Witness History at Project Operations in Pasadena, California

On June 21, Cosmos 1 - the world's first solar sail spacecraft - is set to launch atop a converted ICBM from a submerged Russian submarine in the Barents Sea.  The Planetary Society and Cosmos Studios invite you to join us in Pasadena, California on launch day for press briefings, an inside look at project operations, live updates from Mission Control in Moscow, and the opportunity to interview members of the Cosmos 1 team.

Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Check-in Location: Boston Court Theater, 70 North Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA (1 1/2 blocks from The Planetary Society headquarters)

Parking: Boston Court Theater Parking Lot

Schedule:

• 9:30 AM Media Check-in opens
• 10:30 AM Pre-Launch Press Briefing at Boston Court
• 11:30 AM Tours of Project Operations at Planetary Society
• 12:46 PM Launch
• 3:00 PM Post Launch Press Briefing at Boston Court

Team Members: (Available for Interview)

• Ann Druyan, Program Director
• Her company Cosmos Studios sponsors the project.
• Jim Cantrell, Project Operations Manager
• Emily Lakdawalla, Image Processing Coordinator

Photo Ops:

• Project Operations Room
• Team members monitoring operations
• One-on-one interviews  

RSVP: Susan Lendroth, 626-793-5100 ext 237 or susan.lendroth@planetary.org             

The data obtained during the flight of Cosmos 1 will assist the world community in analyzing and developing future solar sail technologies. The mission will be controlled from the Lavochkin Association in Moscow.  A Project Operations Center will be located at The Planetary Society in Pasadena, California.

THE PLANETARY SOCIETY:

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, The Planetary Society has inspired millions of people to explore other worlds and seek other life. Today, its international membership makes the non-governmental Planetary Society the largest space interest group in the world.  Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman founded The Planetary Society in 1980.

COSMOS STUDIOS:

Cosmos Studios was founded in 2000 by Ann Druyan, Joe Firmage and Kent Gibson, to create science-based entertainment designed to engage the broadest possible television, film and Internet audience.  Among its achievements thus far are the DVD of the epochal 13-part television series COSMOS and the documentary films 'COSMIC AFRICA" and "COSMIC JOURNEY," which was nominated for the Emmy Award for the best long form science documentary in 2004.  Cosmos Studios is based in Ithaca, New York.  http://carlsagan.com

WEB LINKS:

• The Planetary Society http://planetary.org
• Solar Sail http://planetary.org/solarsail/
• Cosmos Studios http://solarsail.org and http://carlsagan.com