Paula Cleggett-Haleim
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                               
August 23, 1993
(Phone:  202/358-1547)

Jim Elliott
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
(Phone:  301/286-6256)

Pat Viets
NOAA/NESDIS
(Phone:  301/763-2560)

RELEASE:  93-151

CONTROLLERS LOSE CONTACT WITH NOAA-13 SATELLITE

   Satellite controllers lost contact with the NOAA-13 satellite 
on Saturday, and preliminary indications are that the spacecraft's 
power system is not working, officials at NASA and the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said today.

   All battery charging aboard the satellite ceased at 
approximately 3:45 p.m. EDT Aug. 21, said Charles E. Thienel, 
Meteorological Satellites Project Manager at NASA's Goddard Space 
Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.  Contact with the spacecraft during 
subsequent ground passes showed steadily decreasing battery 
voltages and currents, he said.

   Output from the solar arrays continued to be normal, Thienel 
said, indicating a failure in the circuitry between the solar 
arrays and the batteries.  There has been no contact with the 
spacecraft since approximately 7:15 p.m. EDT Aug. 21.

   The spacecraft was launched by the U.S. Air Force from 
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Aug. 9.  Spacecraft 
operations were turned over to NOAA on Aug. 12 as a part of 
planned checkout procedures.  Instrument checkouts were continuing 
at the time of the failure.

   NOAA-13 is the newest in a series of polar-orbiting weather 
satellites.  It is designed to monitor the Earth's ocean and 
atmosphere.  It collects meteorological and ocean data for direct 
transmission to users around the world and to central data 
processing centers.
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   NOAA-11, which NOAA-13 was planned to replace, was launched in 
September 1988 and NOAA-12 in May 1991.  Both are providing 
environmental data to users around the world.  NOAA officials said 
the problem with NOAA-13 would not affect weather coverage.  
Instruments on NOAA-11 and NOAA-12 are providing full coverage.  
NOAA-13 was called up to ensure continuity of data because of 
degradation in NOAA-11's instruments and spacecraft subsystems.

   The spacecraft was built by Martin Marietta Astro Space in East 
Windsor, N.J.  The spacecraft completed its initial functional and 
environmental testing in early 1990.  The spacecraft then was held 
in standby with routinely scheduled aliveness testing until March 
1993, when it went through complete functional checkout in 
preparation for launch.

   NASA and NOAA will convene a review board to investigate the 
incident.  Martin Marietta already has convened its review board.

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