Debbie Rahn/Jennifer McCarter
Headquarters, Washington, DC	January 31, 1997
(Phone: 202/358-1778)

RELEASE: 97-18

STS-82 SET FOR SECOND HUBBLE TELESCOPE SERVICING MISSION 

Astronauts on the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-82 mission will significantly upgrade the 
scientific capabilities of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during the ten-day 
servicing mission by installing two state-of-the-art instruments. They also will perform 
maintenance to keep HST functioning smoothly until the next scheduled servicing mission 
in 1999. STS-82, scheduled to launch Feb. 11, 1997, is the second servicing mission to 
HST since its deployment in April 1990.

The seven-member crew will conduct at least four spacewalks (also called Extravehicular 
Activities or EVAs) to remove two older instruments and install two new astronomy 
instruments, as well as other servicing tasks. The two older instruments being replaced are 
the Goddard High Resolution Spectrometer and the Faint Object Spectrograph. Replacing 
these instruments are the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Near 
Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). HST's current complement 
of science instruments includes two cameras, two spectrographs, and fine guidance 
sensors. 

In addition to installing the new instruments, astronauts will replace other existing 
hardware with upgrades and spares. Hubble will get a refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor, 
an optical device that is used on HST to provide pointing information for the spacecraft and 
is used as a scientific instrument for astrometric science. The Solid State Recorder (SSR) 
will replace one of HST's current reel-to-reel tape recorders. The SSR provides much more 
flexibility than a reel-to-reel recorder and can store ten times more data.

One of Hubble's four Reaction Wheel Assemblies (RWA) will be replaced with a 
refurbished spare. The RWA is part of Hubble's Pointing Control Subsystem. The RWAs 
use spin momentum to move the telescope into position. The wheels also maintain the 
spacecraft in a stable position. The wheel axes are oriented so that the telescope can provide 
science with only three wheels operating, if required.

The STS-82 crew will be commanded by Ken Bowersox, who will be making his fourth 
Shuttle flight. The pilot is Scott Horowitz, who will be making his second flight. There are 
five mission specialists assigned to this flight. Joe Tanner, Mission Specialist-1, is making 
his second flight. Mission Specialist-2, Steve Hawley, is making his fourth flight. Greg 
Harbaugh, Mission Specialist-3, is making his fourth flight. Mark Lee, Mission Specialist-
4, is making his fourth flight. Mission Specialist-5, Steve Smith, is making his second 
flight. The crew members who will conduct the planned EVAs are Mark Lee, Greg 
Harbaugh, Steve Smith and Joe Tanner.

Training for this mission began nearly two years ago. Extensive training for the EVAs was 
conducted at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, in the 25-foot deep Weightless 
Environment Training Facility; at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, in 
the 40-foot deep Neutral Buoyancy Simulator; and at the Goddard Space Flight Center in 
Greenbelt, MD, in a 12,500 square-foot cleanroom.

During the training, the astronauts practiced every detail of every task they will have to 
perform during the four spacewalks. They also rehearsed using more than 150 specialized 
tools and crew aids developed specifically for this mission, ranging from a simple bag for 
carrying some of the smaller tools to sophisticated, battery-operated power tools. The 
hand-operated devices allow astronauts to more efficiently perform intricate, labor-
intensive tasks. Tools will allow access to equipment bays on both HST and the Shuttle 
and will help remove and install scientific instruments and other components. 

Discovery is targeted for an early morning launch on Feb. 11 from NASA's Kennedy 
Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex 39-A at 3:56 a.m. EST. The launch window is 61 
minutes. With an on-time launch on Feb. 11 and a nominal 10-day mission, Discovery 
will land back at KSC on Feb. 21 at about 2:43 a.m. EST. 

STS-82 will be the 22nd Flight of Discovery and the 82nd mission flown since the start of 
the Space Shuttle program in April 1981.

New Astronomy Instruments

The HST was designed to allow new instruments to be easily installed as old ones become 
obsolete. This was demonstrated during the first servicing mission in December 1993, 
when, during an 11-day mission that included a record five EVAs, astronauts successfully 
installed a new camera which had its corrective optics built right in, and a special 
instrument, called the COSTAR (Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement) 
that would properly refocus light from the flawed main mirror to the other instruments.

The new instruments installed during this mission will again dramatically expand Hubble's 
scientific capabilities. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) provides unique 
and powerful spectroscopic capabilities for the HST. A spectrograph separates the light 
gathered by the telescope into its spectral components so that the composition, temperature, 
motion, and other chemical and physical properties of astronomical objects can be 
analyzed. 

STIS's two-dimensional detectors allow the instrument to gather 30 times more spectral 
data and 500 times more spatial data than existing spectrographs on Hubble which look at 
one place at a time. One of the greatest advantages to using STIS is in the study of 
supermassive black holes.

STIS will search for massive black holes by studying the star and gas dynamics around 
galactic centers. It also will measure the distribution of matter in the universe by studying 
quasar absorption lines, use its high sensitivity and spatial resolution to study star 
formation in distant galaxies, and perform spectroscopic mapping of solar system objects. 

The Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) promises to gain 
valuable new information on the dusty centers of galaxies and the formation of stars and 
planets. NICMOS consists of three cameras. It will provide the capability for infrared 
imaging and spectroscopic observations of astronomical targets.

NICMOS will give astronomers their first clear view of the universe at near-infrared 
wavelengths between 0.8 and 2.5 micrometers -- longer wavelengths than the human eye 
can see. The expansion of the universe shifts the light from very distant objects toward 
longer red and infrared wavelengths. 

NICMOS's near infrared capabilities will provide views of objects too distant for research 
by current Hubble optical and ultraviolet instruments. NICMOS's detectors perform more 
efficiently than previous infrared detectors. 

Technological Advances

Besides rapidly advancing scientific understanding of the universe, HST is making direct 
contributions to the health, safety, and quality of people's lives through a variety of 
technological spinoffs.

For instance, a new, non-surgical breast biopsy technique using a device originally 
developed for HST's Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) is now saving women pain, scarring, 
radiation exposure, time and money. This technique, called stereotactic automated large-
core needle biopsy, enables a doctor to precisely locate a suspicious lump and use a needle 
instead of surgery to remove tissue for study. This precise process is possible because of a 
key improvement in digital imaging technology known as a Charge Coupled Device or 
CCD.

Looking Toward the Future

The Hubble Space Telescope was designed to operate in space for 15 years. Since its 
deployment in 1990, HST has revolutionized astronomers' vision of the universe more 
than any prior telescopes. Many new details about planets, stars and galaxies have been 
revealed in the short span of six years. Hubble provided dramatic and detailed views of 
comet fragments smashing into Jupiter; clues about the existence of black holes in the core 
of galaxies; and has made significant progress in determining the age and size of the 
universe. With astronauts geared to embark on the second mission to service the telescope, 
scientists are looking forward to even greater capabilities to look deeper into the universe.

Two more servicing missions are planned for 1999 and 2002 to keep the telescope 
functioning efficiently and to improve its scientific capability. Among the tasks for the 
1999 mission are installation of the Advanced Camera, new solar arrays, and the telescope 
will be reboosted into a higher orbit. In 2002, plans call for installation of an as-yet 
undefined advanced scientific instrument as well as maintenance to keep HST functioning 
until at least 2005.

The HST is a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency.