[Launch Alert] Mars Mission Coverage

Thu Mar 9 08:13:58 EST 2006

                             LAUNCH ALERT

			            Brian Webb
		         Ventura County, California
		         E-mail: kd6nrp at earthlink.net
	         Web Site: http://www.spacearchive.info

				             2006 March 9 (Thursday) 05:05 PST
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         NASA ANNOUNCES MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER COVERAGE

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter begins the most critical minutes of
its flight on March 10. NASA is providing mission briefings and
commentary March 8 and 10.

Live coverage of the arrival at Mars originates from NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., on NASA TV and the Web.

Live arrival and orbit insertion commentary airs on NASA TV and the
Web on March 10 beginning at 12:30 p.m. PST. The orbiter's main
engines begin firing shortly after 1:24 PST to slow it enough for
Martian gravity to grab it into orbit. Commentary ends at
approximately 2:45 p.m. PST.

News briefings from JPL will be carried on the Web and NASA TV (all
times PST and subject to change):

Wednesday, March 8:

- 10 a.m. PST, mission overview news briefing

Friday, March 10:

- 9 a.m. PST, pre-arrival news briefing

- 4:30 p.m. PST, post-arrival news briefing

Mission information, including a press kit, news releases, status
reports, briefing schedule, videos and images, is available on the Web
at:

   http://www.nasa.gov/mro

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:

   http://www.nasa.gov/home

NASA TV is carried on the Web and on an MPEG-2 digital signal accessed
via satellite AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C,
4040 MHz, vertical polarization. It's available in Alaska and Hawaii
on AMC-7 at 137 degrees west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz,
horizontal polarization. The schedule for mission coverage is on the
Web at:

   http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Breaking.html

The above information was adapted from a NASA media advisory.

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                       NEXT VANDENBERG LAUNCH

The next Vandenberg AFB missile launch is a Pegasus XL carrying the
ST5 satellites on March 14. An L-1011 jumbo jet will carry the vehicle
from Vandenberg AFB to the drop point high above the Pacific
southwest of Monterey.

The Pegasus is slated for release from the L-1011 at 06:02 PST during
a launch window that extends from 05:57:21 to 07:19:50 PST. A weak
visual display may be in store for coastal southern California as
sunlight illuminates the rocket's exhaust plume during morning
twilight.

For information regarding launch viewing and photography, refer to the
following pages:

   www.spacearchive.info/vafbview.htm

   www.spacearchive.info/vafbphoto.htm

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            NASA ANNOUNCES ST5 SPACECRAFT LAUNCH COVERAGE

NASA's Space Technology 5 (ST5) spacecraft is scheduled for launch at
6:02 a.m., PST, Tuesday, March 14 from Vandenberg Air Force Base,
Calif. NASA TV coverage begins at 4:30 a.m. PST. The following events
are also scheduled and subject to change:

- NASA TV airs live prelaunch news conference 1 p.m. PST, Sunday,
  March 12 from Vandenberg.

- NASA Direct, the Kennedy Space Center Internet broadcasting network,
  prelaunch webcast from Vandenberg at 4 p.m. PST, Sunday, March 12.
  It will include interviews with representatives from NASA's Goddard
  Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. and the Jet Propulsion
  Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Experts will also take part in a
  question-and-answer session discussing the goals, science and
  technology involved in the ST5 mission. The NASA Direct question
  board closes at 8 a.m. PST, Thursday, March 9.

- Kennedy's Virtual Launch Control Center provides launch day coverage
  starting at 4:30 a.m. PST, Tuesday, March 14. Coverage features
  real-time countdown milestone updates, streaming video clips
  highlighting mission preparation and launch activities.

The ST5 mission is to study the Earth's magnetic fields. It will be
carried into low-Earth orbit aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL
rocket. The rocket is air-launched from a modified L-1011 jumbo jet
owned and operated by Orbital.

Once in orbit, ST5 will deploy three micro-satellites. ST5 will
flight-validate innovative technology concepts to reduce risks to
future science missions. It will demonstrate the ability of small
satellites to perform research-quality science by taking measurements
of Earth's magnetic field using highly sensitive magnetometers.

To view ST5 launch and mission coverage on the Web, visit:

   http://www.nasa.gov/st5

NASA TV's Public, Education and Media channels are available on an
MPEG-2 digital C-band signal accessed via satellite AMC-6, at 72
degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, vertical
polarization. In Alaska and Hawaii, they're on AMC-7 at 137 degrees
west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, horizontal
polarization. For digital downlink information, visit:

   http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:

   http://www.nasa.gov/home

The above information was adapted from a NASA Media Advisory

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                          DESERT EXCURSION

An excursion to the desert north of Ridgecrest is tentatively planned
for Saturday, March 25. Activities will include astrophotography and
evaluation of a very long antenna.

The antenna, which will be either 1,200 or 2,400 feet in length, will
be used to test its suitability for receiving shortwave time signals
at very long distances.

The area in question is a 3-1/2 hour drive north of the San Fernando
Valley and is far enough from Los Angeles, Lancaster, and Palmdale to
almost qualify as truly dark. This makes it a good location for either
visual astronomy or astrophotography.

If you're an astronomy or radio enthusiast and would like to be part
of this event, please e-mail the editor at kd6nrp at earthlink.net.

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