She matched orbits with the errant satellite, coming alongside for a closer look.

Aviation Week & Space Technology says space analysts expect the errant satellite to simply plunge back as an inert lump.

The errant satellite did not, like newer ones, carry handles for easy retrieval.

Executives at Hughes said that if the experiment worked, it could provide a new, low-cost way to restore errant satellites to service.

In several cases, however, the space shuttle has been used to retrieve errant satellites, which have either been brought back to Earth for relaunching or sent on their way directly from the shuttle.

The plan is to capture the errant satellite and hook it to a huge engine meant to speed it toward its proper post high above Earth.

Despite all attempts to coax the errant satellite to reboot its computers and to relaunch itself towards Mars, its radio emitted only a few, unhelpful beeps before conking out.

Scientists say the stakes in the shuttle mission go far beyond rescuing the errant satellite itself.

The errant satellite is to be seized by the shuttle's 60-foot robot arm, stowed in the spaceship's cargo bay - which is big enough for two such satellites -and taken down to earth.

The storm's effect on the errant satellite was unclear last week to the Space Command in Colorado Springs, which monitors objects in space.