From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Wed Jul 28 2004 - 07:30:06 PDT
----- Original Message -----
From: MESSENGER News<mailto:MESSENGER-News_at_APLMSG.JHUAPL.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 7:44 PM
Subject: Going, Going, Gone!
MESSENGER Mission News
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Going, Going, Gone!
At upper left, with MESSENGER wrapped in two sheets of protective plastic, members of the Boeing team install a section of the "can" that protects the spacecraft and the attached, third stage of the launch vehicle during transport. Four sections are assembled around the base of the third stage; the rest of the can fits over the spacecraft in one piece. The 15-foot-tall can itself was then double bagged for additional protection.
After the team rolled MESSENGER out the door - seen in the next three images - the spacecraft made the 22-mile trip to the launch pad, crawling at 5 miles an hour on a four-wheeled transporter. The top protective bag around the can was removed once the spacecraft arrived at the launch pad; the other came off once the team sealed the clean room that encloses the spacecraft on top of the launch vehicle.
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Live MESSENGER Launch Coverage on NASA Direct!
This week the NASA Direct! Web site is featuring two Webcast events and live countdown coverage for MESSENGER's launch. Programming begins July 29 at 2 p.m. EDT and concludes after launch, currently scheduled for August 2 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The first Webcast, "MESSENGER Science and Technology," begins at 2 p.m. EDT July 29. The program will open with a welcome and introduction by Dr. Orlando Figueroa from NASA's Office of Earth Science. After an introduction by Cheryle Mako, Mission Integration Manager for NASA's Launch Services Program, MESSENGER Project Scientist Dr. Ralph McNutt will lend his expertise describing the science and technology of the mission, and answering the public's questions.
On July 30 at 2 p.m. EDT, catch the "MESSENGER Mission Overview." After a welcome by Kennedy Space Center Director James Kennedy, host Tiffany Nail will introduce James Leary, MESSENGER's Mission Systems Engineer. Leary will answer questions about the spacecraft and explain how it was designed to survive the extreme temperatures of Mercury. Next up will be NASA Launch Manager Chuck Dovale, who will offer an overview of the launch process and readiness of the spacecraft and launch vehicle. Programming will conclude with Delta Launch Weather officer Joel Tumbiolo, who will provide a forecast of projected local weather conditions at the time of launch.
In addition to the Webcasts, the Kennedy Space Center Web Site provides live countdown coverage from its Virtual Launch Control Center, located at http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/elvnew/mission/vlcc.htm
MESSENGER WEB COVERAGE SCHEDULE
(All times are EDT and subject to change)
Thursday, July 29 at 2 p.m.
Friday, July 30 at 2 p.m.
Launch Day, Monday, August 2 at 12 a.m.
http://www.nasa.gov/messenger/
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MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) is a scientific investigation of the planet Mercury, and the first NASA mission designed to orbit the planet closest to the Sun. Dr. Sean C. Solomon, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington<http://carnegieinstitution.org/>, leads the mission as principal investigator. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory <http://www.jhuapl.edu/>in Laurel, Maryland, built and will operate the MESSENGER spacecraft and manages the Discovery<http://discovery.nasa.gov/>-class mission for NASA<http://www.nasa.gov/>.
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: Wed Jul 28 2004 - 07:38:38 PDT
July 27, 2004
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu
MESSENGER is now sitting atop the Boeing Delta II launch vehicle at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 17<http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/webcam/live.html>. This set of Webcam images<http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/webcam/annotatedimages/annotated-20040727.html> from July 20 takes you through MESSENGER's final moments at the Astrotech Space Operations facility, where the team had been processing and testing the Mercury-bound spacecraft since March.
"MESSENGER Science and Technology"
http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/nasadirect/elv/messenger/event1.htm
"MESSENGER Mission Overview"
http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/nasadirect/elv/messenger/event2.htm
Live countdown coverage
For more information, visit http://messenger.jhuapl.edu
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