NASA News <br />National Aeronautics and<br />Space Administration<br /><br /><br />John F. Kennedy Space Center<br />Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899<br />AC 321-867-2468<br />____________________________________________________________________________<br />_______________________________<br />For Release: June 24, 2003 <br /><br /><br />Don Savage <br />NASA Headquarters <br />202/358-1727<br /><br /><br />George H. Diller<br />Kennedy Space Center<br />321/867-2468<br /><br /><br />Guy Webster<br />Jet Propulsion Laboratory<br />818/354-6278<br /> <br /><br /><br />KSC Release No: 50-03 <br /><br /><br />REVISED NOTE TO EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:<br />"OPPORTUNITY" MARS EXPLORATION ROVER TARGETED FOR LAUNCH JUNE 28 <br /><br /><br /> The second of two Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity, is targeted<br />for launch on Saturday, June 28 at 11:56:16 p.m. EDT. Liftoff will occur<br />aboard the Boeing Delta II Heavy launch vehicle from Pad B at Space Launch<br />Complex 17 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A second launch opportunity<br />exists at 12:37:59 a.m. EDT, if necessary. Should launch be delayed by 24<br />hours, the two launch times available are 11:46:14 p.m. and 12:28:07 a.m.<br />EDT. The window of the planetary launch period extends through July 15.<br /><br /><br /> Opportunity will reach Mars on Jan. 25, 2004. Together the two MER<br />rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, seek to determine the history of climate and<br />water at two sites on Mars where conditions may once have been favorable to<br />life. The rovers are identical. Each rover carries five scientific<br />instruments including a panoramic camera and microscope, plus a rock<br />abrasion tool that will grind away the outer surfaces of rocks to expose<br />their interiors for examination. The rovers each weigh approximately 400<br />pounds. They will navigate themselves around obstacles as they drive across<br />the Martian surface, traveling up to about 130 feet each Martian day. Each<br />rover's prime mission is planned to last three months on Mars.<br /> <br /><br /><br />PRELAUNCH PRESS CONFERENCE<br /><br /><br /> The prelaunch press conference is scheduled for L-1 day, Friday,<br />June 27 at 1 p.m. EDT in the KSC News Center auditorium and will be carried<br />live on NASA Television. Participating in the briefing will be:<br /><br /><br />Dr. Ed Weiler, Associate Administrator, Office of Space Science<br />NASA Headquarters<br /><br /><br />Omar Baez, NASA launch director<br />NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center<br /><br /><br />Kris Walsh, Boeing director for NASA programs<br />Boeing Expendable Launch Systems<br /><br /><br />Peter Theisinger, Mars Exploration Rover project manager<br />Jet Propulsion Laboratory<br /><br /><br />Dr. Cathy Weitz, Mars Exploration Rover program scientist<br />NASA Headquarters<br /><br /><br />Dr. Steve Squyers, Mars Exploration Rover principal investigator<br />Cornell University<br /><br /><br />Joel Tumbiolo, launch weather officer<br />45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station<br /><br /><br />No post-launch press conference will be held.<br /><br /><br />ACCREDITATION<br /><br /><br /> Media not already accredited for the MER-B/Opportunity prelaunch<br />press conference and launch day activities should send a letter of request<br />to the NASA-KSC News Center on news organization letterhead. It should<br />include full legal name, Social Security number, birth date, birthplace and<br />country of citizenship. Accreditation requests must be received by the<br />close of business on Thursday, June 26. Letters may be faxed to<br />321-867-2692 or addressed to: <br /> <br />MER-B Launch Accreditation<br />NASA XA-E1<br />Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899<br /> <br />For further information on MER-B launch accreditation, contact Diana Boles<br />or Cynthia Pettiford at the NASA-KSC News Center at 321-867-2468.<br /><br /><br /> Badges for access to the NASA-KSC News Center may be obtained at<br />Gate 3 on State Road 405, just east of U.S. 1 south of Titusville through<br />Friday, June 27 between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Badges issued for MER-A are not<br />valid.<br /><br /><br />On launch day, June 28, badges to cover the MER-B launch from the Trident<br />Bluff press viewing area will be issued to all media starting at 10:30 p.m.<br />at the Pass and Identification Building on State Road 401 outside Gate 1 of<br />Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Proof of identification and news media<br />affiliation will be required. Departure for the Trident Bluff press viewing<br />area will be at 10:45 p.m. After launch, media will be escorted back to<br />Gate 1. An escort is required for all areas of the Kennedy Space Center and<br />Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. <br /><br /><br /> <br />L-1 DAY SET UP OF REMOTE CAMERAS<br /><br /><br /> Media wishing to establish remote cameras at the launch pad should<br />meet at the Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building of Cape Canaveral Air<br />Force Station on State Road 401 on Friday, June 27, at 9:45 a.m. to be<br />escorted to Space Launch Complex 17.<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br />LAUNCH DAY PAD PHOTO OPPORTUNITY<br /><br /><br /> A photo opportunity at Space Launch Complex 17 of the MER-B launch<br />vehicle on the pad will be provided on Saturday afternoon upon rollback of<br />the mobile service tower. Media wishing to attend should be at the Gate 1<br />Pass and Identification Building of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on<br />State Road 401 at 3 p.m.<br /><br /><br />PRESS SITE OPERATING HOURS ON LAUNCH DAY<br /><br /><br />The NASA-KSC News Center will not open on Saturday, June 28 until launch<br />occurs. It will then remain open until the spacecraft's complete state of<br />health can be confirmed. This information is anticipated about two and one<br />half hours after liftoff.<br /><br /><br />NASA TELEVISION COVERAGE, "V" CIRCUITS, AND LAUNCH STATUS<br /><br /><br /> NASA Television will carry the prelaunch press conference beginning<br />at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 27. Two-way question-and-answer capability will<br />be available from other NASA field centers. There will not be a post-launch<br />press conference.<br /><br /><br /> For launch, commentary will begin at 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 28<br />for a liftoff at 11:56:16 p.m. Coverage will conclude after acquisition of<br />the spacecraft by the Deep Space Network no earlier than one hour forty<br />minutes after launch, at which time the spacecraft's initial state of health<br />will be reported. <br /><br /><br /> NASA Television is available on satellite AMC-2, transponder 9C,<br />located at 85 degrees West longitude. <br /><br /><br /> Audio only of NASA Television coverage of the prelaunch news<br />conference and launch commentary will be available on the "V" circuits which<br />may be dialed directly at 321/867-1220, 867-1240, 867-1260, 867-7135. <br /> <br />The NASA-KSC News Center codaphone carries recorded MER-B prelaunch status<br />reports daily that may be dialed at 321-867-2525.<br /><br /><br />"NASA DIRECT!" WEB COVERAGE<br /><br /><br />The Kennedy Space Center's Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) coverage will<br />include special webcasts on NASA Direct!<br /><br /><br />For more information on the MER-B/Opportunity web activities, go to <br /><br /><br /><http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/merb/index.htm><br /><br /><br /> For a detailed NASA Direct! event calendar, go to:<br /><br /><br /><http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/nasadirect/index.htm><br /><br /><br />Information about the MER missions is available online at:<br /><br /><br /><http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/>