Shuttle Cargo’s Release Told, but Unofficially : NASA Confirms Only That Crew Is Circling Earth Every 90 Minutes

The five astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery adjusted to their schedule in orbit Friday--but on the ground, officials would not say what that schedule is.

If they have accomplished their mysterious primary goal--said to be the release of a supersensitive $300-million spy satellite--there was no confirmation of that, either.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration acknowledged that the five were circling the Earth approximately every 90 minutes, but confined the discussion of details of the flight to talk of macadamia nuts and coffee from Kona, Hawaii, given to the Mission Control staff by astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka, an Air Force major who is a native of Kona.

Release of Satellite

To a suggestion that the military cargo carried aloft by Discovery had been released from the spacecraft on Friday, a Pentagon source observed that “on all the early shuttle missions, they’ve gotten rid of their payload early in case it had to be aborted.”

The Associated Press reported that the satellite was launched at 7 a.m., and attributed the information to sources it did not name.

Maj. Ron Rand, an Air Force spokesman, said: “We’re not going to comment on the identity of the Department of Defense payload, its mission or any associated operations. We’ll confirm only that we flew Department of Defense cargo.”

The shuttle’s cargo, according to reports, is a high-altitude satellite, the main feature of which is a set of two, huge parabolic antennas. They are designed to pick up faint radio, radar and other electronic signals from the western Soviet Union, and send them to another U.S. communications satellite, for transmission to a ground station.

‘Adjusting Adequately’

Air Force officials feared that disclosing crew schedules could lift ever so slightly the veil that has been pulled over the mission, giving a hint about the purpose of the trip. Pentagon officials maintained that any disclosure about the details could compromise the effectiveness of the cargo.

“We don’t know what schedule they’re on, but whatever it is, they seem to be adjusting adequately,” said Charles Redmond, a space agency spokesman.

In one of its three daily reports on the trip, Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center here said only that “the orbiter Discovery, its crew and the elements of the Space Transportation System are performing satisfactorily.”

In an earlier report, the space agency mentioned astronaut Onizuka’s gift to the ground controllers. Redmond said Kona coffee had also been stowed aboard the spacecraft.

‘Fireworks’ Display

Navy Capt. Thomas K. Mattingly, Discovery’s commander, reported to the Mission Control center that the spaceship, on its third flight, was operating so normally “it makes you think the gauges were printed on here.”

For the first time on any of the 15 shuttle flights, the crew saw the scheduled breaking away of the 15-story main external tank, which carried the shuttle’s fuel as it rose into orbit Thursday.

Air Force Lt. Col. Loren J. Shriver, Discovery’s pilot, said the sight was “a beautiful display of fireworks.”

The space agency said the crew was able to see the tank fall away and burn up as it entered the Earth’s atmosphere as a result of darkness and the position of the spacecraft.

The chatter between the astronauts and Mission Control, normally broadcast to reporters as it occurs, has been withheld, and only selected comments have been made available by the space agency. In addition, the conversations are conducted through electronic scrambling equipment to foil any efforts to eavesdrop through sophisticated spy gear.

In addition to Onizuka, Mattingly and Shriver, the other crew members are Marine Lt. Col. James F. Buchli and Air Force Maj. Gary E. Payton.