
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 5, 1990                   TAG: 9006050535
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A/3   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA.                                LENGTH: Short

DISCOVERY DAMAGED IN ACCIDENT

Discovery became the latest space shuttle to encounter trouble when a crane yanked one of its payload bay doors.

A hydrogen leak somewhere inside Columbia has that shuttle's astronomy mission on hold. NASA plans a fueling test Wednesday in a last-ditch attempt to find the leak without having to roll the shuttle back to its hangar - a move that would mean a month's delay.

Discovery sustained possible damage Monday when a corner of a payload bay door was snagged by an overhead bridge, which acts as a crane, NASA spokesman Bruce Buckingham said. The open door flexed 10 to 12 inches upward, then snapped back into position when the bridge operator moved back.

"There is no visual damage. However, the orbiter has some very critical components that aren't meant to be bent," Buckingham said. Workers were checking for damage to the 60-foot door and the bridge, which enables the door to open and close on Earth.

by CNB