- Original Message -
From: KSC News Center
To: KSC News Center
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 5:31 PM
Subject: DEEP IMPACT SPACECRAFT LAUNCHING ABOARD DELTA II JAN.
12
01.05.05Dolores Beasley Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-1753) Bruce Buckingham Kennedy Space Center,
Fla. (Phone: 321/867-2468) D.C. Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Calif. (Phone: 818/393-9011) MEDIA ADVISORY: 02-05DEEP
IMPACT SPACECRAFT LAUNCHING ABOARD DELTA II JAN. 12Launch of NASA's Deep
Impact spacecraft is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2005, at about 1:48 p.m. EST.
Liftoff will occur aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B at Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. On July 4, 2005, the Deep Impact
spacecraft will arrive at Comet Tempel 1.Comets are time capsules
that hold clues about the formation and evolution of the Solar System. They
are composed of ice, gas and dust, primitive debris from the Solar System's
distant and coldest regions that formed 4.5 billion years ago. Deep
Impact is comprised of two parts, a "fly-by" spacecraft and a smaller
"impactor" to be released into the comet's path for a planned collision. On
impact, the crater produced by the impactor is expected to range in size
from that of a house to that of a football field and will be from two to
fourteen stories deep. Ice and dust debris will be ejected from the crater,
revealing the material beneath. The effects of the collision with the comet
will be observed by the fly-by spacecraft, the Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra
great observatories, and by telescopes on Earth. Results from the mission
will lead to a better understanding of comets and the Solar System's
formation. Prelaunch Press ConferenceThe prelaunch press
conference will be held at the NASA News Center at KSC on Tuesday, Jan. 11,
at 1 p.m. EST. Participating in the briefing will be:Orlando
Figueroa, Director, Solar System Exploration DivisionNASA Headquarters,
WashingtonOmar Baez, NASA Launch Director/NASA Launch ManagerKennedy
Space Center, Fla.Kris Walsh, Director of NASA ProgramsBoeing
Expendable Launch Systems, Huntington Beach, Calif. Rick Grammier, Deep
Impact Project ManagerJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif.Monte Henderson, Deputy Program ManagerBall Aerospace
Technologies Corporation, Boulder, Colo.Joel Tumbiolo, USAF Delta II
Launch Weather Officer45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, Fla.Deep Impact Mission Science BriefingA mission
science briefing will immediately follow the prelaunch press conference.
Participating will be:Dr. Tom Morgan, Deep Impact Program
ScientistNASA Headquarters, WashingtonDr. Mike A'Hearn, Deep Impact
Principal InvestigatorUniversity of MarylandDr. Don Yeomans,
Co-InvestigatorJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.Dr. Lucy
McFadden, Co-InvestigatorUniversity of MarylandNo post-launch press
conference will be held. A post-launch release will be issued with details
on the state of health of Deep Impact after spacecraft data is received
through the Deep Space Network. This release is expected to be issued
approximately two hours after launch. Accreditation and Media Access
Badges for KSCThose who need press accreditation and access badges to
the Kennedy Space Center to cover the Deep Impact prelaunch press conference
and mission science briefing may do the accreditation process via the Web
by going to: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/Media
may also send a letter of request on news organization letterhead to the
NASA KSC News Center. Include the names and Social Security numbers, birth
dates, nationality and country of citizenship of those who require
accreditation. Letters should be faxed to 321-867-2692 or may be addressed
to:Deep Impact Launch AccreditationNASA XA-EKennedy Space
Center, FL 32899All accreditation for the Deep Impact prelaunch press
conference and mission science briefing to be held at the KSC press site
must be received by the close of business on Monday, Jan. 10. Media may
obtain their NASA access badge at the Pass and Identification Building,
the badging station located on State Road 405 just east of U.S. 1. Contact
the NASA News Center at 321-867-2468 for further information. Remote
Camera Placement at Complex 17Tuesday, Dec. 11: Photographers who wish
to set up remote cameras at the Delta launch complex will be escorted by a
Boeing representative to Pad 17-B. Departure will be at 9 a.m. from the Gate
1 Pass and Identification Building located on State Road 401 outside Gate 1
on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Tower Rollback Photo
Opportunity at Complex 17Wednesday, Jan. 12: There will be an
opportunity to observe rollback of the mobile service tower from around the
Deep Impact/Delta II launch vehicle at Pad 17-B. Media will depart at 5 a.m.
by government bus from the Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building on State
Road 401 outside Gate 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Press
credentials and identification from a bona fide
