Jun 1 2011
From The Space Library
MEDIA ADVISORY: 11-109 TWEETUP AT NASA'S Jet Propulsion Laboratory PREVIEWS 2011 MISSIONS PASADENA, Calif. --
News media representatives are invited to cover a Tweetup hosted by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., on Monday, June 6. More than 100 NASA Twitter followers, who registered in April, will attend the event. With four NASA/JPL space missions launching in 2011 and an asteroid belt encounter nearly under way, this year will be one of the busiest ever in planetary exploration. Tweetup participants will interact with JPL scientists and engineers about these upcoming missions: Aquarius, to study ocean salinity; Grail, to study the moon's gravity field; Juno to Jupiter; and the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity rover. Tweetup participants also will learn about the Dawn mission and its planned encounter with the asteroid Vesta. The Tweetup will take place from approximately 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PDT. It will include a tour of JPL, hands-on demonstrations and a last chance to see the Curiosity rover before it ships to Florida for its launch in the fall. Tour stops will include the Spacecraft Assembly Facility, where Curiosity is undergoing assembly and testing, the mission control center of NASA's Deep Space Network, and JPL's new Earth Science Center. NASA's first Tweetup was held at JPL on Jan. 21, 2009, and NASA Headquarters held its first on July 21, 2009. The most recent event was at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the space shuttle Endeavour's final launch. Following JPL's June event, the next NASA Tweetup will be July 7-8 at Kennedy for the Space Shuttle Program's final launch.
MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-108 NASA'S SHUTTLE ATLANTIS AT LAUNCH PAD, LIFTOFF PRACTICE SET
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- After safely reaching its launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Atlantis awaits the next major milestone for its upcoming STS-135 mission to the International Space Station, the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program. The mission with four veteran astronauts is targeted to launch July 8. Atlantis arrived at the pad early Wednesday morning on top of a giant crawler-transporter. The crawler-transporter left Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building at 8:42 p.m. EDT Tuesday, May 31, and travelled less than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The shuttle was secured on the launch pad at 3:29 a.m. Wednesday. Reporters are invited to cover a launch dress rehearsal, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), scheduled at Kennedy from June 20 to 23. The TCDT provides Atlantis' astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. During the TCDT, media will have the opportunity to tour shuttle Discovery and interview experts from inside the spacecraft on June 21. Discovery currently is being decommissioned and prepared for display at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The following media events are associated with the TCDT. All times are Eastern Daylight Time. -- June 20: STS-135 crew arrival: The astronauts will arrive at approximately 4:45 p.m. at the Shuttle Landing Facility and make a statement. NASA Television will broadcast the arrival live. -- June 21: Discovery Media Day: Interview and photo opportunities will be held throughout the day in Orbiter Processing Facility-2. Shuttle experts will be available for interviews from Discovery's crew compartment. -- June 22: STS-135 crew media availability: The crew will take media questions at Launch Pad 39A at 8:40 a.m. NASA TV will carry the session live. -- June 23: STS-135 crew walkout photo opportunity: The astronauts will depart from the Operations and Checkout Building at 7:45 a.m. in their launch entry suits in preparation for the countdown demonstration test at the launch pad. The walkout will be part of the NASA TV Video File, but not covered live.
'
'
