Headline News Internal Communications Branch (P-2) NASA Headquarters Tuesday, December 4, 1990 Audio Service: 202 / 755-1788 This is NASA Headline News for Tuesday, December 4, 1990 It was an on-again-off-again-on-again show with the Astro-1 automatic pointing system during the past 24 hours, but it looks like the astronomical space mission may now be gaining a full head of steam in accomplishing its goals. Aboard the STS-35 Space Shuttle Columbia, Payload Specialist Sam Durrance reported the first successful target acquisition with the Astro-1 Instrument Pointing System Optical Sensor Package at around 8:30 Monday evening Eastern Time. Three hours earlier, another milestone was reached when the three ultraviolet telescopes were brought into the observe mode simultaneously. A subsystem computer crash in the late evening hours, however, caused the science crew to revert to manually acquiring data as one of the star trackers on the optical sensor package failed to return to operating condition. Attempts to automatically lock on to target guide stars failed, though targets were often in the fields of view. Using a manual method incorporating data typed in on a keyboard and a joystick "paddle" led Mission Specialist Bob Parker to declare, "Give me a paddle and a telescope and I can move the universe!" Intensive efforts to recycle the star tracker to bring it back to full operating condition, have apparently borne fruit, as Astro-1 officials reported this morning that the pointing team now termed the Image Pointing System "steady as a rock". Prior to the subsystem crash, excellent spectra data was gathered and the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope has been operating well, according to Mission Scientist Gene Urban. The Broad Band X-ray Telescope demonstrated successful acquisition of X-ray photons while aimed at the Crab Nebula. The Space Shuttle Columbia continues to perform flawlessly supporting the Astro-1 mission. ************************************* Tomorrow, NASA employees may see a special screening of the multimedia presentation which highlighted the 75th Anniversary celebration of the NACA/NASA last week at the National Air and Space Museum. Employees may attend one of three showings at 8:30, 9:00 and 9:30 am in the NASM Langley IMAX theatre. (Please enter through the Independence Ave. side and show your NASA badge) Here's the broadcast schedule for Public Affairs events on NASA Select TV. All times are Eastern. **indicates a live program. Tuesday, 12/4/90 Mission coverage of the STS-35/Astro-1 flight will continue live throughout the week... 2:00 pm Flight deck activities from Columbia 3:30 pm "Today In Space" with Dr. Frank Six from MSFC 4:51 pm Science TV from Astro-1 5:00 pm Change-of-shift Flight Director briefing from JSC 6:00 pm Change-of-shift Mission Manager brief from MSFC 7:21 pm Science TV from Astro-1 8:04 pm Science TV from Astro-1 10:19 pm Blue/Red crew handover Wednesday, 12/5/90 1:00 am Change-of-shift Flight Director briefing from JSC 1:30 am Replay of flight deck activities 3:09 am Science TV from Astro-1 5:47 am Science TV from Astro-1 7:34 am Science TV from Astro-1 8:33 am Science TV from Astro-1 9:00 am Change-of-shift Flight Director briefing from JSC 10:19 am Red/Blue crew handover 10:30 am Mission Science Briefing - Ted Gull-- Mission Scientist 11:41 am Science TV from Astro-1 _________________________________________________________________ All events and times may change without notice. This report is filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12:00 pm, EST. It is a service of Internal Communications Branch at NASA Headquarters. Contact: CREDMOND on NASAmail or at 202/453-8425. NASA Select TV: Satcom F2R, Transponder 13, C-Band, 72 degrees West Longitude, Audio 6.8, Frequency 3960 MHz.