Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington, DC                  Aug. 23, 1999
(Phone:  202/358-1547)

Dave Drachlis
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
(Phone:  256/544-0034)

Wallace Tucker
Chandra X-ray Observatory Center
(Phone:  617/496-7998)

NOTE TO EDITORS: N99-47

FIRST IMAGES FROM CHANDRA X-RAY OBSERVATORY TO BE RELEASED

     The first images from the world's most powerful X-ray
telescope, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, will be
unveiled at a media briefing at 1 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug.
26.  The briefing will be held in the James E. Webb
Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. SW, Washington,
DC.  The images include the spectacular remnants of a
supernova and other astronomical objects.

     Panelists will be:

-    Dr. Edward Weiler, Associate Administrator for Space
Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC;
-    Dr. Harvey Tananbaum, Director of the Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center,
Cambridge, MA;
-    Dr. Martin Weisskopf, NASA's Chandra Project
Scientist, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville,
AL; and
-    Dr. Robert Kirshner, astrophysicist, Harvard
University, Cambridge, MA.

     The event will be carried live on NASA Television with
question-and-answer capability for reporters covering the
briefing from participating NASA centers and from the
Chandra Operations Control Center in Cambridge.  NASA
Television is available on transponder 9C, satellite GE-2
at 85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarization,
frequency 3880 MHz, audio of 6.8 MHz.

     Chandra has been undergoing activation and checkout
since it was placed into orbit during Space Shuttle mission
STS-93 in July. Chandra will examine exploding stars, black
holes, colliding galaxies and other high-energy cosmic
phenomena to help scientists gain a better understanding of
the structure and evolution of the universe.

     Chandra images and additional information will be
available following the briefing on the Internet at:

                 http://chandra.nasa.gov

                            and

                http://chandra.havard.edu



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