Don Savage
Headquarters, Washington, DC           February 23, 1996
(Phone:  202/358-1547)

Steve Roy
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
(Phone:  205/544-0034)

Donna Drelick
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
(Phone:  301/286-7995)

NOTE TO EDITORS:  N96-12

UPDATE ON DISCOVERY OF NEW ASTRONOMICAL OBJECT SET FOR FEB. 28

     Discovery of a new type of object in the Milky Way 
galaxy will be the subject of a Space Science Update 
scheduled for 3 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 28.  

     The unusual object, never before observed, has produced 
more than 1,000 powerful hard X-ray bursts and is thought to 
be a major discovery in X-ray astronomy.  The discovery was 
made by researchers using the Burst and Transient Source 
Experiment, an instrument aboard NASA's Compton Gamma Ray 
Observatory spacecraft.

Participants in the panel discussion will include:

     Dr. Chryssa Kouveliotou, USRA, Marshall Space Flight Center
     Prof. Frederick K. Lamb, University of Illinois
     Dr. Stephen P. Maran, Goddard Space Flight Center
     Prof. Bruce H. Margon, University of Washington

     The briefing will originate from NASA Headquarters 
Auditorium, 300 E Street, SW, Washington, DC, and will be 
broadcast live on NASA TV with two-way question and answer 
capability from participating NASA locations.  Audio of the 
broadcast will be available on voice circuit at the Kennedy 
Space Center on 407/867-1260.

                    -end-

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