NASA Daily News Summary
For Release: Dec. 6, 1999
Media Advisory m99-250


SUMMARY:

THE EXPLORERS CLUB HONORS THE PIONEERING WOMEN OF SPACE


Video File for Dec. 6, 1999

ITEM 1 - STS-103 CREW TRAINING - JSC

ITEM 2 - HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SERVICING MISSION 3 - HQ (replay)

ITEM 3 - HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE MISSION - (replay)

ITEM 4 - DISCOVERY ROLLOUT TO LAUNCH PAD - (replay)
         special request


NOTE:  MARS POLAR LANDER MISSION EVENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
PENDING CONFIRMATION OF LANDING.  THEREFORE, CHECK THE SCHEDULE
OFTEN AS IT WILL BE UPDATED TO REFLECT MISSION ACTIVITIES.  WE
WILL ATTEMPT TO HOLD TO A MORE REGULAR SCHEDULE WHEN WE ARE ABLE.

Until further notice, please refer to
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/timeline/ for further updates to
the Mars Television schedule.


LIVE TELEVISION EVENTS THIS WEEK:

December 6, Monday
*8:30 pm - STS-103 Crew Arrival - KSC

December 7, Tuesday
*3:00 - 3:45 am - Live Coverage and Commentary of Mars Polar
Lander Activities - JPL
*4:00 am - Mars Polar Lander/Deep Space 2 Press Conference - JPL

December 6 - December 10
*TBD - Mars Polar Lander/Deep Space 2 Television Activities - JPL

     Please check http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/timeline/
     for further updates.

December 8, Wednesday
9:00 am - L-3 Pre-Launch Status Briefing for the Hubble Space
Telescope Servicing Mission - STS-103 - KSC
4:00 pm - STS-103 Launch Readiness News Conference - KSC

December 9, Thursday
9:00 am - L-2 Pre-Launch Status Briefing for the Hubble Space
Telescope Servicing Mission - STS-103 - KSC

December 10, Friday
9:00 am - L-1 Pre-Launch Status Briefing for the Hubble Space
Telescope Servicing Mission - STS-103 - KSC
9:30 am - STS-103 Hubble Space Telescope Briefing - KSC
6:30 pm - Live Commentary and Launch Coverage for the Hubble Space
Telescope Servicing Mission - STS-103 - KSC

December 11, Saturday
12:13 am - Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission Launch - STS-
103 - KSC



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THE EXPLORERS CLUB HONORS THE PIONEERING WOMEN OF SPACE

On Wednesday, Dec. 8, The Explorers Club will honor NASA's
pioneering women astronauts for their contributions to space-based
research.  Six female astronauts will be joined by NASA
Administrator Daniel S. Goldin, who will present the keynote
address.  Goldin will address the past, present and future of
exploration and how women are increasingly playing a greater role
in opening new frontiers.

Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  Roddy Young (Phone
202/358-4726).

For full text, see:
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/media/1999/m99-251.txt



-----------------------------

If NASA issues any news releases later today, we will e-
mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list.

Index of 1999 NASA News Releases:
http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html


*****************************


Video File for Dec. 6, 1999


ITEM 1 - STS-103 CREW TRAINING - JSC---------------------TRT 12:30

Contact at NASA Kennedy Space Center, FL:  Bill Johnson (Phone
321/867-2468).

The STS-103 crew trains for the next shuttle mission, scheduled
for departure from Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 11, 1999. Mission
objectives include repair of the Hubble Space Telescope.



ITEM 2 - HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SERVICING MISSION 3 - HQ (replay)

ITEM 2a - STS-61 AND STS-82 FOOTAGE-----------------------TRT 8:48

Description - Mission highlights from STS-61 and STS-82 Hubble
Space Telescope repair missions.


Item 2b - STS-103 ANIMATION-------------------------------TRT 1:33

Description - Computer animation highlighting STS-103 rendezvous,
docking, EVA, and deploy activities.



ITEM 3 - HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE MISSION - (replay)

Contact at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD:  Wade
Sisler (Phone 301/286-6256).
Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC:  Donald Savage
(Phone 202/358-1547).

Synopsis:  NASA officials decided to move up part of the servicing
mission that had been scheduled for June 2000 after three of the
telescope's six gyroscopes failed.  Having fewer than three
working gyroscopes would preclude science observations, although
the telescope would remain safely in orbit until a servicing crew
arrived.  In addition to replacing all six gyroscopes on the STS-
103 flight, the crew will replace a guidance sensor and the
spacecraft's computer.  The new computer will reduce the burden of
flight software maintenance and significantly lower costs.  A
voltage/temperature kit will be installed to protect spacecraft
batteries from overcharging and overheating when the spacecraft
goes into safe mode.  A new transmitter will replace a failed
spare currently aboard the spacecraft, and spare insulation will
replace telescope insulation that has degraded.  The insulation is
necessary to control the internal temperature on the telescope.


ITEM 3a - GYROSCOPE ANIMATION-----------------------------TRT 1:01

Astronauts will replace all six of the Telescope's gyroscopes
during STS-103.  Currently three of Hubble's six gyros are not
working, leaving only the minimum number needed to continue its
mission.  The gyroscopes are needed for pointing the telescope.
The pointing system is comprised of reaction wheels that actually
move the telescope, gyros that report its position, star trackers
that provide reference points, and the onboard computer that
controls the pointing process.  Based on nearly one and a half
years of intensive chemical, mechanical and electrical
investigations, the HST team believes that the thin wires are
being corroded by the fluid in which they are immersed and
ultimately this corrosion causes them to break.


ITEM 3b - THERMAL BLANKET LAYER ANIMATION------------------TRT :33

During the mission astronauts will cover Hubble's electronic bay
doors with seven permanent coated-stainless steel foil sheets
called the New Outer Blanket Layer (NOBL).  The crew will also
carry seven rolls of special fabric, called the Shell/Shield
Replacement Fabric (SSRF) which will be installed on Hubble's
forward shell and light shield if time is available.  The NOBL
covers and SSRF pieces are designed to protect Hubble's external
blankets and prevent its insulation from further degradation.
Animation shows how these "thermal blankets" are replaced.
Blankets are attached with "bottle-stopper" fasteners and then are
unrolled like "wallpaper".  This multi-layer insulation protects
the Telescope from the severe and rapid temperature changes as it
moves through its 90-minute orbit from very hot sun to very cold
night.


ITEM 3c - TECHNICIANS "QUILT" SSRF B-ROLL------------------TRT :56

B-roll of technicians at the Goddard Space Flight Center
"quilting" the Shell/Shield Replacement Fabric (SSRF).  The fabric
pieces are stored in rolls for their trip to orbit.  The fabric is
composed of flexible, aluminized Teflon with rip-stop material
bonded to the back side.  Seven pieces up to 22 feet (7 meters)
long will cover 80 percent of the sun-side light shield and
forward shell.  This special fabric was designed and tested to
ensure that it can withstand exposure to charged particles, X-
rays, ultraviolet radiation, and thermal cycling for at least ten
years.


ITEM 3d - STS-103 CLEANROOM B-ROLL------------------------TRT 2:12

Astronauts training for the Hubble Space Telescope Third Servicing
Mission in the cleanroom at the Goddard Space Flight Center.
Footage includes astronauts working with gyroscopes and applying
thermal blankets to a full-sized mock-up of the Hubble Space
Telescope.  The seven-member crew will rendezvous with the
Telescope, capture it with the Space Shuttle Discovery's robotic
arm and dock it in the Shuttle bay.  Working in teams of two, four
astronauts will outfit the Hubble with new equipment, including
six gyroscopes, a Fine Guidance Sensor, Solid State Recorder, new
Main Computer, New Outer Blanket Layers (NOBL), and a transmitter.
The astronauts will take more than 150 crew aids and tools on this
service call.


ITEM 3e - ACTIVITY IN STOCC---------------------------------TRT:26

Activity in Space Telescope Operations Control Center (STOCC) at
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, during the
mission.  Working 24 hours a day, ground controllers command and
control the Hubble Space Telescope.  Commands are sent to the
Telescope to direct the observation of astronomical targets all
across the sky.  Hubble operators monitor the Telescope's health
and safety while they control flight operations and science
activities.


ITEM 3f - HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE ANIMATION------------------TRT:22
           (5 glamour shot sequences)


ITEM 3g - THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM (animation)----------TRT:15

Animations of the electromagnetic spectrum, the communication
path, and the Hubble Telescope.


ITEM 3h - HUBBLE TRACKING/SATELLITE RELAY ANIMATIONS

Cut 1:  Animation of HST Communication--------------------TRT  :17

Communications through the Tracking & Data Relay Satellite System
(TDRSS), White Sands, NM, and DOMSAT, to the Goddard Space Flight
Center (GSFC).

Cut 2:  TDRSS Animation------------------------------------TRT :22

Animation of the Tracking & Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)
Communications Satellite depicting the data flow from TDRSS to
Earth, equivalent to a set of encyclopedias every second.


ITEM 3i - INTERVIEW EXCERPTS------------------------------TRT 2:02

Dr. David Leckrone, Sr. Project Scientist Hubble Space Telescope


ITEM 3j - INTERVIEW EXCERPTS------------------------------TRT 3:38

Dr. John Campbell, Associate Director, Hubble Space Telescope



ITEM 4 - DISCOVERY ROLLOUT TO LAUNCH PAD - (replay)------TRT 05:08
         special request

Contact at NASA Kennedy Space Center, FL:  Bill Johnson (Phone
321/867-2468).

Space Shuttle Discovery moves out to Kennedy Space Center1s Launch
Pad 39B in preparation for the launch of the STS-103, the Third
Hubble Space Telescope Servicing mission.



-----------------------------


Unless otherwise noted, ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN.

ANY CHANGES TO THE LINE-UP WILL APPEAR ON THE NASA VIDEO FILE
ADVISORY ON
THE WEB AT ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt
WE UPDATE THE ADVISORY THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

The NASA Video File normally airs at noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m.
and midnight Eastern Time.

NASA Television is available on GE-2, transponder 9C at 85 degrees
West longitude, with vertical polarization. Frequency is on 3880.0
megahertz, with audio on 6.8 megahertz.

Refer general questions about the video file to NASA Headquarters,
Washington, DC: Ray Castillo, 202/358-4555, or Elvia Thompson,
202/358-1696, elvia.thompson@hq.nasa.gov

During Space Shuttle missions, the full NASA TV schedule will
continue to be posted at:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/schedule.html

For general information about NASA TV see:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/


*****************************


Contract Awards

Contract awards are posted to the NASA Acquisition information
Service Web site: http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/award.html


*****************************


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*****************************

end of daily news summary