George Diller                                                                                                                  July 1, 2004
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(Phone:  321/867-2468)

KSC Release No. P06-04

Messenger Spacecraft Receives Its Sun Catchers

At Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., the two solar arrays from the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft are undergoing cleaning inspections and voltage checks in preparation for installation June 24-25. One array will be installed each day, followed by a deployment test. MESSENGER is scheduled to launch Aug. 2 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

KSC Photo Number: KSC-04PD-1321

At right, technicians at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., guide into place the second solar panel for installment on NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft. At left is the first panel, already installed. The two large solar panels, supplemented with a nickel-hydrogen battery, will provide MESSENGER's power.

KSC Photo Number: KSC-04PD-1348

A complete gallery of NASA Kennedy Space Center photos are available at:

http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/index.cfm

text-only version of this release

To receive status reports and news releases issued from the Kennedy Space Center Newsroom electronically, send a blank e-mail message to ksc-subscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov. To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail message to ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov. The system will confirm your request via e-mail.