Shuttle Flight May Stay Up Another Day

The space shuttle crew reported major progress in taming a jittery pointer on a $60-million telescope today, and flight planners considered extending the mission by a day to increase the scientific harvest.

The improving operation of the telescope-aiming system enabled the astronauts to step up the pace of their orbital observations of the sun, the only star close enough to be studied in detail. Scientists on the ground were elated.

“We’ve made a lot of progress since the last two or three days, so we’re getting there,” said flight director Lee Briscoe.

During one long sun-sighting period, physicist Loren Acton aboard Challenger said the solar chromosphere, a layer of gas that resembles a flaming forest, appeared more active than he had suspected. The phenomenon was promptly dubbed the “Acton effect.”

Landing Decision

Mission scientist Eugene Urban said the decision on whether to land Monday as planned or stay up until Tuesday depends largely on Challenger’s supply of hydrogen and oxygen for its electric generators. He said the surplus appeared to be increasing.

“If it continues to climb, we may see ourselves with another day,” Urban said. A decision is expected by Sunday. The shuttle was launched last Monday.

The crew was not informed of the mission extension possibilities, but when told that some of the crew’s families were in the Houston control center, co-pilot Roy Bridges said although he and his colleagues missed their families, they liked it up in space.

“We’re looking forward to seeing them again, although we’ll certainly hate to come home and leave this very special place,” he said.

Since Challenger is in a lower-than-normal orbit due to its troubled takeoff Monday, commander Gordon Fullerton asked what the landing time would be and was told it should be about 5 p.m. Monday, 2 1/2 hours later than originally planned.