March 6, 2006

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington 
(202) 358-3749

George Diller/Dennis Armstrong
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(321) 867-2468 

MEDIA ADVISORY: 06-039

NASA ANNOUNCES ST5 SPACECRAFT LAUNCH COVERAGE

NASA's Space Technology 5 (ST5) spacecraft is scheduled for launch at 
9:02 a.m., EST, Tuesday, March 14 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, 
Calif. NASA TV coverage begins at 7:30 a.m. EST. The following events 
are also scheduled and subject to change: 

- NASA TV airs live prelaunch news conference 4 p.m. EST, Sunday, 
March 12 from Vandenberg. 

- NASA Direct, the Kennedy Space Center Internet broadcasting network, 
prelaunch webcast from Vandenberg at 7 p.m. EST, Sunday, March 12. It 
will include interviews with representatives from NASA's Goddard 
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. and the Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Experts will also take part in a 
question-and-answer session discussing the goals, science and 
technology involved in the ST5 mission. The NASA Direct question 
board closes at 11 a.m. EST, Thursday, March 9. 

- Kennedy's Virtual Launch Control Center provides launch day coverage 
starting at 7:30 a.m. EST, Tuesday, March 14. Coverage features 
real-time countdown milestone updates, streaming video clips 
highlighting mission preparation and launch activities. 

The ST5 mission is to study the Earth's magnetic fields. It will be 
carried into low-Earth orbit aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL 
rocket. The rocket is air-launched from a modified L-1011 jumbo jet 
owned and operated by Orbital. 

Once in orbit, ST5 will deploy three micro-satellites. ST5 will 
flight-validate innovative technology concepts to reduce risks to 
future science missions. It will demonstrate the ability of small 
satellites to perform research-quality science by taking measurements 
of Earth's magnetic field using highly sensitive magnetometers. 

To view ST5 launch and mission coverage on the Web, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/st5 



NASA TV's Public, Education and Media channels are available on an 
MPEG-2 digital C-band signal accessed via satellite AMC-6, at 72 
degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, vertical 
polarization. In Alaska and Hawaii, they're on AMC-7 at 137 degrees 
west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, horizontal 
polarization. For digital downlink information, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv 



For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/home 

	
-end-