Ed Campion                                                                                             
October 13, 1993
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                                         
11:00 a.m. EDT
(Phone:  202/358-1780)

RELEASE:  93-184

NASA BOARD TO INVESTIGATE STS-51 HARDWARE PROBLEM

     NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight Jeremiah W. 
Pearson today announced the formation of an investigation board 
to examine the causes of a simultaneous detonation of two 
Super*Zip explosive cords, one primary and the other a backup, 
that occurred during the deployment of the Advanced 
Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) and its Transfer Orbit 
Stage (TOS) booster from Discovery during Shuttle Mission STS-51 
(September 12-20, 1993).

     The board will submit  an initial report to Pearson by 
mid-November.  A final report of the findings of the review will 
be submitted by early December.

     The investigation board will be headed by Robert T. Wingate, 
Systems Engineering and Operations, Langley Research Center 
(LaRC), Hampton, Va.  Other members of the team include Michael 
A. Greenfield, Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, 
Headquarters (HQ); Charles R. Gunn, Office of Space Science, HQ; 
Keith L. Hudkins, Office of Space Flight, HQ; Lawrence J. Bement, 
Systems Engineering and Operations, LaRC; Robert M. Stephens, 
Office of the General Counsel, HQ; Robert W. Moss, Systems 
Engineering and Operations, LaRC; and Tommy W. Holloway, Office 
of Space Flight, HQ.

     Significant data on the anomaly has been gathered.  Earlier 
this month, NASA technicians, while performing post-flight 
inspections of Discovery following the STS-51 mission, found 
debris damage to the aft  bulkhead, consisting of surface damage 
on thermal insulation, some penetrations of the insulation and 
payload bay liner and one penetration of the aft cargo bay 
bulkhead wall.  The damage was discovered and categorized when 
Discovery's payload bay was opened and the area was closely 
inspected in the processing hanger.

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