NASA Ames Hosts Screening Event for Launch to the Moon

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — News media and the public are invited to observe a live broadcast of the launch of NASA’s Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and hear presentations from NASA experts starting at 11:30 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 in the Exploration Center at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The launch window begins at 12:51 p.m. PDT.

The LCROSS spacecraft will launch as a companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The LCROSS mission is one of the first steps to return humans to the moon and will help scientists determine whether water ice exists in the permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles.

In addition to the broadcast, Kimberly Ennico, LCROSS payload scientist at NASA Ames, will be available for interviews, and Michael Bicay, director of science at NASA Ames, David Morrison, director of the NASA Lunar Science Institute at NASA Ames and Liza Coe, education and public outreach coordinator at NASA Ames, will discuss the scientific significance of finding water on the moon and opportunities for the public to participate in the LCROSS mission.

WHAT: An opportunity to watch the live broadcast of the launch of NASA’s LCROSS spacecraft and hear presentations to learn more about the mission.

WHEN: 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. PDT, Wednesday, June 17, 2009.

– 11:30 a.m. PDT: The pre-launch program begins.
– 11:50 a.m. PDT: Michael Bicay, director of science at NASA Ames, will give an LCROSS mission overview.
– 12:10 p.m. PDT: David Morrison, director of the NASA Lunar Science Institute, will discuss LCROSS mission science.
– 12:30 p.m. PDT: Liza Coe, education and public outreach coordinator, will talk about opportunities for the public to participate in the LCROSS mission. – 12:51 p.m. PDT: LCROSS launch window opens.

WHERE: NASA Ames’ Exploration Center, located at the main gate, Moffett Field. To reach NASA Ames, take U.S. Highway 101 to the Moffett Field, NASA Parkway exit and drive east on Moffett Boulevard towards the main gate and bear right into the parking lot. The Exploration Center is located in the large white dome.

For information about LCROSS, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/LCROSS

To view the launch on NASA Television online, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv