NASA News
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
John F. Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899
AC 321 867-2468
Don Savage June 24, 2002
NASA Headquarters
202/358-1727
George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center
321/867-2468
Mike Buckley
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
240/228-7536
KSC Release No: 61-02
NOTE TO EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
NASA'S CONTOUR SPACECRAFT SCHEDULED FOR LAUNCH JULY 1
The launch of NASA's Comet Nucleus Tour (CONTOUR) spacecraft is scheduled
for Monday, July 1. The launch window is 2:56:14 - 2:56:20 a.m. EDT.
Liftoff will occur aboard a Delta II launch vehicle from Pad A at Space
Launch Complex 17, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Should launch be
delayed, the next opportunity is July 3 from 2:47:41 - 2:47:47 a.m. EDT.
CONTOUR is our first detailed look into the heart of a comet -- its nucleus.
The spacecraft will fly as close as 62 miles (100 kilometers) from at least
two comets, taking the sharpest pictures yet of the nucleus while analyzing
the gas and dust that surround these rocky, icy building blocks of the solar
system. For the first time, CONTOUR will help us assess the diversity of
comets and unravel the mysteries of how they evolve. CONTOUR was built and
will be controlled after launch by the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns
Hopkins University.
The Delta II launch vehicle and its associated launch support services are
from The Boeing Company. NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center is responsible
for the launch countdown management and launch vehicle engineering oversight.
PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE AND MISSION SCIENCE BRIEFING
A prelaunch news conference is scheduled for Friday, June 28, 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, Fla.
Kristen Walsh, Boeing Director for NASA Expendable Launch Vehicles
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Edward Reynolds, CONTOUR Deputy Project Manager
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.
Joel Tumbiolo, Launch Weather Officer
45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Immediately following the prelaunch news conference, a CONTOUR Mission
Science Briefing will be held. Participating will be:
Dr. Joseph Veverka, CONTOUR Principal Investigator
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
Dr. Michael Belton, CONTOUR Deputy Principal Investigator,
Belton Space Exploration Initiatives, LLC, Tucson, Ariz.
Dr. Paul Mahaffy, Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer Co-Investigator
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
ACCREDITATION
Media who wish to cover the launch of CONTOUR 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, date of birth, and Social Security number or
passport number by close of business Thursday, June 27. Letters should
be faxed to 321/867-2692 or addressed to:
CONTOUR Launch Accreditation
NASA XA-E1
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
On launch day, Monday, July 1, access badges for news media will be
available starting at 1:15 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 1:30 a.m. A Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station access badge is required for all media
covering the launch at Press Site 1. Kennedy Space Center access
badges or Space Shuttle launch credentials will not be honored for
access to Press Site 1 on launch day. After launch, media may leave
unescorted for the return to Gate 1. At all other times, an escort
is required for any area of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
For further information on CONTOUR launch accreditation, contact Linda
Mullen or Diana Boles 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 Pass & Identification Building located outside Gate 1 of Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station on State Road 401 at 1 p.m. on Sunday,
June 30, to be escorted to Space Launch Complex 17.
PRESS SITE OPERATING HOURS
On launch day, Monday, July 1, the NASA-KSC News Center will be open at
1:30 a.m. and close after the health of the CONTOUR spacecraft can be
confirmed and a post-launch press release issued.
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, June 28. A two-way
question-and-answer capability will be available from other NASA field
centers.
On launch day, Monday, July 1, countdown coverage will begin at 1:30 a.m.
EDT. Coverage will conclude shortly after spacecraft separation occurring
approximately one hour after launch.
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 World Wide Web at http://www.ksc.nasa.gov.
Additional information about CONTOUR is available at
http://www.contour2002.org/.
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, 1240, 1260, 7135.
The NASA-KSC News Center codaphone will carry CONTOUR prelaunch status
reports beginning at L-3 days, on Friday, June 28, and may be dialed at
321/867-2525.
# # #
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