[meteorite-list] NASA Offers Media Access To Curiosity on August 12

[Ron Baalke]

August 09, 2011

Dwayne Brown 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-1726 
dwayne.c.brown at nasa.gov 

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

Guy Webster 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 
818-354-6278 
guy.w.webster at jpl.nasa.gov   


MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-166

NASA OFFERS MEDIA ACCESS TO MARS-BOUND ROVER ON AUG. 12

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's next Mars rover, the Mars Science 
Laboratory (MSL) known as Curiosity, will be the focus of a media 
opportunity at 7 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 12, at NASA's Kennedy Space 
Center in Florida. 

News media representatives will have an opportunity to photograph the 
rover and interview project and launch program officials during the 
event at Kennedy's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Curiosity 
will be integrated later with its descent stage, which will take it 
to the Martian surface. The MSL mission is targeted to launch Nov. 25 
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Complex 41 aboard a United 
Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. 

For the Aug. 12 event, journalists must arrive at the Kennedy Press 
Site no later than 7 a.m. for transportation to the facility. They 
will return to the Press Site by 10:15 a.m. No more than two 
representatives from a media organization will be allowed to 
participate because of limited space. 

The deadline to apply for accreditation is Thursday, Aug. 11 at noon. 
Government photo identification, such as a driver's license or 
passport, will be required to receive a badge. Journalists who are 
foreign nationals may attend only if they possess a permanently- 
issued NASA media accreditation picture badge from Kennedy Space 
Center, or a Kennedy-issued white badge with an affixed green dot. 
Hours of the Kennedy Badging Office located on State Road 405 east of 
the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex are 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
Journalists needing accreditation should apply online at: 

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov 

Reporters should call the Kennedy update phone line at 321-867-2525 on 
Thursday evening to confirm the event date and time have not changed. 

Curiosity will use 10 science instruments to investigate whether the 
selected area inside Gale crater was ever habitable or provided 
conditions favorable for microbial life. The rover's drill will pull 
samples from rocks' interiors so other instruments aboard can analyze 
them for evidence about past environments and the presence of 
chemical ingredients for life. The rover's payload also includes 
color cameras, a laser that will analyze rocks from a distance to 
detect their composition, and sensors that monitor weather, water and 
high-energy radiation. 

Individuals entering the cleanroom where the spacecraft is being 
prepared for launch must follow procedures for optically sensitive 
spacecraft. Full cleanroom attire (bunny suits) will be furnished and 
must be worn. Participants may not wear perfume, cologne or makeup. 
Long pants and closed-toe shoes must be worn -- no shorts or skirts. 

Photographers will need to clean camera equipment under the 
supervision of contamination-control specialists. All camera 
equipment must be self-contained. No portable lights are allowed. 
Non-essential equipment such as suede, leather or vinyl camera bags 
or other carrying cases must be left outside the cleanroom. No 
notebook paper, pencils, or conventional pens are permitted. Special 
pens and cleanroom paper will be provided. No food, tobacco, chewing 
gum, lighters, matches or pocketknives will be allowed. Use of 
wireless microphones and cellular telephones is not allowed inside 
the cleanroom. Electronic flash will be permitted. The lighting in 
the facility is high-pressure sodium (orange). 

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., manages the MSL 
mission. The launch is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program 
(LSP) at Kennedy. Spokespeople from JPL and LSP will be available for 
questions and interviews. 

For more information about MSL, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/msl   
	
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