[meteorite-list] 'Opportunity' Mars Exploration Rover Targeted For Launch June 26

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:22:40 2004
Message-ID: <200306172113.OAA00009_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

For Release: June 17, 2003

Don Savage
NASA Headquarters
202/358-1727

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468

Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
818/354-6278

KSC Release No: 45-03

NOTE TO EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
"OPPORTUNITY" MARS EXPLORATION ROVER TARGETED FOR LAUNCH JUNE 26

The second of two Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity, is targeted for
launch on Thursday, June 26 at 12:27:31 a.m. EDT. Liftoff will occur aboard
the Boeing Delta II Heavy launch vehicle from Pad B at Space Launch Complex
17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A second launch opportunity exists
at 1:08:45 a.m. EDT, if necessary. Should launch be delayed by 24 hours, the
two launch times available are 12:16:55 a.m. and 12:58:19 a.m. EDT. The
window of the planetary launch period extends through July 15.

Opportunity will reach Mars on Jan. 25, 2004. Together the two MER missions,
Spirit and Opportunity, seek to determine the history of climate and water
at two sites on Mars where conditions may once have been favorable to life.
Both rovers are identical. Each rover carries five scientific instruments
including a panoramic camera and microscope, plus a rock abrasion tool that
will grind away the outer surfaces of rocks to expose their interiors for
examination. The rovers each weigh approximately 400 pounds. They will
navigate themselves around obstacles as they drive across the Martian
surface, traveling up to about 130 feet each Martian day. Each rover's prime
mission is planned to last three months on Mars.

PRELAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE

The prelaunch press conference is scheduled for L-2 days, Tuesday, June 24
at 1 p.m. EDT in the KSC News Center auditorium and will be carried live on
NASA Television. Participating in the briefing will be:

Dr. Ed Weiler, Associate Administrator, Office of Space Science
NASA Headquarters

Omar Baez, NASA launch director
NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center

Kris Walsh, Boeing director for NASA programs
Boeing Expendable Launch Systems

Peter Theisinger, Mars Exploration Rover project manager
Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Dr. Joy Crisp, Mars Exploration Rover project scientist
Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Dr. Steve Squyers, Mars Exploration Rover principal investigator
Cornell University

Joel Tumbiolo, Launch Weather Officer
45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

No post-launch press conference will be held.

ACCREDITATION

Media not already accredited for the MER-B/Opportunity prelaunch press
conference and launch day activities should send a letter of request to the
NASA-KSC News Center on news organization letterhead. It should include full
legal name, Social Security Number, birth date, birthplace and country of
citizenship. Accreditation requests must be received by the close of
business on Friday, June 20. Letters may be faxed to 321-867-2692 or
addressed to:


MER-B Launch Accreditation
NASA XA-E1
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

Badges may be obtained at Gate 3 on State Road 405, just east of U.S. 1
south of Titusville Monday through Friday between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Badges
issued for MER-A are not valid. Badges to cover the MER-B launch from the
Trident Bluff press viewing area will be available starting at 11 p.m. on
June 25 and issued at the Pass and Identification Building on SR 401 outside
Gate 1 of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Proof of identification and news
media affiliation will be required.

Departure on launch day from the Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building for
the Trident Bluff press viewing area will be at 11:15 p.m. After launch,
media will be escorted back to Gate 1. An escort is required for all areas
of the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For
further information on MER-B launch accreditation, contact Diana Boles or
Cynthia Pettiford at the NASA-KSC News Center at 321-867-2468.

L-1 DAY SET UP OF REMOTE CAMERAS

Media wishing to establish remote cameras at the launch pad should meet at
the Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building of Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station on State Road 401 on Wednesday, June 25, at 9:45 a.m. to be escorted
to Space Launch Complex 17.

LAUNCH DAY PAD PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

A photo opportunity at Space Launch Complex 17 of the MER-B launch vehicle
on the pad will be provided on the morning of launch day upon rollback of
the mobile service tower. Media wishing to attend should be at the Gate 1
Pass and Identification Building of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on SR
401 at 3:30 p.m.

PRESS SITE OPERATING HOURS

On June 25-26, the NASA News Center at KSC will be open from 8 a.m. - 4:30
p.m. and may be reached at 321-867-2468.

NASA TELEVISION COVERAGE, "V" CIRCUITS, AND LAUNCH STATUS

NASA Television will carry the prelaunch press conference beginning at 1
p.m. on Tuesday, June 24. A two-way question-and-answer capability will be
available from other NASA field centers. No post-launch press conference is
planned.

On launch day, Thursday, June 26, launch commentary will begin at 10:45 p.m.
Coverage will conclude after acquisition of the spacecraft by the Deep Space
Network no earlier than ninety minutes after launch, at which time the
spacecraft's initial state of health will be reported.

NASA Television is available on satellite AMC-2, transponder 9C, located at
85 degrees West longitude.

Audio only of NASA Television coverage of the prelaunch news conference and
launch commentary will be available on the "V" circuits which may be dialed
directly at 321/867-1220, 867-1240, 867-1260, 867-7135.

The NASA-KSC News Center codaphone will carry recorded MER-B pre-launch
status reports beginning at L-3 days, Monday, June 23, and may be dialed at
321-867-2525.

"NASA DIRECT!" WEB COVERAGE

The Kennedy Space Center's Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) coverage will
include special webcasts on NASA Direct!

For more information on the MER-B/Opportunity web activities, go to

http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/merb/index.htm

For a detailed NASA Direct! event calendar, go to:

http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/nasadirect/index.htm

Information about the MER missions is available on-line at:

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/

-- end --
Received on Tue 17 Jun 2003 05:13:51 PM PDT