[sarex] NASA'S MARS & COMET MISSION COVERAGE

[Arthur Z Rowe <n1orc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington                    Dec. 30, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1726)

Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone: 818/354-6278)

NOTE TO EDITORS: N03-143

NASA'S MARS & COMET MISSION COVERAGE

     On Jan. 3, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project will 
deliver the first mobile laboratory to the surface of Mars. The 
rover will perform robotic geological fieldwork that may reveal 
a history of water on Mars. On Jan. 2, 2004, NASA's Stardust 
spacecraft will have a close encounter with comet Wild 2, 
deploying a collector to catch particles for return to Earth.

NASA's first rover, Spirit, will arrive at Mars at 
approximately 11:35 p.m. EST Jan. 3. Information about the Mars 
Exploration Rover mission is available online at:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/merlandings.pdf

JPL NEWSROOM OPERATING HOURS (ALL TIMES EST)
Dec. 31closed
Jan. 1, 2004closed
Jan. 2, 200410 a.m. to midnight
Jan. 3, 200410 a.m. thru 3 a.m. Jan. 5 
Jan. 5, 20049 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

Press conferences will be conducted at JPL starting today on 
the Stardust and Mars missions. Information about both missions 
is available at: 

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Briefing Schedule (ALL TIMES EST): 
Today:
- News briefing, Stardust pre-flyby overview, 2 to 3 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 2
-- News briefing, Mars science overview, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 
p.m.
-- Live coverage of Stardust flyby, 2 p.m.
-- News briefing, Mars rover mission overview, 12:30 to 1:30 
p.m.
-- News briefing, Stardust flyby, 6 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 3
-- News briefing, Spirit landing status, 3 to 4 p.m.
-- News briefing, Mars program overview, 6 to 7 p.m.
-- Live Mars rover mission coverage begins, 9:45 p.m.
-- Spirit Mars landing, NET 11:35 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 4
-- News briefing, Spirit landing, 12:30 to 1:30 a.m.
-- Other news briefings, times TBD

NASA TV will provide extensive mission coverage. NASA TV is 
available on AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 
degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. 
Polarization is vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz. 
Audio only of coverage is available by calling: 321/867-
1220/1240/1260/7135. TV schedule:

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

Visit the multimedia "M2K4" Mars mission Web site for photos, 
videos and extensive information about NASA's quest to explore 
the dangerous and mysterious red planet:

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/m2k4/frameset.html

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, 
Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's 
Office of Space Science, Washington.

For information about NASA and agency missions on the Internet, 
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov


-end-

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