News In Brief

Astronaut Allen captures satellite in historic first

In a historic space salvage mission, astronaut Joe Allen jetted away from the space shuttle Discovery on Monday and secured the wayward Palapa B2 satellite by inserting a 4-foot pole-like device into its spent engine nozzle. The capture was executed just 15 minutes after Mr. Allen cast free of Discovery's open cargo bay to cross a 35-foot void between the two spacecraft, propelling himself with a rocket backpack.

Mr. Allen will be outside again Wednesday with astronaut Dale Gardner to rescue a second off-course payload.