Erica Hupp/Dwayne Brown
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1237/202-358-1726
George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
Rani Gran
Goddard Space Flight Center, Md.
301-286-2483
Kristi Marren
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Md.
240-228-6268
MEDIA ADVISORY: 65-06
STEREO SOLAR OBSERVATORIES LAUNCHING ABOARD DELTA II ON OCT. 25
Launch of NASA's STEREO spacecraft is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct.
25, aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral
Air Force Station, Fla. The launch window is 8:38 to 8:53 p.m. EDT.
Should the launch be postponed for 24 hours for any reason, the
launch window is 8:26 to 8:41 p.m. EDT, or for a 48-hour
postponement, 8:32 to 8:47 p.m. EDT.
STEREO consists of two spacecraft that together comprise the first
mission to take measurements of the sun and solar wind in 3-D. This
new view will improve our understanding of space weather and its
impact on the Earth.
During the two-year mission, the nearly identical spacecraft will
explore the origin, evolution and interplanetary consequences of
coronal mass ejections, the most violent explosions in our solar
system. When directed at Earth, these billion-ton eruptions can
disrupt satellites, radio communications and power systems. In
addition, energetic particles associated with these solar eruptions
are hazardous to scientific spacecraft and astronauts.
Truly an international effort, many portions of the STEREO instruments
were provided by the United States, the United Kingdom and several
European countries. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory, in Laurel, Md., designed and built the spacecraft and
will operate the twin observatories for NASA during the mission.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is responsible
for the project management. The NASA Launch Services Program at
Kennedy Space Center and Boeing Expendable Launch Systems are
responsible for the launch.
Prelaunch Press Conference
The prelaunch press conference will be held at the NASA News Center at
KSC at 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Participating in the briefing
will be:
Omar Baez, NASA Launch Director/NASA Launch Manager
Kennedy Space Center
Kris Walsh, Director of NASA Programs
Boeing Expendable Launch Systems, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Nicholas Chrissotimos, STEREO Project Manager
Goddard Space Flight Center
Ed Reynolds, STEREO Project Manager
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Joel Tumbiolo, U.S. Air Force Delta II Launch Weather Officer
45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
STEREO Mission Science Briefing
A mission science briefing will immediately follow the prelaunch press
conference. Participating will be:
Michael Kaiser, STEREO Project Scientist
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Dr. Russ Howard, SECCHI Principal Investigator
Naval Research Laboratory
Dr. Janet Luhmann, IMPACT Principal Investigator
University of California at Berkeley
Dr. Madhulika Guhathakurta, STEREO Program Scientist
NASA Headquarters
No post-launch press conference will be held. A post-launch release
will be issued with details on the state of health of the STEREO
spacecraft after data is received through the Canberra tracking
station of the Deep Space Network. The 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 STEREO prelaunch press conference and
mission science briefing should do the accreditation process via the
Web by going to:
https://media.ksc.nasa.gov.All accreditation requests for the STEREO prelaunch press conference
and mission science briefing to be held at the KSC press site must be
received by Friday, Oct. 20. Media may obtain their NASA access
badges at the Pass and Identification Building, the badging station
located on State Road 405 just east of U.S. 1. Contact the NASA News
Center at 321/867-2468 for further information.
Remote Camera Placement at Complex 17
Wednesday, Oct. 25: 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 by vehicle convoy will be at 8:45 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
Wednesday, Oct. 25: There will be an opportunity to observe rollback
of the mobile service tower from around the STEREO/Delta II launch
vehicle at Pad 17-B. Media should report at 10:30 a.m. to 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.
Transportation by government bus will be provided to Launch Complex
17.
Launch Day Press Site Access to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Wednesday, Oct. 25: Media covering the STEREO launch will be able to
obtain press access badges beginning at 7 p.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. However, additional
identification will not be required for those who present a
pre-issued NASA accreditation badge for STEREO or a valid permanent
NASA-KSC picture badge.
Departure in a vehicle caravan from Gate 1 to Press Site 1 will be at
7:15 p.m. Access badges cannot be issued after that time.
News Center Hours for Launch
The NASA News Center at KSC will open for STEREO news operations
starting Monday, Oct. 23, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On launch day,
Wednesday, Oct. 25 the news center will re-open one hour after launch
to confirm the spacecraft state of health and to issue the post
launch press release.
Starting Monday, Oct. 23, status reports on the launch of STEREO and
updates to the Media Advisory will be recorded on the KSC news media
codaphone at 321-867-2525.
NASA Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
NASA's home on the Internet,
http://www.nasa.gov, will provide
extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the STEREO mission.
Live countdown coverage from NASA's Launch Blog begins at 6:30 p.m.,
Oct. 25. Coverage features real-time updates as countdown milestones
occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch
preparations and liftoff.
A panel of experts has answered questions about NASA's preparation for
the STEREO mission. Those responses are available online and through
NASA podcasts.
To access these interactive features and more, go to NASA's STEREO
main page at
http://www.nasa.gov/stereo and follow the "Countdown
Coverage" and "Ask the Mission Team" links provided under the
"Events" column. For more information about STEREO mission online
events, contact Dennis Armstrong at 321-867-4493.
Television Coverage
On Tuesday, Oct. 24, television coverage of the STEREO prelaunch press
conference and mission science briefing will begin at 1 p.m. EDT. On
Wednesday, Oct. 25, television coverage of the launch will begin at
6:30 p.m. EDT and conclude after spacecraft separation from the Delta
II rocket approximately 30 minutes after launch. The broadcast
network HDNet will also carry the launch in high definition
television format starting at 8:30 p.m. For more information visit
http://www.hd.net. Audio only of the prelaunch press conference and mission science
briefing will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits which may be
accessed by dialing 321-867-1260 or 321-867-7135 beginning at 1 p.m.
EDT on Oct. 24. On launch day, Oct. 25, "Mission Audio," countdown
activities without NASA launch commentary, will be carried on
321-867-7135 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Audio of the NASA launch
commentary will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be available on
321-867-1220, 1240, 1260. It will also be available on local amateur
radio frequency 146.940 Mhz (VHF) or 442.6 Mhz (UHF), heard within
Brevard County.
For information on receiving NASA Television go to:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/digital.html
