Launch of NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft is scheduled for Jan. 12,
2005, at about 1:48 p.m. EST. Liftoff will occur aboard a Boeing
Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,
Fla. On July 4, 2005, the Deep Impact spacecraft will arrive at Comet
Tempel 1.
Comets are time capsules that hold clues about the formation and
evolution of the Solar System. They are composed of ice, gas and
dust, primitive debris from the Solar System’s distant and coldest
regions that formed 4.5 billion years ago.
Deep Impact is comprised of two parts, a “fly-by” spacecraft and a
smaller “impactor” to be released into the comet’s path for a planned
collision. On impact, the crater produced by the impactor is expected
to range in size from that of a house to that of a football field and
will be from two to fourteen stories deep. Ice and dust debris will
be ejected from the crater, revealing the material beneath. The
effects of the collision with the comet will be observed by the
fly-by spacecraft, the Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra great
observatories, and by telescopes on Earth. Results from the mission
will lead to a better understanding of comets and the Solar System’s
formation.
Prelaunch Press Conference
The prelaunch press conference will be held at the NASA News Center at
KSC on Tuesday, Jan. 11, at 1 p.m. EST. Participating in the briefing
will be:
Orlando Figueroa, Director, Solar System Exploration Division
NASA Headquarters, Washington
Omar Baez, NASA Launch Director/NASA Launch Manager
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Kris Walsh, Director of NASA Programs
Boeing Expendable Launch Systems, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Rick Grammier, Deep Impact Project Manager
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Monte Henderson, Deputy Program Manager
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, Colo.
Joel Tumbiolo, USAF Delta II Launch Weather Officer
45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Deep Impact Mission Science Briefing
A mission science briefing will immediately follow the prelaunch press
conference. Participating will be:
Dr. Tom Morgan, Deep Impact Program Scientist
NASA Headquarters, Washington
Dr. Mike A’Hearn, Deep Impact Principal Investigator
University of Maryland
Dr. Don Yeomans, Co-Investigator
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Dr. Lucy McFadden, Co-Investigator
University of Maryland
No post-launch press conference will be held. A post-launch release
will be issued with details on the state of health of Deep Impact
after spacecraft data is received through the Deep Space Network.
This release is expected to be issued approximately two hours after
launch.
Accreditation and Media Access Badges for KSC
Those who need press accreditation and access badges to the Kennedy
Space Center to cover the Deep Impact prelaunch press conference and
mission science briefing may do the accreditation process via the Web
by going to: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/
Media may also send a letter of request on news organization
letterhead to the NASA KSC News Center. Include the names and Social
Security numbers, birth dates, nationality and country of citizenship
of those who require accreditation. Letters should be faxed to
321-867-2692 or may be addressed to:
Deep Impact Launch Accreditation
NASA XA-E
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
All accreditation for the Deep Impact prelaunch press conference and
mission science briefing to be held at the KSC press site must be
received by the close of business on Monday, Jan. 10. Media may
obtain their NASA access badge at the Pass and Identification
Building, the badging station located on State Road 405 just east of
U.S. 1. Contact the NASA News Center at 321-867-2468 for further
information.
Remote Camera Placement at Complex 17
Tuesday, Dec. 11: Photographers who wish to set up remote cameras at
the Delta launch complex will be escorted by a Boeing representative
to Pad 17-B. Departure will be at 9 a.m. from the Gate 1 Pass and
Identification Building located on State Road 401 outside Gate 1 on
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Tower Rollback Photo Opportunity at Complex 17
Wednesday, Jan. 12: There will be an opportunity to observe rollback
of the mobile service tower from around the Deep Impact/Delta II
launch vehicle at Pad 17-B. Media will depart at 5 a.m. by government
bus from the Gate 1 Pass and Identification Building on State Road
401 outside Gate 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Press
credentials and identification from a bona fide news organization
will be required.
Launch Day Press Site Access to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Wednesday, Jan. 12: Media covering the Deep Impact launch will be able
to obtain press access badges beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Gate 1
Pass and Identification Building on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
located on State Road 401. Press credentials and identification from
a bona fide news organization will be required to obtain an access
badge. A driver’s license alone will not be sufficient.
Departure in a vehicle caravan from Gate 1 to Press Site 1 will be at
12:15 p.m.
News Center Hours for Launch
The NASA News Center at KSC will open for Deep Impact news operations
starting Monday, Jan. 10, from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage
A prelaunch webcast is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 10. For
more information, go to the NASA Direct Web site at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/launch/event.html
NASA Television launch coverage will be webcast at:
Live information updates will be available through Kennedy Space
Cente’s Virtual Launch Control Center at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/launch/vlcc.html
NASA Television Coverage
On Tuesday, Jan. 11, NASA Television will carry live the Deep Impact
prelaunch press conference and mission science briefing beginning at
1 p.m. EST. On Wednesday, Jan. 12, NASA Television coverage of the
launch will begin at 11:30 a.m. EST and conclude approximately one
hour after launch, once data from the Deep Space Network confirms the
spacecraft’s solar arrays have successfully deployed.
In the continental United States, NASA Television is on AMC-6,
Transponder 9 located at 72 degrees West longitude. In Alaska and
Hawaii, all Deep Impact events will be on AMC-7 Transponder 18
located at 137 degrees West longitude.
Audio only of the prelaunch press conference and the launch coverage
will be carried on the NASA V circuits which may be accessed by
dialing 321/867-1220… 1240… 1260. On launch day, “Mission Audio,”
countdown activities without NASA launch commentary, will be carried
on 321/867-7135. It will also be available on local amateur radio
frequency 146.940 Mhz which can be heard throughout Brevard County.
Recorded status reports on the launch of Deep Impact and updates to
the Media Advisory will be provided on the KSC news media codaphone
starting Saturday, Jan. 8. The telephone number is 321/867-2525.
The management of the Deep Impact launch is the responsibility of
NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center, Fla., with the Delta II launch
service provided by Boeing Expendable Launch Systems in Huntington
Beach, Calif. The spacecraft was built for NASA by Ball Aerospace and
Technologies Corporation, Boulder, Co. Deep Impact Project Management
is by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
