[Launch Alert] NASA Announces Cassini Mission Coverage
Brian Webb
kd6nrp at earthlink.net
Tue Jun 29 09:04:02 EDT 2004
LAUNCH ALERT
Brian Webb
Ventura County, California
E-mail: kd6nrp at earthlink.net
Web Site: http://www.spacearchive.info
2004 June 29 (Tuesday) 05:53 PDT
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NASA ANNOUNCES CASSINI COVERAGE
NASA Media Advisory
At approximately 10:36 p.m. EDT, June 30, 2004, the Cassini-Huygens
spacecraft arrives at Saturn. After nearly a seven-year journey, it
will be the first mission to orbit Saturn. The international
cooperative mission plans a four-year tour of Saturn, its rings, icy
moons, magnetosphere, and Titan, the planet's largest moon. NASA has
a series of media briefings, live television shots and feeds from
Mission Control scheduled from June 29 to July 3, 2004.
NASA TV COVERAGE
Tuesday, June 29
-- Noon to 1:00 p.m. EDT - News briefing: Saturn mission overview and
status
-- 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. EDT - Live satellite interviews via NASA TV
Wednesday, June 30
-- Noon to 1:00 p.m. EDT - News briefing: final mission status before
Saturn arrival
-- 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EDT - News briefing: "17 countries, 7 years, 1
planet, The International Aspects of Cassini"
-- 5:00 to 5:45 p.m. EDT - "Ringside Chat" press Q&A
-- 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. EDT - Live satellite interviews via NASA TV
-- 9:30 p.m. to 12:40 a.m. July 1 EDT - Live commentary from mission
control of Cassini-Huygens arrival at Saturn
Thursday, July 1
-- 1:00 to 2:00 a.m. EDT - News briefing: Post-Saturn arrival
-- 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. EDT - Live satellite interviews via NASA TV
-- 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. EDT - Live commentary of first images taken
during orbit insertion
-- 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. EDT - News briefing: Cassini Saturn arrival first
pictures
-- 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. EDT - Live satellite interviews via NASA TV
Friday, July 2
-- 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EDT - News briefing on preliminary science
results
Saturday, July 3
-- News briefing, time TBA, depending on mission science results
The schedule of briefings and other events is subject to change.
Schedules are available in the JPL newsroom and homepage at:
www.jpl.nasa.gov
NASA TV is available on AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85
degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is
vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz. For information about
NASA TV or to view live webcasts on the Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
INTERNET COVERAGE
For mission news and images on the Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/cassini
Information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, including an electronic
copy of the press kit, press releases, fact sheets, status reports,
briefing schedules and images, is available on the Internet at:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov
To convert the above times to other time zones or to UTC, go to
http://www.spacearchive.info/utc.htm. Certain information intended
for the news media only has been omitted. - Editor
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THURSDAY ASTEROID OCCULTATION
On the morning of July 1 observers within a narrow strip of the
Southwest have an opportunity to see an asteroid occult a semi-bright
star. At 02:54 PDT (09:54 UTC) the +12.5 magnitude asteroid 559 Nanon
will pass in front of TYC 6288-01139-1, a +8.6 magnitude star.
Individuals within the track may see the star briefly disappear or
dim. Properly equipped observers at dark sites outside of the path
could see a near miss as the asteroid passes very close to TYC
6288-01139-1.
For more information, go to:
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2004_07/0701_559_1808.htm
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MINUTEMAN III LAUNCHED
A Minuteman III strategic missile was successfully launched from
Vandenberg AFB early last Wednesday morning (June 23). The following
are press releases and an eyewitness account regarding the event.
Successful Launch
Vandenberg AFB News Release
Vandenberg Air Force base, calif. – An unarmed Minuteman III
intercontinental ballistic missile was successfully launched from
North Vandenberg at 1:32 a.m. today.
The launch was a team effort by members of the 30th Space Wing and the
576th Flight Test Squadron here and the 341st Space Wing from
Malmstrom AFB, Mont. The spacelift commander for this mission was
Col. Frank Gallegos. Lt. Col. Anthony Blaylock, 576th FLTS Commander,
was the mission director.
Members of the 576th FLTS installed tracking, telemetry and command
destruct systems on the missile to collect data and meet safety
requirements.
The mission was part of the Force Development Evaluation Program,
which tests the reliability and accuracy of the weapons system.
Members of the 341st SW, led by 1st Lt. Scott Ryan, launched the
missile under the direction of 576th FLTS test conductors.
The mission was the last for outgoing 595th Space Group Commander,
Col. Michael Carey.
The missile’s unarmed re-entry vehicle traveled approximately 4,200
miles in about 30 minutes, hitting a pre-determined target at the
Kwajalein Missile Range in the western chain of the Marshall Islands.
USS PAUL HAMILTON (DDG 60) Moves Homeland
Missile Defense Closer to Reality
Missile Defense Agency News Release
Sailors from the Pearl Harbor-based USS PAUL HAMILTON (DDG 60) brought
missile defense closer to reality early Wednesday morning. The ship’s
Aegis Weapon System and SPY-1 Radar detected and tracked an unarmed
U.S. Air Force Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile
launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The ship weapon
system detected the friendly missile when it came above the horizon
and tracked it for approximately 700 miles. The AEGIS Ballistic
Missile Defense (BMD) successfully transmitted Minuteman III
trajectory data through the Ballistic Missile Defense Communications
system to the Ballistic Missile Defense command and control center at
the Joint National Integration Center in Colorado and to the Ground
Based Midcourse Defense fire control system.
The AEGIS BMD is part of the Ballistic Missile Defense System being
developed by the Missile Defense Agency, in cooperation with the U.S.
Navy. The U.S. Air Force missile launch was an opportunity to test
the ship’s ability to provide surveillance and tracking of
intercontinental ballistic missiles. When the Ballistic Missile
Defense System is initially deployed later this year, the AEGIS
weapon system data will provide fire control information to enable
launch of a Ground Based Interceptor for homeland defense.
PAUL HAMILTON is one of five Pacific fleet guided missile destroyers
that will be outfitted this calendar year with the AEGIS BMD equipment
and computer programs as part of the initial deployment of a limited
missile defense capability. MDA and the U.S. Navy will ultimately
outfit 15 Navy destroyers with this long-range surveillance and track
capability. In addition, three Navy cruisers will be outfitted with
an ability to engage short and medium range ballistic missiles with
the STANDARD Missile –3.
Launch Observation
Jim Albers observed the launch from Mountain View in northern
California and sent the following report:
"Picked it up as it clear the trees at about (170,10) below the left
side of Sagittarius and started following it with binoculars. Flame
color was red/purple and a dim several degree trail was visible as it
gained some elevation. Shortly thereafter, there was a staging event
just to the right of M7 (188,18) causing a short interruption of the
flame and a quick radial expansion of the trail. Missile continued to
the right and slightly upward passing near Bet Sco (216,22). It
continued for a number of degrees after that and then there was
another quick radial expansion of the trail and the flame faded
within a few seconds."
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Copyright © 2004 Brian Webb. All rights reserved. This newsletter may
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reprinted elsewhere without permission if the source is clearly
identified as follows:
Reprinted from Launch Alert (www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm)
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