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SAC-B/HETE SPACECRAFT


SAC-B/HETE SPACECRAFT TO BE LAUNCHED OCTOBER 29

       DALLAS, Texas, 96/10/10 (SJI Newswire) -- The launch of the Satelite
de Aplicaciones Cientificas (SAC-B) and the High Energy Transient
Experiment (HETE) spacecraft aboard a Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus XL
vehicle is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1996, during a 51-minute window
which extends from 11:58 a.m. through 12:49 p.m. EST.  Launch is targeted
to occur at 12:20 p.m. EST over the Atlantic Ocean approximately 50 miles
off the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

     SAC-B is an international cooperative project between NASA and
Argentina's National Commission of Space Activities (CONAE).  The satellite
is designed to advance the study of 
solar physics and astrophysics through examination of solar flares, gamma
ray bursts, diffuse cosmic X-ray background and energetic neutral atoms.  
HETE is a Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology led mission to study gamma-ray bursts.

     There will be live coverage of the Pegasus launch on NASA Television.

October 29  10 a.m. EST  Replay of science briefing from Oct. 21.

October 29  11 a.m. EST  Launch commentary begins with L-1011departure and
concludes after spacecraft deployment approximately 90 minutes later. 

     NASA Television is available on Spacenet 2, Transponder 5, Channel 9, 
located at 69 degrees West longitude.

(c) Copyright Satellite Journal Itl.1996
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