March 1, 2011 George H. Diller NASA Vandenberg Resident Office, Calif. 805-605-3051 george.h.diller@nasa.gov Steve Cole Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0918 stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov Sarah DeWitt Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 301-286-0535 sarah.l.dewitt@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-11 NASA'S GLORY SATELLITE RESCHEDULED FOR LAUNCH MARCH 4 VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. -- The launch of NASA's Glory spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Taurus XL rocket has been rescheduled for Friday, March 4. Technical issues with ground support equipment associated with the Taurus XL that scrubbed the Feb. 23 launch attempt have been resolved. Liftoff will be from Space Launch Complex 576E at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), Calif. Launch is targeted for 5:09:43 a.m. EST (2:09:43 a.m. PST) in the middle of a 48-second launch window. The spacecraft's final polar orbit will be 438 nautical miles (508 statute miles) at an inclination of 98.2 degrees. Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate. Both aerosols and solar energy influence the planet's energy budget, which is the amount of energy entering and exiting Earth's atmosphere. An accurate measurement of these impacts is important in order to anticipate future changes to our climate and how they may affect human life. The first of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, missions also will be launched on the Taurus XL. These auxiliary payloads are small satellites called CubeSats. Each is designed and created by university and college students. Three satellites will be deployed on ELaNa-1. ACCREDITATION News media desiring accreditation for the launch of Glory should fax their requests on news organization letterhead to: 1st Lt. Ann K. Blodzinski 30th Space Wing Public Affairs Office Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. FAX: 805-606-8303 Telephone: 805-606-3595 E-mail: ann.blodzinski@vandenberg.af.mil Information required for U.S. media is full legal name, date of birth and media affiliation. REMOTE CAMERAS Thursday, March 3: Media photographers desiring to establish sound-activated remote cameras at the launch pad should meet at the pass and identification building located at the Vandenberg main gate on California State Road 1 at 9:45 a.m. to be escorted to the launch pad. LAUNCH DAY MEDIA COVERAGE Friday, March 4: Media covering the Glory/Taurus XL launch should meet at 1:15 a.m. at the Vandenberg main gate located on California State Road 1 to be escorted to the press viewing site. Press credentials and identification from a bona fide news organization will be required for access. A driver's license alone will not be sufficient. After launch, media will be escorted back to the gate. Media interested in speaking with launch officials will be escorted to the NASA Mission Director's Center for an interview opportunity after spacecraft separation occurs. NASA TELEVISION COVERAGE On launch day, March 4, NASA TV commentary coverage of the countdown will begin at 3:30 a.m. EST (12:30 a.m. PST). Liftoff is targeted for 5:09:43 a.m. EST (2:09:43 a.m. PST). Spacecraft separation from the Taurus occurs 13 minutes after launch. For information on receiving NASA TV, go to: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/digital.html VOICE CIRCUIT COVERAGE To monitor audio of the launch coverage, dial the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed directly at 321-867-1220....1240....1260. "Mission Audio" of countdown activities without NASA launch commentary will be carried on 321-867-7135 beginning at 3:30 a.m. EST (12:30 a.m. PST). WEB COVERAGE Launch coverage of Glory/Taurus XL countdown activities will be available on the NASA website by going to the home page at: http://www.nasa.gov Live countdown coverage on NASA's launch blog begins at 3:30 a.m. EST (12:30 a.m. PST). Coverage features real-time updates of countdown milestones, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. To access these features, go to NASA's Glory mission website at: http://www.nasa.gov/glory NASA GLORY/TAURUS XL NEWS CENTER The Glory/Taurus News Center at the NASA Vandenberg Resident Office is currently staffed. To speak with a NASA Public Affairs Officer, call 805-605-3051. A recorded status report will also be available by dialing 805-734-2693. Project management for Glory is the responsibility of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., is the launch service provider of the four-stage Taurus XL rocket and is also builder of the Glory satellite for Goddard. -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
