This is reprinted from CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation) Space Industry News, No. 44, p. 2, Feb. 1992. The story is
about the Endeavour telescope that was carried on Discovery in STS-42.

ENDEAVOUR LAUNCHED: RESULTS UNCERTAIN

The NASA shuttle flight carrying the ultraviolet space telescope Endeavour on
23 January gave Australia a big start to 1992, the International Space Year.

Endeavour, which was part of the cargo manifest of the space shuttle Discovery 
on flight number STS 42, is probably the most significant indigenous space 
payload since Australia's home-grown satellite WRESAT went aloft in 1967.

The Endeavour project was developed by astronomers at the Mount Stromlo and
Siding Springs Observatory, with the primary purpose of testing the Australian-
developed, low light detector array. Endeavour was built by Canberra company
Auspace Limited, with contributions from a large number of other Australian
companies. The Endeavour program, which cost about $4.5 million, was funded
by the Australian Space Office of the Department of Industry, Technology and
Commerce.

About half-way through the shuttle mission, observations were terminated when
the Endeavour's own computer refused to allow the lid of the Get-Away Special
(GAS) canister housing the telescope to open. This problem was detected during
the third of four planned observation periods, but it is not known as yet
whether the canister opened during the first two observation periods.

Industry, Technology and Commerce Minister Senator John Button said that while
he was disappointed that the experiment was cut short, he was delighted that
Endeavour had at last made it into space. He said that there was no firm
indication that there was any problem with the payload itself, and that it
appeared that '... the Endeavour's computer detected that the temperature in
the cargo bay had risen to an unsafe level, and initiated a safety procedure
designed to protect the telescope from damage'.

Press reports, including a press release by the Shadow Minister for Science
Mr. Peter McGauren, had been critical of the choice of this particular Shuttle
flight for the Endeavour mission. Some astronomers had predicted that it would
be unsuitable for a space telescope. Senator Button, however, dismissed these
assertations in a media release from his office commenting that they '... appear
to arise from a misunderstanding of the flight description, which refers to a
"tail-down, gravity stabilised" orientation. In this mode, the spacecraft is
oriented with its tail end towards the Earth's surface. The telescope is
aligned with its optical axis perpendicular to the roll axis, and thus points
into space for the whole mission'.

The ultimate success or otherwise of Endeavour's mission must await anaylsis
of the data on the magnetic tapes brought back to Earth.