diff --git a/SAS/SpecificationServices/lib/telescope_model_xml_generator_type1.py b/SAS/SpecificationServices/lib/telescope_model_xml_generator_type1.py
index dac1d05850ce4bf54816c70ad96d566a6fd75505..3306ebb865441dbb32b9626bede5f07c3e2bc14b 100644
--- a/SAS/SpecificationServices/lib/telescope_model_xml_generator_type1.py
+++ b/SAS/SpecificationServices/lib/telescope_model_xml_generator_type1.py
@@ -73,14 +73,20 @@ class TelescopeModelXMLGeneratorType1(object):
         user_spec = element.find(".//userSpecification")
         _start_time = user_spec.find("startTime")
 
-        _start_time.text = start_time
+        if start_time:
+            _start_time.text = start_time
+        else:
+            user_spec.remove(_start_time)
 
     @staticmethod
     def _set_duration(element, duration):
         _user_spec = element.find(".//userSpecification")
         _duration = _user_spec.find("duration")
 
-        _duration.text = duration
+        if duration:
+            _duration.text = duration
+        else:
+            _user_spec.remove(_duration)
 
     def _set_target_ra(self, element, ra):
         measurement = self._get_specification_by_name(element, "Target")
diff --git a/SAS/SpecificationServices/test/t_translation_service.in_xml/telescope_model_xml_generator_type1-minmax.xml b/SAS/SpecificationServices/test/t_translation_service.in_xml/telescope_model_xml_generator_type1-minmax.xml
index bcdc0522d3662903468590eb9b0d531f90912e40..8ad13bd4b1c6414089c5323cbc26b0b1a03994af 100644
--- a/SAS/SpecificationServices/test/t_translation_service.in_xml/telescope_model_xml_generator_type1-minmax.xml
+++ b/SAS/SpecificationServices/test/t_translation_service.in_xml/telescope_model_xml_generator_type1-minmax.xml
@@ -50,9 +50,7 @@
 												<stations>
 													<station name="CS001"/><station name="CS002"/><station name="CS003"/><station name="CS004"/><station name="CS005"/><station name="CS006"/><station name="CS007"/><station name="CS011"/><station name="CS013"/><station name="CS017"/><station name="CS021"/><station name="CS024"/><station name="CS026"/><station name="CS028"/><station name="CS030"/><station name="CS031"/><station name="CS032"/><station name="CS101"/><station name="CS103"/><station name="CS201"/><station name="CS301"/><station name="CS302"/><station name="CS401"/><station name="CS501"/><station name="RS106"/><station name="RS205"/><station name="RS208"/><station name="RS210"/><station name="RS305"/><station name="RS306"/><station name="RS307"/><station name="RS310"/><station name="RS406"/><station name="RS407"/><station name="RS409"/><station name="RS503"/><station name="RS508"/><station name="RS509"/></stations>
 												<timeFrame>UT</timeFrame>
-												<startTime/>
 												<endTime>2016-11-23T16:21:44</endTime>
-												<duration/>
 												<bypassPff>false</bypassPff>
 												<enableSuperterp>false</enableSuperterp>
 												<numberOfBitsPerSample>8</numberOfBitsPerSample>