MESSENGER Spacecraft to be Launched Aboard Delta II on August 2

For Release: July 27, 2004

Don Savage
NASA Headquarters
202/358-1727

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

Michael R. Buckley
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
240/228-7536

KSC Release No. 56-04

Note to Editors:

MESSENGER SPACECRAFT TO BE LAUNCHED ABOARD DELTA II AUG. 2

The launch of MESSENGER, a NASA space probe set to conduct
the first scientific investigation of Mercury as it orbits the planet,
will be launched aboard a Boeing Delta II Heavy expendable launch
vehicle Monday, Aug. 2. Liftoff is targeted for the opening of a
12-second launch window that begins at 2:16:11 a.m. EDT. The mission
will begin with a liftoff from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station. Should launch be postponed for any reason, the next launch
time is Aug. 3 at 2:15:56 a.m. EDT.

MESSENGER's cameras and sensors will provide the first images
of the entire planet and collect important information on the
composition and structure of Mercury's crust, its geologic history, the
nature of its thin atmosphere and active magnetosphere, and the makeup
of its core and mysterious polar materials.

The surface of Mercury reaches a high temperature near 840 degrees
Fahrenheit and the solar intensity can be 11 times greater than on
Earth. Yet, the seven instruments aboard the spacecraft will operate
near room temperature from behind MESSENGER's heat-resistant,
ceramic-cloth sunshade while the spacecraft dips in its orbit, as low as
124 miles above the planet.

The name MESSENGER means MErcury Surface, Space, Environment,
GEochemistry and Ranging.

Prelaunch Press Conference

The prelaunch press conference will be held at the NASA News
Center at KSC on Saturday, July 31, at 1 p.m. EDT. Participating in the
briefing will be:

Orlando Figueroa, Director, Solar System Exploration Division
NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Chuck Dovale, NASA Launch Director
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Kris Walsh, Director of NASA Programs
Boeing Expendable Launch Systems, Huntington Beach, Calif.

James Leary, MESSENGER Mission Systems Engineer
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.

Joel Tumbiolo, USAF Delta II Launch Weather Officer
45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.


MESSENGER Mission Science Briefing

A mission science briefing with Dr. Sean C. Solomon, MESSENGER
principal investigator from the Carnegie Institution of Washington, will
immediately follow the prelaunch press conference.

No post-launch press conference will be held. A post-launch
release will be issued with details on the state of health of MESSENGER
after spacecraft data is received through the Deep Space Network. This
release is expected to be issued approximately two hours after launch.


Accreditation and Media Access Badges for KSC

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

Media may also send a letter of request on news organization letterhead
to the NASA KSC News Center. Include the names and Social Security
numbers, birth dates, nationality and country of citizenship of those
who require accreditation. Letters should be faxed to 321-867-2692 or
may be addressed to:

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

All accreditation for the MESSENGER prelaunch press conference and
mission science briefing at KSC must be received by the close of
business on Thursday, July 29. The Pass & Identification Building, the
badging station located on State Road 405 just east of U.S. 1, will not
be open on the day of the briefings, Saturday, July 31. Media may
instead obtain their KSC access badge at Gate 3 on State Road 405, just
east of the NASA Visitor Complex. Contact the NASA-KSC News Center at
321-867-2468 for further information.

Remote Camera Placement at Complex 17

Sunday, Aug. 1: Photographers who wish to set up remote
cameras at the Delta launch complex will be escorted by a Boeing
representative to Pad 17-B. Departure will be at 9:15 a.m. from the
Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building located on State Road 401
outside Gate 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Tower Rollback Photo Opportunity at Complex 17

Sunday, Aug. 1: There will be an opportunity to observe
rollback of the mobile service tower from around the MESSENGER/Delta II
launch vehicle at Pad 17-B. Media will depart at 4:30 p.m. by
government bus from the Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building on State
Road 401 outside Gate 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Press
credentials and identification from a bona fide news organization will
be required.

Launch Day Press Site Access to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Monday, August 2: Media covering the MESSENGER launch will
be able to obtain press access badges beginning at 12:30 a.m. at the
Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building on Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station located on State Road 401. Press credentials and identification
from a bona fide news organization will be required to obtain an access
badge. A driver's license alone will not be sufficient.

Due to the location of the impact limit lines for the launch
of the Delta II Heavy, the Trident bluff remote press site will be used.
This is located on south Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the east
side of the Trident turn basin. Video and audio plug-in capability for
NASA Television will be available. In addition, a limited number of
laptop telephone interfaces will be available. Departure in a vehicle
caravan from Gate 1 to the Trident bluff will be at 12:45 a.m.

News Center Hours for Launch

Saturday, July 31: The NASA News Center at KSC will be open
from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The News Center will be closed on Sunday. On launch
day, all media activities will be conducted from the remote press site
at the Trident bluff.

Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage

Two special live prelaunch webcasts are scheduled at 2 p.m. on July 29
and 30.

For more information, go to the NASA Direct Web site at:

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

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.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/mission/vlcc.htm

NASA Television Coverage

Saturday, July 31: NASA Television will carry live the
MESSENGER prelaunch press conference and mission science briefing
beginning at 1 p.m. EDT. Monday, Aug 2, NASA Television coverage of the
launch will begin at 12:01 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.

The satellite for NASA Television has been changed to AMC-6 located at
73 degrees West longitude, though use of Transponder 9 remains the same.

The July 31 prelaunch press conference with associated mission science
briefing and the Aug. 2 launch attempt will be on AMC-6, Transponder 9.
However, should the launch be postponed 24 hours for any reason, the
second launch attempt will be on AMC-6, Transponder 5. In Alaska and
Hawaii, all MESSENGER events will be on AMC-7 Transponder 17 located at
137 degrees West longitude.

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.

Recorded status reports on the launch of MESSENGER and
updates to the Note To Editors will be provided on the KSC news media
codaphone starting Thursday, July 29. The telephone number is
321/867-2525. Media are encouraged to check the recording for updates
during the hours that the NASA-KSC News Center is closed over the
weekend.

The management of the MESSENGER launch is the responsibility of NASA's
John F. Kennedy Space Center, Fla., with the Delta II launch service
provided by Boeing Expendable Launch Systems in Huntington Beach, Calif.
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.,
designed and built MESSENGER for the Office of Space Science at NASA
Headquarters and will control the spacecraft during the mission.

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