NASA's Glory Satellite Rescheduled for Launch March 4

[KSC News Center <ksc@mediaservices.nasa.gov>]

March 1, 2011

George H. Diller
NASA Vandenberg Resident Office, Calif.
805-605-3051
george.h.diller@nasa.gov 

Steve Cole
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-0918 
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov 

Sarah DeWitt
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-0535
sarah.l.dewitt@nasa.gov 

MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-11

NASA'S GLORY SATELLITE RESCHEDULED FOR LAUNCH MARCH 4

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. -- The launch of NASA's Glory spacecraft aboard 
an Orbital Sciences Taurus XL rocket has been rescheduled for Friday, 
March 4. Technical issues with ground support equipment associated 
with the Taurus XL that scrubbed the Feb. 23 launch attempt have been 
resolved.

Liftoff will be from Space Launch Complex 576E at Vandenberg Air Force 
Base (VAFB), Calif. Launch is targeted for 5:09:43 a.m. EST (2:09:43 
a.m. PST) in the middle of a 48-second launch window. The 
spacecraft's final polar orbit will be 438 nautical miles (508 
statute miles) at an inclination of 98.2 degrees.

Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand 
how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect 
Earth's climate. Both aerosols and solar energy influence the 
planet's energy budget, which is the amount of energy entering and 
exiting Earth's atmosphere. An accurate measurement of these impacts 
is important in order to anticipate future changes to our climate and 
how they may affect human life.

The first of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, 
missions also will be launched on the Taurus XL. These auxiliary 
payloads are small satellites called CubeSats. Each is designed and 
created by university and college students. Three satellites will be 
deployed on ELaNa-1.

ACCREDITATION

News media desiring accreditation for the launch of Glory should fax 
their requests on news organization letterhead to:

1st Lt. Ann K. Blodzinski
30th Space Wing Public Affairs Office
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. 

FAX: 805-606-8303
Telephone: 805-606-3595
E-mail: ann.blodzinski@vandenberg.af.mil

Information required for U.S. media is full legal name, date of birth 
and media affiliation.

REMOTE CAMERAS

Thursday, March 3: Media photographers desiring to establish 
sound-activated remote cameras at the launch pad should meet at the 
pass and identification building located at the Vandenberg main gate 
on California State Road 1 at 9:45 a.m. to be escorted to the launch 
pad.

LAUNCH DAY MEDIA COVERAGE

Friday, March 4: Media covering the Glory/Taurus XL launch should meet 
at 1:15 a.m. at the Vandenberg main gate located on California State 
Road 1 to be escorted to the press viewing site. Press credentials 
and identification from a bona fide news organization will be 
required for access. A driver's license alone will not be sufficient.

After launch, media will be escorted back to the gate. Media 
interested in speaking with launch officials will be escorted to the 
NASA Mission Director's Center for an interview opportunity after 
spacecraft separation occurs.

NASA TELEVISION COVERAGE

On launch day, March 4, NASA TV commentary coverage of the countdown 
will begin at 3:30 a.m. EST (12:30 a.m. PST). Liftoff is targeted for 
5:09:43 a.m. EST (2:09:43 a.m. PST). Spacecraft separation from the 
Taurus occurs 13 minutes after launch.

For information on receiving NASA TV, go to:

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

VOICE CIRCUIT COVERAGE

To monitor audio of the launch coverage, dial the NASA "V" circuits, 
which may be accessed directly at 321-867-1220....1240....1260. 
"Mission Audio" of countdown activities without NASA launch 
commentary will be carried on 321-867-7135 beginning at 3:30 a.m. EST 
(12:30 a.m. PST). 

WEB COVERAGE

Launch coverage of Glory/Taurus XL countdown activities will be 
available on the NASA website by going to the home page at:

http://www.nasa.gov  

Live countdown coverage on NASA's launch blog begins at 3:30 a.m. EST 
(12:30 a.m. PST). Coverage features real-time updates of countdown 
milestones, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch 
preparations and liftoff.

To access these features, go to NASA's Glory mission website at:

http://www.nasa.gov/glory

NASA GLORY/TAURUS XL NEWS CENTER

The Glory/Taurus News Center at the NASA Vandenberg Resident Office is 
currently staffed. To speak with a NASA Public Affairs Officer, call 
805-605-3051. A recorded status report will also be available by 
dialing 805-734-2693.

Project management for Glory is the responsibility of NASA's Goddard 
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The launch management for the 
mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at 
the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orbital Sciences Corporation of 
Dulles, Va., is the launch service provider of the four-stage Taurus 
XL rocket and is also builder of the Glory satellite for Goddard. 

	
-end-



To subscribe to the list, send a message to: 
ksc-subscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov