Mars spacecraft to be launched aboard Atlas V rocket Aug. 10

Dolores Beasley
NASA Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-1753)

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone: 321/867-2468)

Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif.
(Phone: 818/354-6278)

MEDIA ADVISORY: 73-05

MARS SPACECRAFT TO BE LAUNCHED ABOARD ATLAS V ROCKET AUG. 10

Launch of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft is
scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 7:54 a.m. EDT from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The launch window extends until
9:39 a.m., a duration of 105 minutes. Liftoff will occur aboard a
Lockheed Martin Atlas V-401 rocket from Launch Complex 41. Should
launch be postponed for 24 hours for any reason, the next launch time
will be 7:50 a.m. on Aug. 11.

The MRO, NASA's next big step in the exploration of the Solar System,
will examine Mars in unprecedented detail from low orbit and return
more data about that planet than all previous Solar System missions
combined.

The spacecraft carries six science instruments to inspect features
ranging from the top of Mars' atmosphere to the planet's underground
layers. Researchers will use it to study the history and distribution
of Mars' water. The orbiter will also support later Mars missions by
examining possible landing sites and by providing a high-data-rate
communications relay.

Prelaunch Press Conference

A prelaunch press conference will be held at the NASA News Center at
KSC on Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 9 a.m. EDT. Participating in the briefing
will be:

Doug McCuistion, Mars Exploration Program Director
NASA Headquarters, Washington D.C.



Chuck Dovale, NASA Launch Director/NASA Launch Manager/br / Kennedy
Space Center, Fla.



Mike Jensen, Vice President and Chief Technical Officer
International Launch Services, McClean, Va.



Jim Graf, MRO Project Manager
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.



Clay Flinn, U. S. Air Force Atlas V Launch Weather Officer
45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.



MRO Mission Science Briefing

A mission science briefing will immediately follow the prelaunch press
conference. Participating will be:

Michael Meyer, Mars Exploration Program Chief Scientist
NASA Headquarters, Washington



Richard Zurek, MRO Project Scientist
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.



Alfred McEwen, Principal Investigator, High Resolution Imaging Science
Experiment
University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.



Scott Murchie, Principal Investigator
Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars
Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.



Enrico Flamini, Director, Solar System Programs
Italian Space Agency, Rome, Italy



On launch day, a post-launch press conference will begin at 11:30 a.m.
EDT at the KSC News Center. If MRO launches later in the window, the
post-launch press conference will begin at launch plus 3 1/2 hours.

Accreditation and Media Access Badges for KSC

Those who need press accreditation and access badges to the Kennedy
Space Center to cover the MRO prelaunch press conference and mission
science briefing must complete the accreditation process via the Web
by going to: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/

All accreditation for the MRO prelaunch press conference and mission
science briefing to be held at the KSC Press Site must be received by
the close of business on Monday, Aug. 8. Media may obtain their NASA
access badge at the Pass and Identification Building, the badging
station located on State Road 405 just east of U.S. 1, south of
Titusville. Contact the NASA News Center at 321/867-2468 for further
information.

Remote Camera Placement at Complex 41

Tuesday, Aug. 9: Photographers who wish to set up remote cameras at
the Atlas V launch pad will be escorted by NASA and Lockheed Martin
representatives to Launch Complex 41. Departure will be at 9 a.m.
from the KSC News Center.

Atlas V Launch Vehicle Rollout

Tuesday, Aug. 9: There will be an opportunity to observe rollout of
the Atlas V rocket from the Vertical Integration Facility to the
launch pad at Complex 41. Media will depart at 10:15 p.m. by
government bus from the KSC Press Site. Media wishing to participate
in this activity are required to RSVP by calling 321/867-2468 by the
close of business Monday, August 8.

Launch Day Press Site Access and KSC News Center Hours

Wednesday, Aug. 10: Media will cover the MRO launch from the KSC Press
Site. Access will be through Gate 2 on SR 3 or Gate 3 on SR 405, east
of the KSC Visitor Complex. Non-accredited media must pick up the
media badges before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 9. The NASA News Center
at KSC will open on launch day from 4:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage

A prelaunch webcast is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9. For
more information, go to the NASA Direct Web site at:

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

NASA Television launch coverage will be webcast at:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Live information updates will be available through Kennedy Space
Center's Virtual Launch Control Center at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/launch/vlcc.html

Additional mission information:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/main/index.html

NASA Television Coverage

On Tuesday, Aug. 9, NASA Television will carry live the MRO prelaunch
press conference and mission science briefing beginning at 9 a.m.
EDT. On Wednesday, Aug. 10, NASA Television coverage of the launch
will begin at 5:30 a.m. EDT and conclude approximately one hour after
launch, once data from the Deep Space Network confirms the
spacecraft's solar arrays have successfully deployed.

In the continental United States, NASA Television is on AMC-6,
Transponder 17C located at 72 degrees West longitude (4040.0 MHz
video, 6.8 MHz audio, MPEG-2 digital signal). In Alaska and Hawaii,
all MRO events will be on AMC-7 Transponder 18 located at 137 degrees
West longitude, (4060 MHz video, 6.8 MHz).

Audio only of the prelaunch press conference and the launch coverage
will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits which may be accessed by
dialing 321/867-1220...1240...1260...7135. On launch day, "Mission
Audio," the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV
launch commentary, will be carried on 321/867-7135 starting at 5 a.m.
Launch will also be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency
146.940 MHz or UHF radio frequency 442.6 MHz heard within Brevard
County.

Recorded status reports on the launch of the MRO and updates to the
Media Advisory will be provided on the KSC news media codaphone
starting Monday, Aug. 8. The telephone number is 321/867-2525.

The launch management of the MRO is the responsibility of NASA's John
F. Kennedy Space Center Launch Services Program. International Launch
Services of McClean, Va., is the launch service provider for the
Atlas V. The spacecraft was built for NASA by Lockheed Martin Space
Systems in Denver. MRO Project Management is by the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.


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Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info