THIS IS ONE FLYING SAUCER which can be identified. It is the Wake Shield free-flying spacecraft seen after deployment during the Space Shuttle Endeavour/STS69 mission in September. Control problems and overheating reduced the craft's production of ultra-thin semiconductor films in the pure vacuum created in the wake of the Shuttle's flight-path. NASA reports that the Spartan free-flier, which also experienced problems during the STS69 flight, "appeared to have successfully accomplished its mission". The Space Shuttle Discovery, meanwhile, has been delivered to Rockwell for a nine-month modification, including the installation of an external airlock to support international Space Station docking and assembly operations.
Source: Flight International
