Nature Vol. 293 17 September 1981 175 Time runs out for space telescope Unfortunately it was realized at a late stage or the gyroscopes create some Guidance snags that, as the fine guidance sensor had a unanticipated resonance in the support limited near range, by locking it in place the structure, something that will only be system would be unable to compensate for discovered during the pre-launch phase licked, others any sudden torque produced in the system when a modal survey will be carried out. as a whole in reaction to the movement of The alterations will also mean a slight some other component if the result was a degradation in the telescope's expected still hidden linear displacement of more than about performance. This will still be well within Washington 0.015 arc seconds. the minimum performance included in the Many fingers were crossed at a ground­ Following this "pointing crisis", the original design specifications; but it will breaking ceremony held at Johns Hopkins whole system has been redesigned. New not, at least initially, be as high as it could University in Baltimore, Maryland, on feedback has been introduced by keeping have been if more time (and development Monday to mark the beginning of the star selector in the interferometer funds) had been available. construction work on the Space Telescope working in an active mode to keep the Under the original Perkin-Elmer design, Science Institute. The construction of the telescope fixed in its predetermined for example, the telescope was expected to Large Space Telescope itself, due to be direction. Several parts of the five scientific be able to maintain an accuracy of 0.007 launched from the space shuttle early in arc seconds over extended periods of time. 1985, seems just about on schedule and no The new system is designed to an accuracy major technical hurdles are foreseen. of 0.012 arc seconds although it is hoped Those who attended a programme that in practice this can be raised to 0.009 arc review at the National Aeronautics and seconds. Although much higher than most Space Administration (NASA),s Marshall astronomers need, this will, for example, Space Flight Center two weeks ago, result in a loss of some image quality in the however, came away nervous that ultra violet range with the faint-image camera unanticipated problems could disrupt the being built by the European Space Agency. delicate equilibrium in which the whole According to project scientist Dr Robert project seems to be balanced. O'Dell, however, the main problems faced The Space Telescope Science Institute by the space telescope are not technical but will be the principal observation and data financial. The development programme - analysis centre for the telescope, which will costing about $120 million a year - isat the be placed in orbit 500 kilometres above the stage when delays can have the most signifi­ Earth's surface. It is being built on Johns Primary mirror - looking good cant impact on overall costs. Hopkins' Homewood Campus by the Late last year NASA reviewed the pro­ Association of Universities for Research in instruments being carried are also being gramme in view of problems that seemed to Astronomy under an initial five-year, $24 altered to reduce the effects of their be emerging at Perkin-Elmer. This set the million contract with NASA. Dr Riccardo movement on the rest of the vehicle. launch date back by eighteen months to Giacconi has been named director of the However, the additional movement in early 1985, and the total predicted cost was institute, which will eventually have a staff the pointing system could still cause increased by about $150 million in 1982 of about 150, including between 30 and 40 problems if either the fine-guidance sensor dollars to between $700 and $750 million. astronomers from the United States and abroad. The good news on the telescope is that From the frying-pan into the fire? the two mirrors which make up its Ritchey­ The British Prime Minister, Mrs letters written to him by the chairman of Chretien optical system are almost Margaret Thatcher, announced earlier this the University Grants committee, Dr completed and are said to work beyond week that the Secretary of State for Edward Parkes, and the need to respond to expectations. But there is less certainty Education and Science since May 1979, Mr the demand by the Committee of Vice­ about the eventual outcome of the Mark Carlisle, has been replaced by Sir Chancellors and Principals that funds instrumentation being developed to Keith Joseph, Secretary of State for should be made available to pay for the cost maintain the direction and stability of the Industry during the same period. The of redundancies among academics forced telescope in orbit. changes are part of a substantial on the universities in July. The arrival at Initial designs for the fine-guidance reorganization of the British Cabinet. the Department of Education and Science sensor called for an image dissector able to M r Carlisle will now become an ordinary of a secretary of state free to disown his capture a selected guide star combined with Member of Parliament. Sir Keith will predecessor's decisions will seem to many a fixed interferometer to compare the remain a member of the Cabinet, in which universities to be an opportunity for reprieve. separate images of the star produced. he has been one of the principal advocates The reshuffle may, however, have come When this proved to be a cumbersome of monetarist policies since the election of too late for some universities. Those which arrangement Perkin-Elmer, the principal the present government, but the post of have already drawn up plans for reducing contractor for the Optical Telescope Secretary of State for Education and academic payrolls by compulsory Assembly, put forward a more streamlined Science is usually reckoned to carry with it redundancy may find that their compliance design which incorporated the moving less political clout than that at industry. is taken as a sign of weakness. The rest are parts into the interferometer. Once the Even so, and in spite of Sir Keith's likely now argue that a slower contraction start selector had found the guide star, the reputation for agonizing hard and long of the university system than decreed will in whole fine-guidance system would be (and sometimes too long) before making a the long run be more economical. locked in place, and directioning control decision, the arrival ofa new minister at the The Space Telescope remains at the top transferred to the gyroscopes which are department will be welcomed in higher of NASA's space science priority list. Pro­ used to position the space support module education. Mr Carlisle's uncompleted posed to Congress by President Carter in within which the optical telescope assembly business includes the need to respond to the 1977, it is the last "new start" to have is contained. The scheme was calculated to demand of the House of Commons Select escaped budget cuts, and its projected operate with a high degree of accuracy. Committee on Education for a sight of the launch date has remained fixed on the

0028-0836/ 81 / 3801 75-02$01 .00 ~1981 Macmillan Journals Ltd 176 Nature Vol. 293 17 September 1981 space shuttle schedule in recent months were followed (Nature 291,3; 1981). These categories from the list of prohibitions while others have gradually slipped back. recommendations were passed to a sub­ (which would be referred to as So far, everyone is being optimistic that committee which presented Its report to the "admonitions"), and merely include the the 1985 or possibly an earlier launch date full committee last week. In general, the statement that "adherence to these stan­ will be met. This will be particularly members of the subcommittee agreed that ards by all laboratories using recombinant important to planetary scientists who will there was a good scientific case for a DNA is recommended". David Dickson need observations from the space telescope significant reduction in the containment early in 1985 to prepare the imaging levels for all experiments apart from those Plant genetics sequence for the Voyager 2 spacecraft as it known to present a particular type of danger. approaches its encounter with Uranus on In its agreed statement, which will be 24 January 1986. published in the Federal Register for public Head-hunt threat If the programme does slip, NASA could comment before being given final Britain could lose the fruits of research be faced with a rapidly escalating bill as consideration by RAC, the full committee of genetic manipulation with plant technical crews and scientific facilities are suggests that where physical containment material unless steps are taken soon to kept standing idle. The major nightmare is levels applicable to non-recombinant DNA exploit techniques now being developed. that as with the shuttle, budget increases experiments exist for either the host or the That is the concern of the British caused by last-minute delays could have a vector, for example those under revision Technology Group (formed last month considerable impact on other parts of the by CDC, "recombinant DNA experiments from the former National Research space science programme. David Dickson should be carried out at containment levels Development Corporation and the at least as high as those recommended for National Enterprise Board). The group is DNA guidelines non-recombinant DNA experiments". especially concerned about commercially Extensive discussion took place about promising developments within the which types of experiment should be pro­ Agricultural Research Council's special Voluntary code hibited (or under a voluntary code of prac­ programme. Washington tice, should not be carried out) without The chief concern is that the council's In a move that is expected to precipitate explicit consideration. Committee programme has been so successful as to the withdrawal of government controls on members voted that it should no longer be arouse the interest of biotechnology com­ recombinant DNA research, the National necessary to suggest this either for large­ panies in the United States. Represen­ Institutes of Health (NIH) are being pro­ scale experiments using more than 10 litres of tatives from several companies, including visionally recommended by their culture, or for experiments which involved Advanced Genetic Science from Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee the release of genetically-altered micro­ Greenwich, Connecticut, and Boston­ (RAC) to turn the safety guidelines which organisms into the environment. based Genetics International, have been must at present be followed by all those However, the committee also agreed that head-hunting in council institutes. The receiving federal funds for such research special consideration should still be given British Technology Group fears that the into a voluntary code of practice. to experiments which involve the transfer US companies will tempt away people alJd A resolution passed at a public meeting of drug-resistance traits, as well as work ideas before British industry can make an of the committee in Bethesda, Maryland, with known toxins, for which specific con­ alternative investment. last Thursday recommended that, rather tainment levels would still be Most efforts so far have comprised job than expecting research workers to obey a recommended. offers in the United States and money for special set of rules for experiments using There was less agreement on how much fellowships in Britain, but some companies recombinant DNA, in general the safety of an administrative apparatus should be are said also to be considering setting up measures to be taken should be comparable kept in place. Professor Norton Zinder of laboratories in Britain. Joint projects with with those suggested by, for example, the the Rockefeller University made a strong the Agricultural Research Council are Center for Disease Control (CDC) for research plea to the committee that, because the ruled out because of the understanding that involving the microorganisms in question. scientific basis for imposing strict the British Technology Group should have Changes suggested by RAC in the regulations on research workers seemed to first refusal on commercially promising existing guidelines, first introduced by be evaporating, the RAC should consider developments by research council NIH in 1976, would keep the committee in phasing itself out of existence. scientists. existence as a forum for public discussion Dr Baltimore responded by saying he All parties agree that there is no of potential safety problems. Several com­ felt RAC could continue to play an immediate threat of an exodus of British mittee members acknowledged that its important role. In the past, for example, plant geneticists, but each recognizes that a function would be primarily social and congressional legislators had been able to British initiative is needed fairly urgently if political, designed to deflect any future use the existence of the committee to ward the lure is not to become too great. One of local opposition to recombinant DNA research. off demands for regulatory legislation. In the possibilities being looked at is for a Individual universities and research the same way he said, in communities such company similar to Celltech; one fear is institutions, however, would be free to as Boston where the activities of emerging that even such a company might rob the decide how they administered the guide­ genetic engineering companies has once Agricultural Research Council of staff. lines, and would no longer be required by again stimulated a fierce public debate over Like Cell tech, the new company might NIH to do this through a formally­ the potential health and environmental begin by supplying monoclonal antibodies established Institutional Biosafety Com­ risks, the absence of a national focus could for veterinary use, among other things. mittee (lBC) with a prescribed member­ stimulate demands for increased local sur­ Research under the Agricultural Research ship, as at present. Nor would most veillance and control. CmlOcil's genetic manipulation pro­ experiments require prior approval by The committee as a whole seemed eager gramme is too long-term, however, to beof lBCs or their equivalent. to get on with dismantling the regulatory immediate application. It includes express­ RAC's actions followed suggestions by structure that has been built up by NIH. By ing nitrogen-fixing genes in chloroplast Dr Allan Campbell of Stanford University a vote of 16 members to three, with one cells, expressing chloroplast genes in and Dr David Baltimore of the abstention, it agreed to a statement Escherichia coli and the cloning of genes Massachusetts Institute of Technology , for recommending revisions to the guidelines specific to barley storage protein. Recent a substantial easing up both in the con­ that would eliminate their mandatory progress in these and other areas, however, tainment criteria to be used for different element, remove the now-redundant seems to have persuaded the American types of experiments, and in the admini­ section suggesting voluntary compliance companies that they are worth investing in strative processes required to see that these by private industry, remove several even now. Judy Redfearn

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