RELEASE: H99-063

STUDENT-BUILT TERRIERS SATELLITE EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTIES

The TERRIERS satellite, built by students at Boston University and launched this morning, so far has not been able to orient itself so that its solar panels fully face the Sun, according to project managers. Although this is a potentially serious problem, TERRIERS has been able to operate using its batteries, which have a design capacity of eight hours if they receive no recharging from the Sun.

The spacecraft was successfully launched at 1:09 a.m. EDT this morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, aboard an Orbital Science Corp. Pegasus rocket.

"It appears from looking at the data that the flight of the Pegasus was normal. However, we are reviewing that data in detailto be sure that the launch did not contribute to the spacecraft's current problem," said Ray Lugo, NASA launch manager, Kennedy Space Center, FL.

The first data from TERRIERS were received at a pass-over ground station at approximately 7:07 a.m. EDT. That data indicated the mission was proceeding as planned. The first indication that the spacecraft was not properly oriented to the Sun came at the second pass over the Boston University ground station at 8:38 a.m. EDT. Controllers sent commands to the spacecraft to aid in acquiring the Sun at the third pass at 10:15 a.m. EDT. Boston University TERRIERS team members hope to know the results of these commands at the planned pass over the Boston University ground station at 8:14 p.m. EDT tonight.

TERRIERS is one of three NASA-funded missions under the Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI). The Universities Space Research Association of Columbia, MD, administers the STEDI program for NASA. Information about STEDI can be found on the Internet at: http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/stedi/overview.html   Information about the TERRIERS project is available at the Boston University web site at: http://www.bu.edu/satellite

TERRIERS, an acronym for Tomographic Experiment using Radiative Recombinative Ionospheric Extreme ultraviolet and Radio Sources, was launched to help provide a much better understanding of how changes in the ionosphere -- the electrically charged region of the upper atmosphere -- affect global communication systems, satellites, cell phones and pagers. It was named for the University's mascot, the Boston Terrier.