NASA Sets Media Events for Landsat Mission Launch From California

Jan. 25, 2013

Steve Cole
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

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

MEDIA ADVISORY: M13-022

NASA SETS MEDIA EVENTS FOR LANDSAT MISSION LAUNCH FROM CALIFORNIA

WASHINGTON -- The launch of NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission
(LDCM) satellite is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 11, from Space Launch
Complex 3 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Liftoff aboard
an Atlas V rocket is targeted to occur at the opening of a 48-minute
launch window at 1:02 p.m. EST (10:02 a.m. PST).

LDCM is a joint NASA and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) mission. It is
the eighth satellite in the Landsat series, which began in 1972 and
will add to the longest continuous data record of Earth's surface as
viewed from space. LDCM will extend global land observations that are
critical in many areas, such as energy and water management, forest
monitoring, human and environmental health, urban planning, disaster
recovery and agriculture.

The LDCM News Center at NASA's Vandenberg Resident Office opens Feb.
6. To speak with a NASA communications specialist there, media
representatives can dial 805-605-3051. For a recorded launch status
report, dial 805-734-2693.

Prelaunch and launch activities will take place Feb. 8-11. U.S.
journalists should fax their accreditation requests on news
organization letterhead to Kaylee Ausbun, 30th Space Wing Public
Affairs Office at Vandenberg, at 805-606-4571, or email
kaylee.ausbun@us.af.mil. Requests must include full legal name, date
of birth and media affiliation. A government-issued photo
identification will be required for entry to Vandenberg.

A prelaunch news conference and mission briefing featuring NASA and
USGS scientists will be held from 3-5 p.m. EST (12-2 p.m. PST)
Friday, Feb. 8, in NASA's Vandenberg Resident Office. The briefing
will be carried live on NASA Television with question-and-answer
capability available from NASA field centers and via Twitter with the
hashtag #askNASA.

On launch day, NASA TV coverage and commentary will begin at 10:15
a.m. EST (7:15 a.m. PST). Spacecraft separation occurs one hour, 17
minutes, 58 seconds after launch. A post-launch news conference will
be held approximately two hours after launch.

Live countdown coverage also will be available online. Launch updates
will begin on NASA's launch blog at 10:15 a.m. EST (7:15 a.m. PST)
Feb. 11. Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones
occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch
preparations and liftoff. To view the launch blog, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/landsat

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is responsible for
LDCM project management. Orbital Sciences Corporation built the LDCM
satellite. NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy
Space Center in Florida provides launch management. United Launch
Alliance of Denver, Colo., is NASA's launch service provider of the
Atlas V 401 rocket. After launch and the initial checkout phase, the
USGS will take operational control of the satellite, and LDCM will be
renamed Landsat 8.

For NASA Television downlink information, schedule information and
streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv


-end-



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