Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 28, 1990 TAG: 9003280376
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A2 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
The telescope is to be transferred into Discovery's payload bay no earlier than Thursday, two days later than scheduled because of gnat-like insects in a payload preparation room. NASA earlier gave Wednesday as the earliest transfer time.
Still, NASA spokeswoman Lisa Malone said, technicians needed little if any of the contingency time built into Discovery's prelaunch schedule, making it possible for the agency to take unusual step of moving up the launch date.
"The processing has gone very smoothly," said Dick Young, a spokesman for the agency.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Flight Readiness Review Board will firm up the launch date after meeting Friday and Saturday at Kennedy Space Center.
Last month, Discovery's launch date was moved from April 18 to April 12 after the lower right segment of the shuttle's solid rocket booster was replaced more quickly than anticipated.
On Monday, shuttle managers determined that problems with Discovery's nose wheel landing gear will not hamper the mission.
The mosquito-like midges were found on the orbiter's payload bay doors Sunday when a servicing machine was retracted to receive the telescope.
So far, about 30 have been caught in five traps set up in the preparation room. Technicians plan to inspect the traps every hour until the number of insects is low enough to permit installation of the telescope.
"The Hubble is so sensitive," Malone said. "They've got very strict conditions."
Discovery's five astronauts are to deploy the Hubble on the second day of the five-day mission. The telescope will orbit 370 miles above Earth, looking seven times more deeply into space and detecting objects 50 times fainter than the best ground-based observatory.
by CNB