Circular No. 5000

           Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
                INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
  Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
     Telephone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)

                    HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

The Space Telescope Science Institute reports that the orbiter
Discovery was launched on Apr. 24.52 UT, and its crew successfully
deployed the Hubble Space Telescope on Apr. 25.82 into an orbit with
minimum and maximum altitudes of 613 and 615 km (331 and 332 nautical
miles), respectively.  The HST was developed by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration and the European Space Agency for
scientific research by the international astronomical community. If
nominal performance continues during initial verification activities
for the HST observatory, the first cycle of General Observer
observations will begin about the end of 1990 December...


1990 April 26                                  Daniel W. E. Green