1 The crew of the space shuttle Discovery monitored a series of science experiments Wednesday and inspected the bulky suits two astronauts will wear during a five-hour spacewalk on Thursday.
2 It was a day of relative relaxation for the six-person crew, coming after a historic rendezvous with Russia's Mir space station and a telescope release.
3 Mission Control let the crew sleep an extra hour as a reward for its hard work.
4 Wednesday's lull gave astronauts a chance to check on 20 science experiments in a shuttle laboratory, and Bernard Harris Jr. and Michael Foale double-checked their spacesuits.
5 Harris, a physician, will become the first black to take part in a spacewalk. He said during a TV interview Wednesday morning that he'd like to dedicate the spacewalk to 'all African-Americans, to African-American achievements.'
6 He noted that his opportunity to walk in space comes during Black History Month, adding, 'Really, I get emotional when I think about it.'
7 Before the spacewalk, the crew is to retrieve the ultraviolet telescope that was released Tuesday. The telescope is focused on interstellar gas and dust that eventually will form new stars and planetary systems. Discovery is flying about 35 miles (60 kms) behind the telescope during its two days of free flight.
8 The spacewalk in Discovery's cargo bay is to last five hours. Harris and Foale will practice lifting the 2,800-pound (1,270-kg) telescope so NASA can learn how future space stations will handle massive objects.
9 NASA also wants to evaluate thermal improvements to the spacesuits. The spacewalkers, stationed on the end of the 50-foot (15-meter) shuttle crane, will remain idle in the frigid darkness of Discovery's shadow for 20 or 30 minutes to see just how cold they get.
10 'I think I may get as cold as shivering, but not beyond that, where you stop shivering,' Foale joked before the mission.
11 When the United States, Russia and other countries start building an international space station in late 1997, spacewalking astronauts will face extended periods without the warmth of direct sunlight.
12 Discovery's eight-day flight is to end Saturday.

The crew of the space shuttle Discovery monitored a series of science experiments Wednesday and inspected the bulky suits two astronauts will wear during a five - hour spacewalk on Thursday .
spacewalk
Why are the astronauts going on a spacewalk?