David Weaver
Headquarters, Washington                                    
202-358-1600
david.s.weaver@nasa.gov

John Leslie
NOAA Satellite and Information Service, Silver Spring, Md.
301-713-0214
john.leslie@noaa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-216

PRESS INVITED TO VIEW NASA SATELLITE LAUNCH FROM SUITLAND NOAA FACILITY

WASHINGTON -- On Oct. 28, Reporters are invited to join NASA Deputy
Administrator Lori Garver and NOAA Deputy Administrator Kathy
Sullivan to view the launch of the nation's newest Earth-observing
satellite at NOAA's Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md.
Garver and Sullivan will be available for interviews following the
launch.

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System
Preparatory Project, or NPP, is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg
Air Force Base in California between 5:48 a.m. and 5:57 a.m. EDT on
Oct. 28. The launch heralds a new era of climate change science and
weather forecasting for the nation.

Journalists are invited to the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility
Suitland Federal Campus, located at 4321 Suitland Rd. in Suitland to
view the launch. Journalists wanting to attend the launch and
interview Garver and Sullivan should contact NOAA's John Leslie at
john.leslie@noaa.gov or on 301-713-0214. Reporters must arrive at the
facility by 5 a.m. on launch day.

After launch, NPP will be controlled from the operations center, where
NOAA operates 17 U.S. and foreign environmental satellites. Data from
NPP will enable NOAA to continue issuing accurate forecasts and
provide advance warning for severe weather. NPP also will extend
critical long-term data sets that advance Earth system science and
applications supported by NASA, NOAA, and other agencies. NPP
represents a critical first step in preparing for the next-generation
Joint Polar Satellite System that will collect data on long-term
climate change and short-term weather conditions.

For more information about the NPP mission, visit:


http://www.nasa.gov/npp