[meteorite-list] NASA Announces Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Coverage

[Ron Baalke]

March 3, 2006

Dwayne Brown/Merrilee Fellows
Headquarters, Washington 
(202) 358-1726/ (818) 393-0754

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

MEDIA ADVISORY: 06-037

NASA ANNOUNCES MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER COVERAGE

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter begins the most critical minutes of 
its flight on March 10. NASA is providing mission briefings and 
commentary March 8 and 10. 

Live coverage of the arrival at Mars originates from NASA's Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., on NASA TV and the Web. The 
JPL newsroom will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST, March 10. The 
main number for the newsroom is: (818) 354-5011.

Live arrival and orbit insertion commentary airs on NASA TV and the 
Web on March 10 beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST. The orbiter's main 
engines begin firing shortly after 4:24 p.m. EST to slow it enough 
for Martian gravity to grab it into orbit. Commentary ends at 
approximately 5:45 p.m. EST.

To cover news briefings and mission events at JPL, reporters must 
contact Media Relations at: (818) 354-5011 not later than 6 p.m. EST, 
March 7. Valid I.D. and press credentials must be shown on arrival. 
Non U.S. citizens must present passport and visa. News briefings from 
JPL will be carried on the Web and NASA TV (all times EST and subject 
to change):

Wednesday, March 8:

-- 1 p.m. EST, mission overview news briefing

Friday, March 10:

-- Noon EST, pre-arrival news briefing 

-- 7:30 p.m. EST, post-arrival news briefing

Mission information, including a press kit, news releases, status 
reports, briefing schedule, videos and images, is available on the 
Web at: 

http://www.nasa.gov/mro 

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/home 

NASA TV is carried on the Web and on an MPEG-2 digital signal accessed 
via satellite AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 
4040 MHz, vertical polarization. It's available in Alaska and Hawaii 
on AMC-7 at 137 degrees west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, 
horizontal polarization. The schedule for mission coverage is on the 
Web at: 

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

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 
manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA's Science Mission 
Directorate.

	
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