Dolores Beasley
Headquarters, Washington, DC                May 5, 2000
Phone: 202/358-1753

Steve Roy
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
Phone: 256/544-6535

Dr. Wallace Tucker
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA
Phone: 617/496-7998

NOTE TO EDITORS: N00-21

NEW CHANDRA OBSERVATIONS SHED LIGHT ON YOUNG SUPERNOVA:  
SPACE SCIENCE UPDATE MAY 11

     Images showing the full impact of the actual blast wave from 
Supernova 1987A will be revealed during a Space Science Update at 
1 p.m. EDT Thursday, May 11, in the James E. Webb Auditorium at 
NASA Headquarters, 300 E St., SW, Washington, DC.

     The observations, made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, 
are the first time a blast wave has been seen at such an early 
stage in a supernova.  A supernova explosion is among the most 
violent events in nature. Supernova 1987A, the first supernova 
observed in 1987, was the brightest and nearest supernova to Earth 
in almost four centuries.  Chandra, launched July 23, 1999, makes 
images at least 30 times sharper than any previous X-ray 
telescope.
  
The Space Science Update panelists will be: 

*  Alan Bunner, Science Director, Structure and Evolution of the 
Universe, Office of Space Science, NASA Headquarters
*  David Burrows, Senior Scientist and Professor of Astronomy and 
Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 
*  Richard McCray, Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary 
Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder
*  Robert Kirshner, Associate Director, Harvard-Smithsonian Center 
for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA

     The Space Science Update will be carried live on NASA 
Television with two-way question-and-answer capability for 
reporters covering the briefing from participating NASA centers.  
NASA television is broadcast on satellite GE-2, transponder 9C, at 
85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarization, frequency 3880 
MHz, audio of 6.8 MHz.

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