THANKING THE PRODUCERS : ASTRONAUT CELEBRATES PLANT WORKERS' EFFORT IN MODIFYING SHUTTLE.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

Fresh off a repair mission to the Hubble space telescope, astronaut and former Edwards Air Force Base test pilot Scott ``Doc'' Horowitz came to Palmdale on Friday to thank space shuttle workers for their work on the space shuttle Discovery.

Boeing North American workers performed some 100 modifications to the shuttle, including the installation of lighter-weight thermal protection and a docking device for future missions to an international space station.

With all the work, involving miles of new wiring, the only problem during the flight was a light bulb that burned out, Horowitz told the workers.

``You should all sit back and give yourselves a pat on the back for what you've done for the mission, our nation and the world,'' Horowitz told the workers. ``The orbiter performed flawlessly. All I can say is thanks.''

During his visit, Horowitz presented the Silver Snoopy Award to six Boeing North American shuttle workers. The awards are given by the astronauts to workers who have shown outstanding service in support of shuttle missions.

Snoopy awards were pinned on Kenneth Hayashida, Carlos Moran, Jane Berger, Jennifer Cribbs, Timothy Johnston, and Joseph Dagg Jr. Their pins had all been aboard the shuttle on a space mission.

To every Boeing employee who worked on Discovery, Horowitz gave a souvenir piece of duct tape from a roll used during a mission.

An accompanying certificate says, in part: ``We express our gratitude by presenting you this special memento with a unique segment of Mach 25 tape. This tape orbited planet Earth 150 times and traveled 4.1 million miles.''

Discovery's mission in February was the second of four scheduled for service and repairs to the $795 billion Hubble telescope. During the mission, astronauts installed two science instruments worth more than $100 million each, as well as updated electronics, data recorders and other equipment.

Horowitz said placement and maintenance of the Hubble telescope, giving researchers a tool to begin answering long posed questions about the age and size of the universe, have marked a major milestone in astronomy.

``They are going to remember Hubble,'' Horowitz said.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--ran in SAC and AV editions only--color in AV only) Astronaut Scott ``Doc'' Horowitz shows a montage of photos from the Discovery's latest mission.

(2--ran in AV only--color) Boeing North American workers at Palmdale hear an astronaut hail their work on the space shuttle.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News