NASA News
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
John F. Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899
AC 321-867-2468
____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________
For Release: April 9, 2003
Don Savage
NASA Headquarters
(202) 358-1753
George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center
(321) 867-2468
Jane Platt
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(818) 354-0880
KSC Release No. 29-03
SPACE INFRARED TELESCOPE FACILITY (SIRTF) TO BE LAUNCHED ABOARD DELTA II
APRIL 18
The launch of NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility aboard a
Boeing Delta II Heavy expendable launch vehicle is scheduled for Friday,
April 18, at the opening of an instantaneous launch window that occurs at
4:32:49 a.m. EDT. Launch will occur from Pad 17-B on Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station.
The Space Infrared Telescope Facility marks the finale of NASA's
Great Observatories Program, which includes the Hubble Space Telescope, the
Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Its
unprecedented infrared sensitivity will allow astronomers to study the most
distant, coldest, and most dust-obscured objects and processes in the
universe.
The observatory's amazing ability to sleuth around for
low-temperature objects will also aid in the search for planetary systems in
the making, some of which may breed Earth-like planets. The mission is a
cornerstone of NASA's Origins Program, which seeks to answer the questions,
"Where did we come from? Are we alone? "
SIRTF Prelaunch Press Conference
The prelaunch press conference will be held at the NASA News Center
at KSC on Wednesday, April 16, at 1 p.m. EDT. Participating in the briefing
will be:
Dr. Ed Weiler, associate administrator for space science
NASA Headquarters, Washington
Omar Baez, NASA launch director
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Kris Walsh, director of NASA Programs
Boeing Expendable Launch Systems, Huntington Beach, California
David Gallagher, SIRTF project manager
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
USAF Delta/SIRTF Launch Weather Officer
45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Immediately following the prelaunch press conference, there will
be a SIRTF mission science briefing. Participating will be:
Dr. Anne Kinney, director, Astronomy and Physics Division
NASA Headquarters, Washington
Dr. Michael Werner, SIRTF project scientist
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
Dr. Robert Kennicut, astronomer, SIRTF Legacy Science Team
University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
Dr. Michael Jura, SIRTF interdisciplinary scientist
University of California, Los Angeles, California
Dr. Dale Cruikshank, SIRTF interdisciplinary scientist for planetary science
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
No post-launch press conference will be held. A post-launch
release will be issued at approximately 8 a.m. with details on the state of
health of SIRTF.
Accreditation
Those who need access badges to cover the prelaunch press conference
and the launch of SIRTF should send a letter of request on news organization
letterhead to the NASA-KSC News Center by the close of business on Tuesday,
April 15. 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:
SIRTF Launch Accreditation
NASA XA-E1
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
Remote Camera Placement at Complex 17
On Thursday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m., photographers wishing to
establish remote cameras at Pad 17-B should meet at the Gate 1 Pass &
Identification Building located on SR 401 just outside Gate 1 on Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station for transportation to the launch complex.
Tower Rollback Photo Opportunity
On Thursday, April 17, there will be an opportunity to observe
rollback of the mobile service tower from around the SIRTF/Delta II launch
vehicle at Pad 17-B. Media should meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Gate 1 Pass &
Identification Building on SR 401 just outside Gate 1 on Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station.
Launch Day Press Coverage
To obtain badges for launch on Friday, April 18, media covering the
SIRTF launch should assemble at the Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building
on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station located on State Road 401 at 3 a.m.
Press credentials and identification from a bona fide news organization will
be required. A driver's license alone will not be sufficient.
Due to the location of the impact limit lines for this launch, a
special press site has been established located on south Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station on the east side of the Trident turn basin. Because this site
is located on a bluff that is relatively remote and space available for
parking is very limited, media will be taken by bus to this location. Remote
trucks used by television stations for live launch coverage will be the only
media vehicles permitted at the press site. The bus will depart from Gate 1
at 3:15 a.m. Remote trucks will also be escorted to the special press site
location at this time.
Video and audio plug-in capability for NASA Television will be
available. There will not be telephones available, so media should plan on
bringing their own cellular phones.
News Center Hours for Launch
On L-2 and L-1 days, the NASA News Center at KSC will be open from
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On launch day, April 18, the News Center will open at
L+1 hour.
NASA Television Coverage
NASA Television will carry live the SIRTF/Delta II pre-launch Press
Conference and Mission Science Briefing on Wednesday, April 16, starting at
1 p.m. EDT. On launch day, Friday, April 18, launch commentary will begin at
3 a.m. EDT and continue until a successful mission can be confirmed which
will be at approximately 5:30 a.m. EDT.
NASA Television is available on the GE-2 satellite, Transponder
9C, located at 85 degrees West. NASA Television coverage of the SIRTF
launch will also be available on the web at www.ksc.nasa.gov.
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.
Status Reports
Recorded status reports on the launch of SIRTF and updates to the
Note To Editors will be provided on the KSC news media codaphone starting on
Tuesday, April 15. The telephone number is 321/867-2525.
The management of the SIRTF launch is the responsibility of NASA's John F.
Kennedy Space Center. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., a
division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the SIRTF
project for the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters. The fully
integrated SIRTF spacecraft was designed and built by Lockheed Martin Space
Systems Company in Sunnyvale, Calif. SIRTF's cryogenic telescope was
designed and built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. in Boulder,
Colo. The observatory's three science instruments were provided by
astronomers at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Cornell University in
Ithaca, New York and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in
Cambridge, Mass. After launch, SIRTF will be operated by teams from JPL,
Caltech and Lockheed Martin.
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