Sarah Keegan
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                                
January 13, 1994
(Phone:  202/358-1547)
 
Jim Elliott
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
(Phone:  301/286-6256)
 
 
RELEASE:  94-7
 
NASA DECLARES HUBBLE SERVICING MISSION SUCCESSFUL


   NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin today declared that last 
month's Space Shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space 
Telescope (HST) had been fully successful in correcting the vision 
of the telescope's optical components.  The announcement, 
accompanied by the first new images from HST, followed the initial 
5 weeks of engineering check-out, optical alignment and instrument 
calibration.

   Word of the Hubble success came at a press conference at NASA's 
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.  Goldin was joined in 
making the initial announcement by Dr. John H. Gibbons, Assistant 
to the President for Science and Technology, and Senator Barbara 
A. Mikulski (Md.), Chair, Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD 
and Independent Agencies.

   "This is phase two of a fabulous, two-part success story," 
Goldin said.  "The world watched in wonder last month as the 
astronauts performed an unprecedented and incredibly smooth series 
of space walks.  Now, we see the real fruits of their work and 
that of the entire NASA team.

   "Men and women all across this agency committed themselves to 
this effort.  They never wavered in their belief that the Hubble 
Space Telescope is a true international treasure," Goldin said.

   Mikulski, who unveiled two new HST pictures at the press 
conference, said, "I am absolutely delighted that Hubble is fixed 
and can see better than ever.  This is tremendous news.

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   "Now we are going to look at the origins of our universe, 
"Mikulski said.  "What a wonderful victory this is for the Hubble 
team of astronauts, astronomers, scientists and engineers.  
Together they are moving American science and technology into the 
21st century with exciting new opportunities for scientific and 
economic progress."

   Pictures were released from the two cameras that received 
corrective optics during the servicing mission -- the Wide 
Field/Planetary Camera II and the European Space Agency's Faint 
Object Camera.  

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