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01.06.06

Dwayne Brown
NASA Headquarters, Washington
Phone: (202) 358-1726

George Diller
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Phone: (321) 867-2468

Michael R. Buckley
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Phone: (240) 228-7536

MEDIA ADVISORY: 03-06

NASA SCHEDULES NEW HORIZONS LAUNCH COVERAGE EVENTS

The launch of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, bound for the planet
Pluto, is currently targeted for Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 1:24 p.m. EST
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The launch window extends
until 3:23 p.m., a duration of 119 minutes. Liftoff will occur aboard
a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41. Should
launch be postponed for 24 hours for any reason, the next launch
window on Jan. 18 will be 1:16 to 3:15 p.m. EST.

New Horizons is the first mission in NASA’s New Frontiers program of
medium-class planetary missions. The spacecraft, designed for NASA by
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.,
will fly by Pluto and its moon, Charon, as early as summer 2015.

Carrying seven scientific instruments, the compact 1,060-pound New
Horizons probe will characterize the geology and environment of Pluto
and Charon, map their surface compositions and temperature, and
examine Pluto’s complex atmosphere. After the initial mission, flybys
of Kuiper Belt objects from even farther in the solar system may be
undertaken in an extended mission. A close-up look at these
mysterious worlds will provide new information about the origin and
evolution of our solar system.

Prelaunch Press Conference

A prelaunch press conference will be held at the NASA News Center at
Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 1 p.m. EST. Participating
in the briefing will be:

Dr. Colleen Hartman, Deputy Associate Administrator, Science Mission
Directorate
NASA Headquarters, Washington

Omar Baez, NASA Launch Director/NASA Launch Manager
Kennedy Space Center

Mike Jensen, Vice President and Chief Technical Officer
International Launch Services

Dave Kusnierkiewicz, New Horizons Mission Systems Engineer
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Clay Flinn, U.S. Air Force Atlas V Launch Weather Officer
45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

New Horizons Mission Science Briefing

A mission science briefing will immediately follow the prelaunch press
conference. Participating will be:

Alan Stern, New Horizons Principal Investigator
Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colo.

Richard Binzel, Science Team Co-Investigator
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.

William McKinnon, Science Team Co-Investigator
Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.

Dale Cruikshank, Science Team Co-Investigator
NASA Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, Calif.

Fran Bagenal, Science Team Co-Investigator
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.

New Horizons Spacecraft Briefing

A two-part New Horizons spacecraft briefing will immediately follow
the mission science briefing. Participating in Part 1 will be:

Harold (Hal) Weaver, New Horizons Project Scientist
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.

Dennis Reuter, Ralph Instrument Scientist
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Alan Stern, Alice Instrument Principal Investigator
Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colo.

Len Tyler, REX (Radio Science) Principal Investigator
Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.

Participating in Part 2 will be:

Andrew Cheng, LORRI Instrument Principal Investigator
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.

Ralph McNutt Jr., PEPSSI Instrument Principal Investigator
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.

David McComas, SWAP Instrument Principal Investigator
Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio

Tiffany Finley, Student Dust Counter Project Manager
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.

Post-launch Press Conference

On launch day, a post-launch press conference is targeted to begin
approximately two hours after launch at the KSC News Center or as
soon thereafter as data is available about the spacecraft’s state of
health.

Accreditation and Media Access Badges for KSC

Those who need press accreditation and access badges to Kennedy Space
Center to cover the New Horizons prelaunch press conference, mission
briefings and the launch must complete the accreditation process via
the Web by going to:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/

All accreditation must be received by the close of business on Friday,
Jan. 13. Media may obtain their NASA access badge at the Pass and
Identification Building located on State Road 405, just east of U.S.
1, south of Titusville. Contact the NASA News Center at 321/867-2468
for further information.

Atlas V Launch Vehicle Rollout

Monday, Jan. 16: There will be a press opportunity to observe rollout
of the Atlas V rocket from the Vertical Integration Facility to the
launch pad at Complex 41. Media will depart by government bus from
the KSC Press Site at 9:45 a.m.

Remote Camera Placement at Complex 41

Monday, Jan. 16: Photographers who wish to set up remote cameras at
the Atlas V launch pad will be escorted by Lockheed Martin
representatives to Launch Complex 41 from the KSC News Center.
Departure will be at 2:45 p.m.

Launch Day Press Site Access

Tuesday, Jan. 17: Media will cover the New Horizons launch from the
KSC Press Site. Access will be through Gate 2 on S.R. 3 or Gate 3 on
S.R. 405, east of the KSC Visitor Complex. The NASA News Center at
KSC will be open on launch day from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST.

KSC News Center Hours

Sunday, Jan. 15: Noon – 5 p.m.
Monday, Jan 16: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 17: 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Web Prelaunch and Launch Coverage

A prelaunch webcast is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15.
For more information, go to the NASA Direct Web site at:

http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/nasadirect.html

NASA Television launch coverage will be webcast at:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Live information updates will be available through Kennedy Space
Center’s Virtual Launch Control Center at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/launch/vlcc.html

Additional mission information:

NASA Television Coverage

On Sunday, Jan. 15, NASA Television will carry the New Horizons
prelaunch press conference and mission briefings live beginning at 1
p.m. EST. On Tuesday, Jan. 17, NASA Television coverage of the launch
will begin at 11 a.m. EST and conclude approximately one hour after
launch.

A post-launch press conference will be held at the KSC Press Site and
carried live on NASA Television. The briefing is targeted to occur
approximately two hours after launch or as soon thereafter as data on
the spacecraft state of health is available.

In the continental United States, NASA Television is on AMC-6,
Transponder 17C located at 72 degrees West longitude (4040.0 mhz
video, 6.8 mhz audio, MPEG-2 digital signal). In Alaska and Hawaii,
all events will be on AMC-7 Transponder 18 located at 137 degrees
West longitude (4060 MHz video, 6.8 MHz).

Audio only of the prelaunch press conference and the launch coverage
will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits which may be accessed by
dialing 321/867-1220…1240…1260…7135. On launch day, “Mission
Audio,” the launch conductor’s countdown activities without NASA TV
launch commentary, will be carried on 321/867-7135 starting at 5 a.m.
Launch will also be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency
146.940 Mhz or UHF radio frequency 442.6 Mhz heard within Brevard
County.

Recorded status reports on the launch of the New Horizons and updates
to the Media Advisory will be provided on the KSC news media
codaphone starting Friday, Jan. 13. The telephone number is
321/867-2525.

The launch management of New Horizons is the responsibility of NASA’s
John F. Kennedy Space Center Launch Services Program. International
Launch Services is the launch service provider for the Atlas V. The
spacecraft was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics
Laboratory, which also provides the project management.

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