NASA Sets Lunar Spacecraft Launch Coverage Events

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June 5, 2009

Grey Hautaluoma 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-0668 
grey.hautaluoma-1@xxxxxxxx 

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

MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-103

NASA SETS LUNAR SPACECRAFT LAUNCH COVERAGE EVENTS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, 
and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, 
spacecraft are set to launch together to the moon aboard an Atlas V 
rocket on June 17. Three launch opportunities from Cape Canaveral Air 
Force Station, Fla., are at 3:51 p.m., 4:01 p.m. and 4:11 p.m. EDT. 
NASA Television's coverage of the launch will begin at 1 p.m. EDT. 

If the launch is postponed 24 hours, the launch times on June 18 are 
5:12 p.m., 5:22 p.m. and 5:32 p.m. 

LRO's objectives during its mission orbiting the moon are to identify 
safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the 
radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology. LRO will orbit 
the poles of the moon during a one-year exploration mission followed 
by a planned multi-year science mission. 

Approximately four to five months after launch, LCROSS will impact the 
moon, providing key information about the lunar composition and 
presence of water ice or hydrated minerals. 

Prelaunch news conference 
A prelaunch news conference on Monday, June 15, at 1 p.m. will be held 
at the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and broadcast live 
on NASA TV. Participants in the briefing will be: 

- Todd May, program manager, Lunar Precursor Robotic Program, NASA's 
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 
- Chuck Dovale, NASA launch director, Kennedy Space Center 
- Vernon Thorp, program manager, NASA Missions, United Launch 
Alliance, Cape Canaveral 
- Craig Tooley, LRO project manager, NASA's Goddard Space Flight 
Center, Greenbelt, Md. 
- Daniel Andrews, LCROSS project manager, NASA's Ames Research Center, 
Moffett Field, Calif. 
- Clay Flinn, Atlas V launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, 
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 

LRO and LCROSS mission science briefing 
A mission science briefing on Tuesday, June 16, at 1 p.m. will be held 
at Kennedy's news center and broadcast live on NASA TV. Participants 
in the briefing will be: 

- Mike Wargo, chief lunar scientist, Exploration Science Mission 
Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington 
- Rich Vondrak, project scientist, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, 
Goddard 
- Tony Colaprete, project scientist, LCROSS, Ames 

Accreditation and media access badges for Kennedy Space Center 
Reporters who want to cover the LRO and LCROSS prelaunch news 
conference, mission briefing and launch must complete the online 
accreditation process at: 



https://media.ksc.nasa.gov 


Accreditation for U.S. media representatives must be received by the 
close of business on Wednesday, June 10. Journalists may obtain their 
NASA access badge at the Kennedy 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 a 
photo, will be required to receive an access badge. For further 
information about accreditation, contact Laurel Lichtenberger at 
321-867-4036. 

Kennedy news center hours 
Monday, June 15: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 
Tuesday, June 16: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 
Wednesday, June 17: 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. 

Atlas V launch vehicle rollout 
On Tuesday, June 16, reporters will have the opportunity to observe 
the rollout of the Atlas V rocket from the Vertical Integration 
Facility to the launch pad at Complex 41. Journalists will depart by 
bus from the Kennedy press site at 9 a.m. 

Remote camera placement at Launch Complex 41 
On Wednesday, June 17, photographers who wish to set up remote, 
sound-activated cameras at the Atlas V launch pad will depart by bus 
from the parking lot at the Kennedy press site at 8:30 a.m. 

Launch day press site access 
On launch day, reporters will cover the LRO and LCROSS launch from the 
Kennedy press site. Access will be through Gate 2 on State Road 3 or 
Gate 3 on State Road 405. There will be no access through Gate 1 at 
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 

NASA Web prelaunch and launch coverage 
Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the lift off of LRO and 
LCROSS aboard an Atlas V rocket will be available on NASA's home on 
the Internet at: 



http://www.nasa.gov 


A prelaunch webcast for the two missions to the moon will be streamed 
on the Web at noon on Tuesday, June 17 and broadcast on NASA TV. The 
webcast will feature Cathy Peddie, deputy project manager for LRO at 
Goddard; Kimberly Ennico, payload scientist for LCROSS at Ames; and 
Chuck Tatro, mission manager for NASA's Launch Services Program at 
Kennedy. George Diller of NASA Public Affairs will host the program. 

Live countdown coverage through NASA's launch blog begins at about 
1:45 p.m. Wednesday, June 17. 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 LRO and 
LCROSS missions, visit the mission home pages at: 



http://www.nasa.gov/LRO 




and 




http://www.nasa.gov/LCROSS 


The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch 
countdown and during spacecraft checkout. To access the NASA News 
Twitter feed, visit: 



http://www.twitter.com/nasa 


NASA TV coverage 
NASA Television will carry the LRO and LCROSS prelaunch news 
conference, mission science briefing and launch. Launch day coverage 
will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude approximately one hour after 
launch. There will not be a postlaunch news conference. 

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



http://www.nasa.gov/ntv 


A postlaunch news release will be issued approximately one hour after 
launch or as soon as data about the LRO spacecraft state-of-health is 
available. An additional news release will be issued after the 
Centaur has been turned over to LCROSS for mission operations, which 
occurs approximately four and a half hours after launch. 
Spokespersons also will be available at the Kennedy press site to 
answer questions and for interviews. 

Audio only of the prelaunch news conference and launch coverage will 
be available by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On 
launch day, mission audio of the launch conductor's countdown 
activities without NASA TV launch commentary, will be carried on 
321-867-7135 starting at noon. Launch audio also will be available on 
local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz, heard within Brevard 
County. 

Recorded status reports about the launch of the LRO and LCROSS 
spacecraft and updates to the media advisory will be provided on the 
Kennedy media phone line at 321-867-2525 starting Monday, June 15. 

The launch management of LRO and LCROSS is the responsibility of the 
Launch Services Program at Kennedy. United Launch Alliance is the 
launch service provider for the Atlas V. Goddard built and provides 
project management for the LRO spacecraft. Northrop Grumman built the 
LCROSS spacecraft for Ames, which also is responsible for its project 
management. 

	
-end-



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