Aug 23, 2011

George H Diller Kennedy Space Center, Fla 321-867-2468 george h diller@nasa gov

Dwayne Brown NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726 dwayne c brown@nasa gov

DC Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif 818-393-9011 david c agle@jpl nasa gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M30-11

NASA SETS GRAIL/DELTA II LAUNCH COVERAGE EVENTS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla -- NASA's GRAIL spacecraft is set to launch to the moon aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket on Sept 8, 2011, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla There are two instantaneous (one second) launch windows at 8:37:06 a m and 9:16:12 a m EDT The launch period extends through Oct 19 The launch times occur approximately four minutes earlier each day

GRAIL's primary science objectives are to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core, and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon

GRAIL Prelaunch News Conference

A prelaunch news conference will be held at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Press Site on Tuesday, Sept 6, at 1 p m Participating in the briefing will be:

Ed Weiler, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate NASA Headquarters, Washington

Tim Dunn, NASA launch director NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla

Vernon Thorp, program manager, NASA Missions United Launch Alliance, Denver, Colo

David Lehman, GRAIL project manager Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif

John Henk, GRAIL program manager Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo

Joel Tumbiolo, launch weather officer 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla

GRAIL Mission Science Briefing

A GRAIL mission science briefing will be held at Kennedy's Press Site on Wednesday, Sept 7, at 10 a m Participating in the briefing will be:

Robert Fogel, GRAIL program scientist NASA Headquarters, Washington

Maria Zuber, GRAIL principal investigator Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

Sami Asmar, GRAIL deputy project scientist Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif

Sally Ride, president and CEO Sally Ride Science, San Diego, Calif

A post-launch news conference will be held at Kennedy's Press Site at a time to be determined after launch

Accreditation and Media Access Badges for Kennedy Space Center

Media who want to cover the GRAIL prelaunch news conference, mission science briefing and the launch must complete the online accreditation process at:

https://media ksc nasa gov

Accreditation for foreign journalists must be received by Sunday, Aug 28 U S media must apply by Monday, Sept 5 Media may obtain their NASA access badge at the Kennedy Space Center Badging Office located near Gate 3 on State Road 405, just past the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Two forms of government-issued identification, one with photo, will be required in order to receive an access badge for Kennedy to cover the prelaunch news conference and the launch Badges will be available for pickup beginning Sept 6 The Kennedy Space Center Badging Office hours of operation are 6 a m to 3 p m For further information about accreditation, contact Laurel Lichtenberger at 321-867-4036

Delta II Mobile Service Tower Rollback

Sept 7: There will be a media opportunity at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Pad 17B to observe rollback of the mobile service tower from the Delta II rocket Media should meet in the parking lot of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building at 9:30 p m for transportation by government bus to the viewing location at the launch pad

Remote Camera Placement at Launch Complex 17

Sept 7: Photographers who wish to set up remote sound-activated cameras at the launch pad should meet in the parking lot of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building at 9:45 a m

Launch Day Press Site Access

Sept 8: Media will cover the GRAIL launch from Press Site 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Media must arrive at Kennedy's Press Site by 6 a m for transportation to the viewing site

Kennedy Press Site Hours

Tuesday, Sept 6: 8 a m - 4:30 p m Wednesday, Sept 7: 8 a m - 4:30 p m Thursday, Sept 8: 5:30 a m - 4:30 p m

NASA Television Coverage

NASA Television will carry the GRAIL prelaunch news conference beginning at 1 p m on Sept 6 and the GRAIL mission science briefing on Sept 7 at 10 a m

On Sept 8, NASA Television coverage of the launch will begin at 6 a m and conclude after spacecraft separation from the Delta II has occurred 58 minutes, 45 seconds after launch Live launch coverage will be carried on all NASA Television channels and on the agency's website

A post-launch news conference will be held at Kennedy's Press Site at a time to be determined after launch A post-launch news release also will be issued as soon as the state of health of GRAIL can be determined Spokespersons also will be available at the Press Site to answer questions and for interviews

For NASA Television downlink information, schedule information and streaming video, visit:

http://www nasa gov/ntv

Audio only of the news conferences and the launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220 or -1240 or -1260 or -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 6 a m Launch will also be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146 940 MHz heard within Brevard County

NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage

Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the liftoff of the GRAIL spacecraft aboard the Delta II rocket will be available on NASA's home page on the Internet at:

http://www nasa gov

A prelaunch webcast for the GRAIL mission will be streamed on the Web on Wednesday, Sept 7, at noon Live countdown coverage through NASA's Launch Blog begins at 6:30 a m on Sept 8 Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff For questions about countdown coverage, contact Jeanne Ryba at 321-867-7824

To view the webcast and the blog or to learn more about the GRAIL mission, visit the mission home page at:

http://www nasa gov/grail

Twitter

The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit:

http://www twitter com/nasa

Recorded Status

Recorded status reports on the launch of GRAIL and updates to the media advisory will be provided on the Kennedy media phone line starting Tuesday, Sept 6 The telephone number is 321-867-2525

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif , manages the GRAIL mission for the principal investigator, Maria Zuber, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass The GRAIL mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

-end-

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