alb@brunix.UUCP (Adam L. Buchsbaum) (04/14/85)
The Discovery crew today deployed the second of two satellites, this one for Leasat, which will lease the satellite to the Navy. However, the antenna of the satellite failed to deploy, its spin engines failed to fire, and its PAM did not ignite. All that leads NASA to believe that a plunger switch that should have been activated upon deployment from the cargo bay in fact was not. The switch activates the the satellite's power, which then turns on the sequencer to control the events. NASA is considering a few options: 1) Flying up to a half mile from the satellite (the Discovery is now keeping 40 miles away with belly towards the satellite) to see whether or not the switch is activated. 2) If the switch is not activated, an astronaut could make an EVA and stand on the end of the RMS, which would then carry him/her to the satellite. He/she would then turn on the switch, and the shuttle would rocket away to clear the area before the PAM ignites. 3) NASA could leave the satellite in its current orbit (~261 miles) until a rescue mission can be planned. The Discovery has no equipment currently on board to facilitate the retrieval of the satellite. A decision is expected Sunday.