N° 32 - 98 - Paris le 31 août 1998

Recovery of SOHO spacecraft continues successfully as Investigation Board releases final report

Activities to bring the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft back to normal operating conditions continue with good results as the SOHO mission interruption joint ESA/NASA investigation board today releases its final report analysing the causes that led to interruption of the spacecraft's observations on 25 June this year.

The delicate recovery activities are being directed by the ESA SOHO project team from the Operations Centre at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.

On Thursday 3 September at 16:00 hrs (Paris time) and 10:00 hrs (Washington time), a panel of ESA and NASA specialists will meet the press in a joint ESA/NASA Press Conference held in parallel at ESA Headquarters in Paris and NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The panelists in Paris will be : Dr Roger Bonnet, ESA's Director of Science, Professor Massimo Trella, ESA Inspector General and co-chairman of the joint ESA/NASA SOHO investigation board.

The panelists at NASA Headquarters will be : Dr Michael Greenfield, Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance and SOHO investigation board co-chairman, Dr Joe Gurman, NASA SOHO Project Scientist, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (GSFC), Dr Francis Vanderbussche, ESA Head of the SOHO Recovery Team, GSFC.

At the Press Conference, ESA and NASA specialists will review the milestones of the recovery plan implemented for SOHO and illustrate the actions currently being taken to bring the spacecraft back to nominal operations. An audio link (no video coverage) will enable Paris-based media representatives to put questions to the NASA specialists in Washington and vice-versa.

Media representative wishing to attend are kindly requested to complete the reply form attached and fax it back to ESA Public Relations in Paris (+33(0)1.53.69.76.90).

For further information, please contact : ESA Public Relations 8/10, rue Mario Nikis F-75015-PARIS Tel: +33(0)1.53.69.7155 Fax: +33(0)1.53.69.7690

NASA Public Affairs Don Savage Headquarters, Washington DC Tel: +1.202.358.1727

Bill Steigerwald Goddard Space Flicht Center, Greenbelt, MD Tel: +1 301.286.5017

SOHO Investigation Board releases final report ESA/NASA Press Conference Thursday 3 September 1998

( ) Yes, I wish to attend the Press Conference on Thursday 3 September 1998 - 16 :00 - 17 :00 hrs at ESA Headquarters, 8-10, rue Mario Nikis - 75015-Paris Doors open at 15 :45 hrs

First Name Last Name

Media :

Address :

Tel : Fax :


Public Relations Offices