News Media Invited To MILA Tracking Station Closure Ceremony

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

July 26, 2011

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

MEDIA ADVISORY: M26-11

NEWS MEDIA INVITED TO MILA TRACKING STATION CLOSURE CEREMONY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Media are invited to a closing ceremony on 
Thursday, July 28, at 10:30 a.m. EDT to recognize 45 years of service 
by the Merritt Island Launch Annex (MILA) Spaceflight Tracking and 
Data Network Station at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Senior officials from Kennedy, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and 
NASA Headquarters will be participating, including many current and 
past employees of the MILA tracking station. The facilities at MILA 
will be open as part of the event.

With the final launch and landing of the Space Shuttle Program this 
month, the MILA Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network Station at 
Kennedy is closing. This historic tracking station was commissioned 
for the Apollo Program and also provided orbital support for low 
earth-orbiting scientific satellites. The first launch it supported 
was the Apollo/Saturn 203 test flight on July 5, 1966, from Launch 
Complex 37.

Media participating in the Thursday event will depart from the Kennedy 
Press Site in government vehicles for the MILA tracking station at 
9:45 a.m.

U.S. media without Kennedy credentials need to apply via the online 
accreditation website at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov  

Applications for media accreditation must be received by noon on 
Wednesday. Accreditation for international journalists is closed. 
Media may obtain their NASA badges at the Kennedy Space Center 
Badging Office located near Gate 3 on State Road 405, just past the 
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Two forms of government-issued 
identification, one with photo, will be required in order to receive 
an access badge to cover the event. The badging office hours are 6 
a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. For further information about 
accreditation, contact Laurel Lichtenberger at 321-867-4036.

The station was originally established by NASA's Goddard Space Flight 
Center as one of 17 Space Flight Tracking and Data Network stations 
around the world. In recent history, the station has been used almost 
exclusively for space shuttle launch and landing support. Many other 
global network ground stations were able to be phased out with the 
beginning of a new era using space-based tracking and the Tracking 
and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system.

Its two signature 30-foot steerable S-band antennas together with a 
pair of UHF antennas have been the primary source of voice, data and 
telemetry for the space shuttle during the first 7 1/2 minutes of 
flight, and later provided the communications for landing beginning 
13 minutes before touchdown.

For more information about the MILA tracking station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/167424main_MILA-08C.pdf

For more information about NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy  

	
-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