Fred A. Brown						
Office of Public Affairs
(301) 286-7277                                                               March 3, 1995

Release No. 95-072                      

NOTE TO EDITORS:	

GODDARD HOLDS MEDIA OPEN HOUSE FOR SPARTAN-204,
INTERVIEW AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE

     The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md., will hold an open 
house for media on Wednesday, March 8 at 9 a.m.  Media are invited to 
photograph and videotape the actual SPARTAN-204 spacecraft that flew on the 
Space Shuttle Discovery as part of Mission STS-63 in February 1995. Also, there 
will be interview opportunities with the mission manager and project scientist.

	About SPARTAN-204: Spartan-204's flight in February on STS-63 was the 
fifth flight of the Spartan project’s reusable carrier. Spartan-204 carried a science 
instrument called the Far Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph, or FUVIS, provided 
by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Washington, D.C. The instrument was 
sponsored by the Department of Defense (DOD) Space Test Program. FUVIS 
obtained far ultraviolet spectroscopy of diffuse sources, both natural and man-
made. The data acquired from natural sources such as diffuse nebulae, the 
galactic background, and possibly comets will provide information on interstellar 
gas and dust. A better knowledge of their properties (composition, density, 
temperature, etc.) will provide better understanding of the formation process for 
stars and planets.
	
     Logistics:  Members of the media interested in participating in this event 
should report to the Goddard Visitor Center, Soil Conservation Road, in Greenbelt. 
A bus will transport media to the building where SPARTAN-204 will be on hand. 
The bus will leave the Visitor Center at 8:45 a.m.


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     Directions:  From Baltimore or Washington, take the Baltimore-Washington 
Parkway (Route 295) to the Route 193 (Greenbelt Road) east exit.  Stay on Route 
193 for approximately two miles, continue past the Goddard Space Flight Center's 
main entrance and turn left on Soil Conservation Road.  The Visitor Center is on 
the left.

     Media interested in covering this event should contact Fred Brown at (301) 
286-7277 by 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 7. 

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