Satellite deployed to study ozone layer
HOUSTON — After a brief delay caused by a communications problem, the US space shuttle, Discovery, has deployed the largest environmental research satellite ever carried into space that will study holes in the Earth’s ozone layer.
The unmanned satellite probe was released into space on Saturday about 30 minutes later than planned when astronaut Mark Brown freed the grip of a robot arm that had plucked the satellite from the orbiter’s payload bay five hours earlier.
Discovery blasted off on Thursday evening with the Upper Atmosphere Research satellite to study Earth’s deteriorating ozone layer and other stratospheric features.
The five astronauts spent most of Friday night and Saturday morning preparing for the US$740-million (S$1.26-billion) satellite’s release.
Shuttle commander John Creighton steered Discovery into a 570-km-high orbit on Friday, 5 km higher than planned and one of the highest orbits ever flown by a shuttle.
Project scientists want a high altitude and inclination — the angle of the orbit to the equator — so the observatory can fly over virtually the entire globe.
Satellite sensors will be able to peer to within 1,125 km of the South Pole, where ozone density has been reduced by half.
Scientists fear man-made pollutants are starting to deplete ozone over populated areas, too.
Ozone, a form of oxygen, shields Earth against solar ultraviolet rays and scientists tear depletion could cause an increase in skin cancer, cataracts and possible crop destruction.
Project scientist Carl Reber expects the observatory to become operational after a one-month checkout.
But he expects it will be months before scientists draw any conclusions from its data and possibly years before government policy is affected.
"Other people besides scientists have to make a decision about whether we are hurting the environment," Mr Reber said.
"All we can do is give them the ammunition and the information to make that decision."
Discovery is scheduled to return to Kennedy Space Centre at 2.09 am (2.09 pm Singapore time) on Wednesday. —Reuter, AP.
Source : The Straits Times, September 16, 1991
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