🚀 go-pugleaf

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Wednesday, November 8, 1989                   audio: 202/755-1788
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This is NASA headline news for Wednesday, November 8....
 
 
Taxi testing, takeoff, a captive flight and landing of the NASA 
B-52 and the Pegasus air launched orbital booster is now 
scheduled for Thursday at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., weather 
permitting. An attempt today was scrubbed.  The test flight will 
verify the integrity of the configuration prior to launch which 
is expected sometime near the end of the year.  If the test is 
conducted tomorrow, a video tape replay of highlights is 
scheduled for 4:00 p. m., eastern time, on NASA Select TV.  
 
 
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory reports that the Galileo spacecraft 
has operated well since it was deployed from the orbiter Atlantis 
last month.  The flight team is continuing checkout of elements 
of the spacecraft.  Galileo instruments detected and 
characterized the recent major solar flare activity that began
october 19.  The first trajectory correction is scheduled for 
later this week.  Project officials say that nothing so far has 
ruled out the possibility of an encounter with the asteroid 
Gaspra between the first and second earth flybys.  
 
 
The solar flare in late October has inflicted some damage to the 
Magellan spacecraft's solar panels and star sensor system.  A JPL 
spokesman told United Press International that highly charged 
particles streaming from the sun caused the Venus-bound 
spacecraft to lose two percent of its power and upset star 
calibrations for about a week.  
 
 
A NASA-NOAA geological team says the recent California earthquake 
resulted in a crustral movement of about 2 inches near Fort Ord 
in the San Francisco bay area.  The data were obtained by mobile 
very long baseline interferometry systems.  The measurements 
were taken immediately after the quake by Goddard Space Flight 
Center and NOAA geodetic survey scientists who have been 
monitoring sites along the San Andreas fault since 1972.
 
 
Preparations for the next space shuttle launch continue at
Kennedy Space Center.  The flight readiness test on the main
propulsion system is being conducted today.  Launch of the STS-33
mission is set for November 20.

     
 Ron Baalke                       |    (818) 541-2341 x260
 Jet Propulsion Lab  M/S 301-355  |    baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov
 4800 Oak Grove Dr.               |
 Pasadena, CA 91109               |