Xref: utzoo sci.astro:10702 sci.space:26087 sci.space.shuttle:6790 Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!rex!ames!aplvax!ames!ncar!gatech!mcnc!uvaarpa!murdoch!news From: gull@stars.dnet.nasa.gov Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space,sci.space.shuttle Subject: PRESS RELEASES Message-ID: <9012050048.AA29049@east.gsfc.nasa.gov> Date: 5 Dec 90 00:48:56 GMT Sender: news@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU Organization: University of Virginia Lines: 160 To: "SENT TO @MPLAN" Status: R GALILEO MISSION STATUS December 4, 1990 The Galileo spacecraft is just over 2 million miles and 4 days from its Earth gravity assist. It is approaching Earth from outside Earth's orbit, and will cross behind our planet and fly over its sunward side in order to gain energy from the Earth. This energy is needed to raise Galileo's orbit, first to the Asteroid Belt and, in a second gravity assist, finally to meet Jupiter in 1995. Spacecraft speed in its orbit around the Sun is 65,800 mph, still increasing gradually as Galileo comes closer to Earth's orbit and to the Sun. On December 8, the Earth gravity assist will occur during the half-hour surrounding 12:35 p.m. PST, the time of closest approach. This boosts Galileo's orbital speed by about 11,500 mph. Spacecraft health and mission performance continue to be excellent. Over the last two weeks Galileo played back the Venus science data, stored on tape since last February, carried out a variety of science instrument calibrations and engineering operations, and successfully completed the last and smallest of the trim maneuvers scheduled before the Earth gravity assist. The spacecraft is now well within the trajectory window for the required gravity assist. It will attain a closest-approach altitude of about 590 miles at 12:35 p.m. PST on Saturday, December 8. A press conference to discuss the gravity assist and other Galileo activities near Earth is scheduled for December 8 at 1:30 p.m. PST at JPL (and via the NASA SELECT satellite link). Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 5:20 PM EST Msg: GJJA-1657-4946 From: PAO.POST To: PAO Subj: Change of Shift Summary 8 Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 5:11 PM EST Msg: CJJA-1524-2738/20 From: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,SN:MSFC,FN:PUBINFO) To: (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:P), (C:USA,PUB:TELEMAIL,PVT:NASAMAIL,O:NASA,UN:PAO.LOOP), JRUFF/GSFCMAIL Subj: CHANGE OF SHIFT SUMMARY 08 Astro-1 Shift Summary Report #08 12:00 noon CST, Dec. 4, 1990 2/11:10 MET Spacelab Mission Operations Control Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL During this period (4 a.m. to 12 noon CST), the Astro-1 crew and the science investigation teams within the Spacelab Mission Operations Control Center had the most successful time yet during this mission. The three star trackers of the Instrument Pointing System (IPS) for the first time were up and running together, and except for some "fine tuning" the IPS as ready and able to perform its functions as planned. The closeness with which the IPS came in acquiring a stellar object was noted when, at approximately 4:40 a.m., the crew announced that the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) had nearly acquired the scheduled target but that the image -- while sharp -- was wandering. The "fine tuning" would eventually eliminate problems like this, according to Mission Scientist Dr. Ted Gull of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. After that occurrence, mission and science management made a decision for the crew to temporarily pass on several scheduled targets in an attempt to acquire an unscheduled one: Capella, a star which -- by virtue of its rich, bright ultraviolet spectrum -- made it an excellent star to focus and co-align the HUT and Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE). The HUT performed a successful acquisition in the initial stages of the procedure, and the news was greeted with cheers and applause in the Payload Operations Control Room. Meanwhile, the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) team had welcome news in besting the good news from yesterday. Prior to this time period, the BBXRT had briefly detected X-rays, called "first light" by the science team, from the Crab Nebula during alignment of its star tracker; today the team witnessed "first light" by a known source -- Capella -- for a long observation. Ultimately, however, the focus and alignment was not completed with Capella, and the crew moved on to attempt acquisition of the SS Cygna, a double star. And although the HUT did not acquire the binary, the procedure produced nonetheless some low-level useful data. The IPS performance was described by a crew member as "steady as a rock." Except for minor adjustments, the IPS appeared ready to perform as needed. Toward the end of this time period, the crew was able to acquire and obtain good data from a supernova remnant located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, our nearest neighboring galaxy. A source of high ultraviolet radiation, it was keenly observed by the HUT and Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) science teams. Both teams expressed satisfaction with the information received, although they wished they had had a bit more time than the short observation period of four minutes which resulted from a lengthier than expected start-up of the procedure. Posted: Tue, Dec 4, 1990 5:21 PM EST Msg: HJJA-1657-4947 From: PAO.POST To: PAO Subj: BBXRT Report 3 BBXRT Status Report #03 2:30 p.m. CST Dec. 4, 1990 Spacelab Mission Operations Control Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL The BBXRT and its Two-Axis Pointing System (TAPS) were co-aligned at 5:30 a.m. CST today and shortly after BBXRT locked on its first x-ray target, the bright star Capella. "With the kind of observations we have planned we should do tremendous science," reported Goddard's Dr. Peter Serlemitsos, principal investigator. This morning's observation gives scientists the temperature and the element abundances of Capella. Serlemitsos described the BBXRT's resolution as excellent and added that the 300 seconds of data collected so far has revealed information not seen in previous observations. BBXRT team members are currently working to fine tune the TAPS and expect to be pointing routinely to their sources by this evening. BBXRT and TAPS were developed and are operated from Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. ### Command? -- -Greg Hennessy, University of Virginia USPS Mail: Astronomy Department, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475 USA Internet: gsh7w@virginia.edu UUCP: ...!uunet!virginia!gsh7w Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com