Astro-2 Public Affairs Status Report #2
6:00 p.m. CST (0/17:22 MET), March 2, 1995
Spacelab Mission Operations Control
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Ala.


  The STS-67 science crew spent the entire day preparing the Astro-2
observatory for its two-week exploration of the ultraviolet universe.

  "When a new ground-based observatory is put into service, or
commissioned, this careful, step-by-step procedure of aligning the
pointing equipment and focusing the telescopes usually takes from six
months to a year.  Our goal was to have the Astro-2 observatory ready
for action within 24 to 36 hours after launch," said Mission Scientist
Dr. Charles Meegan.  "We expect to meet this schedule, and we're
absolutely thrilled with the performance of our equipment."

   Payload Commander Tammy Jernigan continued checkout of the
Instrument Pointing System, on which the three ultraviolet telescopes
are mounted.  The crew reported success with their first automatic
star identification procedure at about 6:30 a.m. CST, verifying that
the pointing system can center accurately on the celestial objects
Astro-2 science teams will choose to view.

	Payload Specialist Sam Durrance finished activating the
Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope, then completed the more complicated
procedures to put the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope into operation.

	Pilot Bill Gregory, Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld and
Payload Specialist Ron Parise took over operations from the first crew
at 11:30 a.m.  The two crew teams are working 12-hour shifts, so
astronomical observations can continue around the clock.

	Activation and verification of the Wisconsin Ultraviolet
Photo- Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE) detector was delayed by
difficulties keeping it aligned with a test target, but the WUPPE
science team and Parise corrected the problem after several attempts.
Alternate Payload Specialist John-David Bartoe reported from the
ground, "Ron, the WUPPE folks are ecstatic down here, and they like
everything they see."

	Astro telescope verification was interrupted briefly at around
1:15 p.m., when ground controllers closed the telescope doors to
prevent contamination by oxidizer leaking from one of Endeavour's
reaction control system thrusters.  The thruster was closed less than
hour later, and Parise reopened the doors.
	
	During the telescope shutdown, Grunsfeld continued checking
out the Instrument Pointing System and the Image Motion Compensation
System, which keeps the WUPPE instrument and the imaging telescope on
target despite subtle disturbances.  Johnson Space Center controllers
declared the Instrument Pointing System operational at 1:53 p.m., and
they transferred control of the equipment to the Marshall Center
payload team for science activities.

	Parise and Grunsfeld then began an extended procedure called
Joint Focus and Alignment, one that is unique for space telescopes to
the Astro-2 payload.  Since all three instruments often make
simultaneous observations of the same objects, science teams must be
certain they are pointing in precisely the same direction and are in
near-perfect focus.

	Computer users from all over the world are participating in
Astro-2 through the mission's Internet "home page."  The page was
publicized on the Internet as "cool site of the day" for March 2, and
it was accessed more than 20,000 times within the first 14 hours after
launch.  Users from locations as diverse as Oregon and Malaysia
described the page as "absolutely amazing," while one from Germany
commented, "That's the future -- working on Earth and connected to
space."  The home page provides visitors with background information
and enables them to follow the mission in progress.  Its Internet
World Wide Web address is "http://astro-2.msfc.nasa.gov".

	Final focusing and calibration of the Hopkins and Wisconsin
instruments will continue through the first half of the upcoming
shift.  Astro-2 observations of the ultraviolet sky will then begin.