[meteorite-list] NASA Offers Media Access To Curiosity on August 12

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Aug 2011 16:41:41 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201108092341.p79Nff5h020989_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

August 09, 2011

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov

George H. Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
george.h.diller at nasa.gov

Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-6278
guy.w.webster at jpl.nasa.gov


MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-166

NASA OFFERS MEDIA ACCESS TO MARS-BOUND ROVER ON AUG. 12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's next Mars rover, the Mars Science
Laboratory (MSL) known as Curiosity, will be the focus of a media
opportunity at 7 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 12, at NASA's Kennedy Space
Center in Florida.

News media representatives will have an opportunity to photograph the
rover and interview project and launch program officials during the
event at Kennedy's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Curiosity
will be integrated later with its descent stage, which will take it
to the Martian surface. The MSL mission is targeted to launch Nov. 25
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Complex 41 aboard a United
Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

For the Aug. 12 event, journalists must arrive at the Kennedy Press
Site no later than 7 a.m. for transportation to the facility. They
will return to the Press Site by 10:15 a.m. No more than two
representatives from a media organization will be allowed to
participate because of limited space.

The deadline to apply for accreditation is Thursday, Aug. 11 at noon.
Government photo identification, such as a driver's license or
passport, will be required to receive a badge. Journalists who are
foreign nationals may attend only if they possess a permanently-
issued NASA media accreditation picture badge from Kennedy Space
Center, or a Kennedy-issued white badge with an affixed green dot.
Hours of the Kennedy Badging Office located on State Road 405 east of
the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex are 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Journalists needing accreditation should apply online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

Reporters should call the Kennedy update phone line at 321-867-2525 on
Thursday evening to confirm the event date and time have not changed.

Curiosity will use 10 science instruments to investigate whether the
selected area inside Gale crater was ever habitable or provided
conditions favorable for microbial life. The rover's drill will pull
samples from rocks' interiors so other instruments aboard can analyze
them for evidence about past environments and the presence of
chemical ingredients for life. The rover's payload also includes
color cameras, a laser that will analyze rocks from a distance to
detect their composition, and sensors that monitor weather, water and
high-energy radiation.

Individuals entering the cleanroom where the spacecraft is being
prepared for launch must follow procedures for optically sensitive
spacecraft. Full cleanroom attire (bunny suits) will be furnished and
must be worn. Participants may not wear perfume, cologne or makeup.
Long pants and closed-toe shoes must be worn -- no shorts or skirts.

Photographers will need to clean camera equipment under the
supervision of contamination-control specialists. All camera
equipment must be self-contained. No portable lights are allowed.
Non-essential equipment such as suede, leather or vinyl camera bags
or other carrying cases must be left outside the cleanroom. No
notebook paper, pencils, or conventional pens are permitted. Special
pens and cleanroom paper will be provided. No food, tobacco, chewing
gum, lighters, matches or pocketknives will be allowed. Use of
wireless microphones and cellular telephones is not allowed inside
the cleanroom. Electronic flash will be permitted. The lighting in
the facility is high-pressure sodium (orange).

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., manages the MSL
mission. The launch is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program
(LSP) at Kennedy. Spokespeople from JPL and LSP will be available for
questions and interviews.

For more information about MSL, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/msl
        
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Received on Tue 09 Aug 2011 07:41:41 PM PDT