REPAIRING SATELLITES IN SPACE.

The repairs on the observation satellite, Solar Maximum Mission, or Solar Max, are considered and a rendezvous of the Space Shuttle Challenger with the malfunctioning satellite 300 miles above the earth is planned. This mission and another in-orbit repair of the earth observation satellite, Landsat 4, may lead to other repair projects by NASA, as well as other services of orbiting satellites like refueling, replacing film canisters, cleaning of telescope lenses, and other service functions by astronauts in space. The snatching of defective satellites to bring them back to earth for overhaul is also envisioned.