Headline News
Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA Headquarters

  Monday, January 13, 1992  Audio Service: 202 / 755-1788

This is NASA Headline News for Monday, January 13, 1992 . . .

NASA and university scientists associated with the Hubble Space
Telescope will be presenting their findings at the American
Astronomical Society meeting which begins today in Atlanta.  More than
two dozen presentations on HST discoveries have been scheduled
including one today on HST's "Snapshot Survey" program.  The survey was
set up to find additional evidence on gravitational lensing.  The
findings set new limits on the nature and distribution of material in
the universe, including non-luminous material or "dark matter."
Although dark matter cannot be seen directly, its existence has been
inferred from its gravitational influence on the motions of stars in
galaxies and the motions of galaxies in clusters.

The phenomenon of gravitational lensing provides a powerful search tool
for dark matter.  If a massive object such as a galaxy lies along the
line of sight to a more distant object, such as a quasar, the galaxy
will act as a gravitational lens.  If the galaxy is sufficiently
massive, it can bend the light rays from the distant quasar enough to
form several images.  During the past 13 years, about a dozen examples
of probable gravitational lenses have been discovered by ground-based
telescopes.  The Hubble survey team prepared a list of 354 such
quasars, and began collecting data two summers ago.  Of the
approximately 300 quasars analyzed, only one appears likely to be that
of an image produced by a gravitational lens.  These results tell us
about the objects in the universe but not how they got there.

Another team of HST scientists today presents the most precise
measurements taken to date of the percent of heavy hydrogen (deuterium)
in space.  This measurement helps refine our understanding of the
physical conditions present at the moment of the theorized Big Bang.
The new measurement greatly reduces the uncertainty in our measurements
of the hydrogen-to-deuterium ratio.  If current assumptions about the
Big Bang are correct, the hydrogen-to-deuterium ratio determines the
maximum possible amount of ordinary matter that can be present in the
universe.  This amount of ordinary matter is at least a factor of 10
too small for the universe to be described by ordinary laws of geometry
and for the observed expansion to be halted eventually by gravity P as
some cosmologists believe.  If enough matter in other forms does exist
to eventually halt the universe's expansion, then this missing or "dark
matter" must exist in an exotic form.  If further research finds no
evidence for large amounts of "missing matter," then the new deuterium
measurements strengthen the idea that the universe will expand
forever.  If true, the universe had a brilliant beginning but will have
no end.

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

Preparations for next week's launch of Discovery for the STS-42
International Microgravity Laboratory-1 mission are nearly complete at
the Kennedy Space Center.  Discovery's onboard fuel tanks have been
filled, as have the hydraulic power system tanks of the solid rocket
boosters.  Ordnance devices will be installed to the STS-42 stack this
week.  Prelaunch preparations and external tank chilldown for fueling
will begin early next week for the planned launch of Discovery at 8:54
am on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

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

Kennedy Space Center payload technicians will hold a press briefing and
tour of the Atlas pallet-mounted payload this Thursday, Jan. 16, at
2:00 pm.  The Atlas payload will be placed in the payload cannister on
Jan. 21 and is expected to be moved to the orbiter processing facility
on Jan. 23.  The Atlas-1, STS-45, mission is currently targeted for
launch early this Spring.

Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select
TV.  Note that all events and times may change without notice, and that
all times listed are Eastern.

Monday, January 13, 1992
    12:00 pm  NASA Today news program.
    12:15 pm  Aeronautics & Space Report.
    12:30 pm  From Gondola to Manned Space Flight.
     1:00 pm  Apollo 9 - Three to Make Ready.
     1:30 pm  Live and Work in Space.
     2:00 pm  Starfinder program #6.
     2:15 pm  STS-37 Crew Go for EVA.
     2:30 pm  Life in the Universe program #6.J
     3:00 pm  Total Quality Management #6 (Univ. of N. Mex series).
Tuesday, January 14, 1992
    12:00 pm  NASA Today news program.
    12:15 pm  Aeronautics & Space Report.
    12:30 pm  New Highs.
     1:00 pm  Apollo 10- Sorting the Unknown.
     1:30 pm  Medical Benefits from Space.
     2:00 pm  Starfinder program #7.
     2:15 pm  Pathway to the Stars.
     2:30 pm  Life in the Universe program #7.
     3:00 pm  Total Quality Management #7 (Univ. of N. Mex series).
Wednesday, January 15, 1992
    12:00 pm  NASA Today news program.
    12:15 pm  Aeronautics & Space Report.
    12:30 pm  Flying Machines.
     1:00 pm  Apollo 11 - For All Mankind.
     1:30 pm  STARPAHC (medical spinoff space technology).
     2:00 pm  Starfinder program #8.
     2:15 pm  Short Walk to Everywhere.
     2:30 pm  Life in the Universe program #8.
     3:00 pm  Total Quality Management #8 (Univ. of N. Mex series).
Thursday, January 16, 1992
    12:00 pm  NASA Today news program.
    12:15 pm  Aeronautics & Space Report.
    12:30 pm  Age of Space Transportation.
     1:00 pm  Apollo 14 - the Mountains of Fra Mauro.
     1:30 pm  Life Sciences on the Manned Space Station.
     2:00 pm  Starfinder program #69.
     2:15 pm  The Flood Below.
     2:30 pm  Life in the Universe program #9.
     3:00 pm  Total Quality Management #9 (Univ. of N. Mex series).
Friday, January 17, 1992
    12:00 pm  NASA Today news program.
    12:15 pm  Aeronautics & Space Report.
    12:30 pm  Quiet, Fast and Safe Aircraft.
     1:00 pm  Apollo 15 - Mountains of the Moon.
     1:30 pm  Operations in Space.
     2:00 pm  Starfinder program #10.
     2:15 pm  Beyond Clouds.
     2:30 pm  Life in the Universe program #12.
     3:00 pm  Total Quality Management #10 (Univ. of N. Mex series).

NOTICE:  NASA Select programming repeats at 4:00 pm, 8:00 pm and 12:00
midnight.  It may be preempted at any time for system engineering
tests, for unscheduled events and for briefings and mission coverage.
This report is filed daily at noon, Monday through Friday.  It is a
service of NASA's Office of Public Affairs.  The editor is Charles
Redmond 202/453-8425 or CREDMOND on NASAmail.  NASA Select TV is
carried on GE Satcom F2R, transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West
Longitude, transponder frequency is 3960 MegaHertz, audio subcarrier is
6.8 MHz, polarization is vertical.