Mark Hess
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                   January 29, 1990
(Phone:  202/453-4164)                                 1 P.M. EST


RELEASE:  90-15

NASA RELEASES JANUARY 1990 PAYLOAD FLIGHT ASSIGNMENTS MANIFEST



     NASA today issued its January 1990 Payload Flight 
Assignments manifest for both the Space Shuttle and expendable 
launch vehicles (ELV).  NASA plans 64 Space Shuttle and 30 ELVs 
missions through September 1995.


     The most significant change to the manifest is the movement 
of the Gamma Ray Observatory from its June launch date into a 
November flight period aboard Atlantis.  Ulysses, a joint 
ESA/NASA mission to send a spacecraft around the Sun's poles, 
must be launched during a 19-day launch window that opens Oct. 5, 
1990, to avoid waiting 13 months before another launch 
opportunity opens.  


     On a calendar year basis, there are nine Space Shuttle 
launches planned in 1990, including STS-32 which was just 
completed, eight in 1991, 12 in 1992, 13 in 1993 and 11 in 1994 
and 1995. 


     Remaining Shuttle launches in 1990 include a dedicated DOD 
mission aboard Atlantis on Feb. 22; launch of the Hubble Space 
Telescope aboard Discovery on April 18; the May 9 launch of 
Columbia with the Astro-1 payload; another dedicated DOD mission 
in July aboard Atlantis; the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 mission on 
Aug. 29 aboard Columbia; the Ulysses launch on Oct. 5; the Nov. 1 
launch of Gamma Ray Observatory aboard Atlantis and the 
International Microgravity Laboratory flight on Dec. 12 aboard 
Columbia. 


     The 64 flights carried in the Shuttle manifest have Columbia 
and Discovery each making 16 missions, Atlantis flying 17 times, 
and Endeavour being launched 12 times.  Six of Columbia's 
missions, beginning with the March launch of the U.S. 
Microgravity Laboratory-1 mission, will be extended duration, 
lasting 13 or 16 days.

                            - more -
                             - 2 -



     The first flight of Orbiter Vehicle 105, Endeavour, will be 
February 1992 carrying the Geostar and Eureca spacecraft.  First 
element launch of Space Station Freedom is carried on the 
manifest for March 1995 aboard Endeavour.

                            - end - 

TO:  MDS/PRA Group
     1615 L Street, N.W. - Suite 100
     Washington, D.C. 20036

DATE & TIME:  JANUARY 29, 1990.  3:00 P.M.

ORDERED BY:  Edward Campion
NASA Headquarters/LMD
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20546             PHONE:  202/453-8400

PROJECT TITLE:  Release No:  90-15

PRINT ORDER:  2200

PRINTING:  Camera Ready, lst pg on NASA logo, other pages plain

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MAIL DATE:  JANUARY 30, 1990

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