shuttle Atlantis to 
the Launch Pad 39-A complex.  First motion out of the Vehicle Assembly Building 
(VAB) came at 2:51 a.m. EDT.  NASA managers also set September 16 as the new 
official launch date for Mission STS-79.

     The launch window on the 16th opens at 4:54 a.m. EDT.  A launch on the 16th will 
set Atlantis up for a rendezvous and docking with the Russian space station Mir on the 
fourth day of the flight.  The STS-79 mission is scheduled to conclude on September 
26 with a landing at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

     Atlantis was moved off the launch pad early yesterday morning due to concerns of 
severe weather generated by Hurricane Fran impacting the KSC area.  As Hurricane 
Fran moved on a more northeasterly course, Shuttle managers felt confident in 
returning Atlantis to its launch pad.

-end-