07.04.07 Dwayne Brown/Tabatha Thompson NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726/202-358-3895 George Diller Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 D.C. Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory 818-393-9011 MEDIA ADVISORY: 34-07 NASA ANNOUNCES MEDIA EVENTS FOR DAWN LAUNCH ABOARD DELTA II CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Launch of NASA's Dawn spacecraft is scheduled for Saturday, July 7, from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The launch window is 4:09 to 4:36 p.m. EDT. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center is responsible for the launch of Dawn aboard a Delta II rocket. United Launch Alliance is conducting the launch service for NASA. The spacecraft has been built for NASA by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Should the launch be postponed 24 hours for any reason, the launch window will extend from 4:04 to 4:33 p.m. EDT. For a 48-hour postponement, the launch window will be from 3:56 to 4:25 p.m. Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch 4.5 billion years ago by investigating in detail two of the largest asteroids, Ceres and Vesta. They reside between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Scientists theorize these were budding planets never given the opportunity to grow. However, Ceres and Vesta each followed a very different evolutionary path during the solar system's first few million years. By investigating two very different asteroids during the spacecraft's eight-year flight, the Dawn mission aims to unlock some of the mysteries of planetary formation. Dawn will be the first spacecraft to orbit an object in the asteroid belt and the first to orbit two bodies after leaving Earth. Recent images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope raise further intriguing questions about the evolution of these asteroids. Prelaunch Press Conference A prelaunch press conference will be held at the NASA News Center at Kennedy Space Center at 1 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 6. Participating in the briefing will be: Jim Green, Director, Planetary Science Division NASA Headquarters, Washington Omar Baez, NASA Launch Director/Launch Manager Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Kris Walsh, Director of Delta NASA and Commercial Programs United Launch Alliance, Littleton, Colo. Keyur Patel, Dawn Project Manager Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Marc Rayman, Dawn Project Systems Engineer Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Joel Tumbiolo, U.S. Air Force Delta II Launch Weather Officer 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Dawn Mission Science Briefing A mission science briefing will immediately follow the prelaunch press conference. Participating will be: David Lindstrom, Dawn Program Scientist NASA Headquarters Chris Russell, Dawn Principal Investigator University of California, Los Angeles Carol Raymond, Dawn Deputy Principal Investigator Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lucy McFadden, Dawn Co-investigator University of Maryland Mark Sykes, Co-investigator Planetary Science Institute, University of Arizona No post-launch press conference will be held. A post-launch release will be issued after details on the state of health of Dawn can be confirmed. The release is expected to be issued about three-and-one-half 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 Dawn prelaunch press conference and mission science briefing should complete the accreditation process via the Web by going to https://media.ksc.nasa.gov. All accreditation requests for the Dawn prelaunch press conference and mission science briefing must be received by the close of business Friday, July 6. Media may obtain 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 Friday, July 6: Photographers who wish to set up remote cameras at the Delta launch complex will be escorted by a NASA representative to Pad 17-B. Departure by vehicle convoy will be at 9 a.m. from the Space Florida parking lot located on Poseidon Avenue adjacent to Gate 1 of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Tower Rollback Photo Opportunity at Complex 17 Saturday, July 7: There will be an opportunity to observe rollback of the mobile service tower from around the Dawn/Delta II launch vehicle at Pad 17-B. Media should report at 7 a.m. to the Space Florida parking lot located on Poseidon Avenue adjacent to Gate 1 of 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. Media are requested to wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. Launch Day Press Site Access to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Saturday, July 7: Media covering the Dawn launch will be able to obtain press access badges beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the Space Florida parking lot outside Gate 1 of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 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 Dawn or a valid permanent NASA-KSC picture badge. To reach the Space Florida parking lot, after passing the Pass and Identification Building outside Gate 1 of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, turn right at the traffic light at the intersection of State Road 401 and Poseidon Avenue. Make an immediate left turn at the Navaho display. Because this launch uses a Delta II heavy configuration with larger solid rocket boosters, Press Site 1 is not available for this launch. Instead, viewing for the press will be atop the Trident Bluff on south Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. There is no infrastructure at this location, so news media should plan on being fully self-contained. It is possible that a wireless Internet capability may be available. Departure in a vehicle caravan from Space Florida to the Trident Bluff press launch viewing site will be at 2:45 p.m. Access badges cannot be issued after that time. News Center Hours for Launch The NASA News Center at KSC will open for Dawn news operations starting Thursday, July 5, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On launch day, Saturday, July 7, the news center will be closed but will reopen one hour after launch in preparation for word on Dawn's state of health and to issue the post-launch press release at about L+3.5 hours. Starting Thursday, July 5, status reports on the launch of Dawn 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 Dawn mission. Live countdown coverage from NASA's Launch Blog begins at 2 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 7. Coverage will feature real-time updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. To access other interactive features, go to NASA's Dawn main page at http://www.nasa.gov/dawn. For more information about Dawn mission online events, contact Jeanne Ryba at 321-867-7824. Television Coverage On Friday, July 6, television coverage of the Dawn prelaunch press conference and mission science briefing at KSC will begin at 1 p.m. EDT. Two-way question and answer capability will be available from other NASA field centers. On Saturday, July 7, television coverage of the launch will begin at 2 p.m. EDT and conclude after spacecraft separation from the Delta II rocket, which occurs 28.5 minutes after launch. The broadcast network HDNet will also carry the launch in high-definition television format from 4 to 4:30 p.m. EDT. For more information, visit http://www.hd.net or check local listings. Audio 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 Friday, July 6. On launch day, July 7, "Mission Audio," countdown activities without NASA launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135 beginning at 1 p.m. EDT. Audio of the NASA launch commentary will begin at 2 p.m. EDT and will be available on 321-867-1220, 1240, 1260. It will also be available on 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 -end- To subscribe to the list, send a message to: ksc-subscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov To remove your address from the list, send a message to: ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov
