[sci.space.shuttle] HST, STS-31 mission and crew briefings set

yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (03/06/90)

Mark Hess
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                March 2, 1990

Charles Redmond
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Steve Nesbitt
Johnson Space Center, Houston

Carter Dove
Goddard Space Flight Center


RELEASE:  N90-13

EDITORS NOTE:  HST, STS-31 MISSION AND CREW BRIEFINGS SET


     A series of background briefings on the Hubble Space 
Telescope, the deployment mission, secondary payloads and the 
astronaut pre-flight press conference for Space Shuttle mission 
STS-31, now set for launch on April 12, will be held March 15 and 
16 at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., and 
March 19 and 20 at the NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston.

     The briefing schedule follows (all times Eastern Standard):

        o  Thursday, March 15, Goddard Visitor Center

           9 a.m.  Hubble Space Telescope Science
          12 p.m.  Preparations, deploy, verification, servicing
           5 p.m.  "How to cover mission" briefing

        o  Friday, March 16, Goddard and Space Telescope Science
             Institute, Baltimore

          10 a.m. and 2 p.m.  Press tours of HST control 
             facilities (Goddard) or HST science operations 
             areas (Institute)

        o  Monday, March 19, Johnson Space Center

           9:30 a.m.  STS-31 Flight Director mission overview
          10:30 a.m.  Secondary, middeck and student experiments
          11:30 a.m.  Flight Crew Press Conference
                      (Followed by round -robin media interviews)


     Briefings will be carried live on NASA Select television, 
available on Satcom F2R, transponder 13 at 3960 MHz.  Two-way 
question and answer capability will be available at other NASA 
centers and at Headquarters.

     During the mission, media wishing to focus attention on the 
Hubble Space Telescope activities are advised to contact Goddard 
Public Affairs, 301/286-5565, to arrange for accreditation at the 
Goddard News Center.  Goddard will operate a 24-hour-a-day 
newsroom during the mission and will have telescope scientists 
and managers available for briefings and interviews.