[amsat-bb] NASA fire *DID NOT* damage Hubble parts

[SCHULTZ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Bill Ford, WB5SXK, passed on an AP wire service report:

>*** NASA fire damages spacecraft parts
>
>Parts of two spacecraft, including panels that are to be installed in 
>the Hubble Space Telescope, were damaged in a fire at the 
>Goddard Space Flight Center, officials said Friday. Phillip Z. 
>Tapper, emergency coordinator  for the NASA center, said heat 
>protection panels for the telescope and for another spacecraft were 
>exposed to smoke and water Thursday afternoon when a fire in an 
>adjacent structure spread into a laboratory building where the 
>panels were being processed. Tapper said the exact damage to the
>spacecraft panels has not been determined, "but we don't expect 
>there will be any mission impact." (AP)



This report was greatly exaggerated. Here is part of the e-mail that
Phillip sent to HST employees after the fire:



>From: Phillip Tapper <Phillip.Z.Tapper.1@gsfc.nasa.gov>
>Subject: Re: No Hubble Hardware Damaged in Fire!
>
>Per usual the press does blow everything out of proportion.  My 
>statement to them simply said that HST and MAP flight hardware 
>components were in the lab areas involved and that there was possible 
>contamination damage due to smoke and water exposure.  Investigations 
>were underway but it was anticipated that there would be no mission 
>impacts.
>
>As Ann stated HST was lucky as their components were still in 
>containers.  The MAP project was not as lucky, but it appears that 
>they will simply need to be cleaned.  
>
>
>At 05:44 PM 8/21/98 -0400, Ann Jenkins wrote:
>Although it's already been spread worldwide via The Associated Press 
>and CNN, I can tell you firsthand that NO HUBBLE HARDWARE WAS DAMAGED 
>IN THE FIRE!  The stainless steel sheets referred to in this story 
>were not in the fire area, were still in their protective shipping 
>containers, and sustained NO DAMAGE!




As usual, don't believe everything (anything?) that you see in the
news...... 

MAP is the Microwave Anisotropy Probe, a follow on mission to 
Goddard's Cosmic Background Explorer satellite. 

Dan Schultz N8FGV
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