The launch of NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey is scheduled for Saturday,
April 7, at 11:02 a.m. EDT. Liftoff will occur aboard a Boeing Delta II
launch vehicle from Pad A at Space Launch Complex 17, Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station, Fla. A second launch opportunity exists thirty minutes later
at 11:32 a.m., if necessary. Should launch be delayed by 24 hours, the two
launch times available on Sunday are 10:29 a.m. and 11:29 a.m. EDT. The
planetary launch window extends through April 27.
The 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is designed to map the Martian surface. It
will search for geological features that could indicate the presence of
water, now or in the past, and may contribute significantly toward
understanding what will be necessary for a more sophisticated exploration of
Mars.
PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE AND MISSION SCIENCE BRIEFING
A prelaunch news conference is scheduled for Friday, April 6, at 1
p.m. EDT in the NASA-KSC News Center auditorium and will be carried live on
NASA Television. Participating in the briefing will be:
Chuck Dovale, NASA Launch Manager
Kennedy Space Center
Joy Bryant, Delta II Mission Director
The Boeing Company
George Pace, Mars Odyssey Project Manager
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Bob Berry, Mars Odyssey Program Manager
Lockheed Martin Space Systems - Astronautics Operations
Joel Tumbiolo, Launch Weather Officer
Department of the Air Force
Following the prelaunch news conference, a 2001 Mars Odyssey Mission Science
Briefing will be held at 2 p.m. Participating will be:
Dr. Ed Weiler, Associate Administrator for Space Science
NASA Headquarters
Dr. Jim Garvin, Mars Program Scientist
NASA Headquarters
Scott Hubbard, Mars Program Director
NASA Headquarters
Dr. Firouz Naderi, Mars Program Manager
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
ACCREDITATION
Media who wish to cover the launch of Mars Odyssey including the
prelaunch news conference and mission science briefing should send a letter
of request to the NASA-KSC News Center on news organization letterhead. It
should include name and Social Security number or passport number. By close
of business Thursday, April 5, letters should be faxed to 321/867-2692 or
addressed to:
Mars Odyssey Launch Accreditation
NASA XA-E1
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
Mars Odyssey mission badges may be obtained at the NASA-KSC News
Center on Wednesday and Thursday, April 4 - 5 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
On Friday, April 6, badges may be picked up at the News Media Pass &
Identification Building at Gate 2 on SR3, Merritt Island, between 10:30 a.m.
and 12:30 p.m. On launch day, Saturday, April 7, Mars Odyssey mission badges
will be available starting at 9:15 a.m. and will be issued at the Pass &
Identification Building on SR 401 outside Gate 1 of Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station.
Departure on launch day from the Gate 1 Pass & Identification
Building for Press Site 1 will be at 9:30 a.m. A NASA Mars Odyssey mission
badge is required for all media covering the launch at Press Site 1. Annual
KSC badges or other Space Shuttle launch credentials will not be honored on
Mars Odyssey launch day.
After launch, media may leave unescorted for the return to Gate 1. An escort
is required for all other areas of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. For
further information on 2001 Mars Odyssey launch accreditation contact Patty
Beck at the NASA-KSC News Center at 321/867-2468.
REMOTE CAMERAS
Media wishing to establish remote cameras at the launch pad should
meet at the NASA-KSC News Center at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, April 6, to be
escorted to Space Launch Complex 17.
PRESS SITE OPERATING HOURS
On launch day, Saturday, April 7, the NASA-KSC News Center will be open from
9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
NASA TELEVISION COVERAGE, V CIRCUITS, WEBCAST AND RECORDED LAUNCH STATUS
NASA Television will carry the prelaunch news conference and mission
science briefing beginning at 1 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 6. On launch
day, Saturday, April 7, countdown coverage will begin at 9:30 a.m. Coverage
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station will conclude shortly after spacecraft
separation that occurs 33 minutes after launch. Commentary will then begin
from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for acquisition of the spacecraft's radio
signal through the Deep Space Network tracking station at Canberra,
Australia. This is anticipated to occur approximately one hour after launch
at which time the Mars Odyssey spacecraft's state of health can be reported.
NASA Television is available on satellite GE 2, transponder 9C,
located at 85 degrees West longitude. A simulcast of the NASA Television
coverage will also be available on the worldwide web at www.ksc.nasa.gov.
Information about the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission is available on-line at
www.jpl.nasa.gov and www.ast.lmco.com.
Audio only of NASA Television coverage of the prelaunch news
conference and launch commentary will be available on the "V" circuits which
may be dialed directly at 321/867-1220, 867-1240, 867-1260, 867-7135,
867-4003, 867-4920.
The NASA-KSC News Center codaphone will carry Mars Odyssey pre-launch status
reports beginning at L-3 days, on Wednesday, April 4, and may be dialed at
321/867-2525.
George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468
Mary Hardin
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
818/354-5011
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