NASA Daily News Summary For Release: Dec. 3, 1999 Media Advisory m99-249 SUMMARY: No News Releases Today Video File for Dec. 3, 1999 ITEM 1 - IMAGES OF MARS LANDING SITE ELLIPSE & IMAGES OF RETREAT OF SEASONAL POLAR ICE CAP ON MARS (from 12/02/99 Prelanding/Descent briefing) ITEM 2 - NEW MARS POLAR LANDER AND DEEP SPACE 2 ANIMATION - JPL (replay) ITEM 3 - MARS ORBITER LASER ALTIMETER (MOLA) PREVIEWS MARS LANDING site - JPL (replay) ITEM 4 - NASA SPACECRAFT OBSERVES LOWEST OZONE EVER IN NORTHERN HEMISPHERE- GSFC ****VIDEO FILE SCHEDULE NOTE**** Due to the Mars briefings and breaking news events today (see below) the video file will run at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 6:00 pm, and 9:00 pm. Please check http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/breaking.html for changes to the schedule as events warrant. Due to rescheduling of the Space Shuttle Mission STS-103, announced yesterday, we are removing references to STS-103 television events until the schedule is reworked. LIVE TELEVISION EVENTS THIS WEEK (UPDATED TODAY): December 3, Friday 11:00 am - Noon - NTV Video File - HQ Noon - 1:00 pm - Mars Polar Lander Prelanding Status Briefing - JPL 1:00 - 2:00 pm - NTV Video File (updated) - HQ 3:39 pm - Confirmation of Mars Polar Lander Touchdown - JPL 2:00 - 5:00 pm - Live Coverage and Commentary of Mars Landing - JPL 5:00 - 6:00 pm - Mars Polar Lander "First Results" News Briefing - JPL 6:00 pm - NTV Video File (updated) - HQ 9:00 pm - NTV Video File (updated) replay- HQ 10:30 pm - Midnight - Live Coverage and Commentary of Mars Polar Lander Activities - JPL December 4, Saturday Midnight - 2:00 am - Live Coverage and Commentary of Mars Polar Lander Activities - JPL (continued) 2:30 - 3:30 am - Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 "Results" News Briefing - JPL Noon - NTV Video File (updated)- HQ 3:00 pm - NTV Video File - HQ (replay) 5:00 - 6:00 pm - "Future Robotic Mars Exploration" Background Briefing - JPL 7:00 - 8:00 pm - Mars Polar Lander Results from Sol 0/Plans for Sol 1 - JPL 10:00 pm - Midnight - Live Coverage and Commentary of Mars Polar Lander Activities - JPL December 5, Sunday Midnight - 2:00 am - Live Coverage and Commentary of Mars Polar Lander Activities - JPL (continued) 2:00 - 3:00 am - Mars Polar Lander Results from Sol 1/Plans for Sol 2 - JPL Noon - NTV Video File - HQ 1:00 - 2:00 pm - Mars Polar Lander Results from Sol 1 - JPL 3:00 pm - NTV Video File - HQ (updated) 6:00 pm - NTV Video File (replay) - HQ 8:00 - 9:00 pm - Mars Polar Lander Plans for Sol 2 - JPL 10:30 pm - Midnight - Live Coverage and Commentary of Mars Polar Lander Activities - JPL Note: For complete schedule of NASA Television coverage of upcoming launch of Space Shuttle Mission STS-103, Mars Polar Lander mission and Terra mission, see: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/breaking.html *****SPECIAL NOTE***** TO ASSIGNMENT EDITORS AND MORNING AND EVENING PRODUCERS MARS POLAR LANDER AND DEEP SPACE 2 ARRIVE AT MARS - LIVE SATELLITE INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES NASA's Mars Polar Lander is due to set down under rocket power on layered, icy terrain near the south pole of Mars on Friday, Dec. 3. The first opportunity to receive a signal on Earth that confirms the landing is expected at 12:37 p.m. PST (3:37 p.m. EST). The two Deep Space 2 microprobes that are piggybacking on the lander will impact the planet's surface at about the same time. Our talent will have up-to-the-minute information on the progress of both missions. We will also feed B-roll animation of both programs prior to each live cast via NASA TV. To book an interview please call Ivelisse Gilman, at 757/864-5036 (through Nov. 30) and 757/880-2470 (from Dec.1 through Dec. 6) or Jack Dawson at 818/354-0040. Or e-mail us at i.gilman@larc.nasa.gov or Jack.B.Dawson@jpl.nasa.gov. **Live Satellite Interviews from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory** Thursday, Dec. 2 1:30-6:30 p.m. PST (4:30-9:30 p.m. EST) Broadcast on GE3-K19 Talk to David Paige, Principal Investigator for the instruments on the Mars Polar Lander, and Rich Zurek, Mars Polar Lander Project Scientist, about what NASA expects to find and why we go to Mars. Friday, Dec. 3 2:00 - 7:00 am PST (5:00 - 10:00 am EST) Broadcast on GE3-K17 On the morning of landing, share in the excitement with Carl Pilcher, Science Director for all of NASAšs missions to explore the Solar System, and Rich Zurek, Mars Polar Lander Project Scientist. Friday, Dec. 3 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. PST (6:00 - 9:00 p.m. EST) Broadcast on GE3-K14 Find out the results of landing from NASA Administrator Dan Goldin or Ed Weiler, NASA's Associate Administrator for Space Science. Monday, Dec. 6 3:00 - 7:30 am PST (6:00 - 10:30 am EST) Broadcast on GE3-K17 Hear the latest results from the weekend on Mars from Rick Zurek and Ed Stone, Director of the Jet Propulsion Lab. Produceršs line: 626/798-3385, backup 626/798-3950 ***************************** If NASA issues any news releases later today, we will e- mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list. Index of 1999 NASA News Releases: http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html ***************************** Video File for Dec. 3, 1999 ITEM 1 - IMAGES OF MARS LANDING SITE ELLIPSE & IMAGES OF RETREAT OF SEASONAL POLAR ICE CAP ON MARS (from 12/02/99 Prelanding/Descent briefing) Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Doug Isbell (Phone 202/358-1753). Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA: Mary Hardin (Phone 818/354-5011). ITEM 1a - MARS LANDING ELLIPSE-----------------------------TRT 2:05 These new images show pieces of the landing ellipse set before and after July 1999 for the Mars Polar Lander to set down on Mars today. They were first shown by scientists during the Descent news briefing on Dec. 2, 1999, at NASAšs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. ITEM 1b - SEASONAL POLAR CAP ON MARS---------------------TRT :32 This data showing the retreat of the seasonal polar cap of Mars was gathered using the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument on the Mars Global Surveyor. The graph was first shown by scientists during the Descent news briefing on Dec. 2, 1999, at NASAšs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. ITEM 2 - NEW MARS POLAR LANDER AND DEEP SPACE 2 ANIMATION - JPL (replay) Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Doug Isbell (Phone 202/358-1753). Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA: Mary Hardin (Phone 818/354-5011). ITEM 2a - MARS POLAR LANDER ANIMATION---------------------TRT 5:18 Voiced-over narrative explains animated video of the Mars Polar Lander mission to Mars, detailing its path to the planet and entry, listing survey instruments, and outlining its photographic abilities. The Lander is scheduled to arrive on Mars on Dec. 3, 1999. ITEM 2b - DS-2 MICROBPROBE MISSION TO MARS----------------TRT 3:08 NASA's Deep Space 2 microprobes, named Amundsen and Scott, are due to smash into the surface of Mars near the planet's south pole on December 3. Narrated and newly refined animation demonstrates the probešs deployment, impact on Mars, subsurface operation and data transmission. ITEM 3 - MARS ORBITER LASER ALTIMETER (MOLA) PREVIEWS (replay) MARS LANDING site - JPL Synopsis: Data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) played a key role in helping scientists determine the primary landing site for the Mars Polar Lander. Engineers are aiming for a 125 miles long by 12 1/2 miles wide strip of gentle, rolling plains. Launched on Jan. 3, 1999, Mars Polar Lander will study the soil and look for ice beneath the surface of the Martian south pole. Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Doug Isbell (Phone 202/358-1753). Contact at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD: Wade Sisler (Phone 301/286-6256). ITEM 3a - LANDING SITE PREVIEW----------------------------TRT :43 The sequence begins with an image from Viking, then transitions to a false color image produced by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA). All elevations are relative to the mean height of the equator. White colors indicate elevations in excess of 9881 feet (3012 meters), red shows elevations between 8202 - 9881 feet (2500 - 3012 meters), yellow shows elevations 8038 - 8202 feet(2450 - 2500 meters), dark cyan shows elevations 7053 - 8038 feet (2150- 2450 meters), dark violet shows elevations from 1050 - 7053 feet (320 - 2150 meters). The topography in these images is vertically exaggerated by a factor of 5. ITEM 3b - LANDING SITE PREVIEW - CLOSEUP VIEW-------------TRT :51 First sequence shows primary landing site with image from Viking draped over 3-D MOLA data. Second sequence shows primary landing site with false color data and 3-D data from MOLA. All elevations are relative to the mean height of the equator. White colors indicate elevations in excess of 9881 feet (3012 meters), red shows elevations between 8202 - 9881 feet (2500 - 3012 meters), yellow shows elevations 8038 - 8202 feet(2450 - 2500 meters), dark cyan shows elevations 7053 - 8038 feet (2150-2450 meters), dark violet shows elevations from 1050 - 7053 feet (320 - 2150 meters). The topography in these images is vertically exaggerated by a factor of 5. ITEM 3c - MYSTERIOUS SOUTH POLE OF MARS-------------------TRT :34 Sequence begins with image from Viking of the southern hemisphere of Mars. Note that the permanent frozen cap is not located directly at the south pole. A false color image is overlayed to show the mean elevation. The permanent frozen cap is mostly composed of carbon dioxide ice. White colors indicate elevations in excess of 9881 feet (3012 meters) and dark violet shows elevations from 1050 - 7053 feet (320 - 2150 meters). ITEM 3d - SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE TOUR-----------------------TRT 1:29 The first image was created from Viking images. The second, false color, image came from MOLA data. Here the color scale shows the darkest blues as roughly 5 miles (8 km) below the mean equatorial height, while reds indicate elevations up to 3 miles (5 km) above the mean equatorial height. ITEM 3e - SOUTH OF HELLAS IMPACT BASIN-------------------TRT 1:29 The sequence shows an area south of the Hellas Impact Basin. Note the relatively crater-free area, possibly resurfaced by polar glaciation in early Martian history. ITEM 3f - SOUTH POLAR TOUR-------------------------------TRT 1:11 This southern polar tour, first using Viking images and then MOLA data, highlights the differences in elevation between the Hellas Impact Basin and surrounding terrain. The deepest point in Hellas is roughly 26,900 feet or 5 miles (8200 meters) below the equatorial mean--almost deep enough to hold Earth's Mt. Everest. ITEM 3g - MOLA and Mars Global Surveyor animation---------TRT :46 During the ongoing Mars Global Surveyor mission, the MOLA instrument is collecting about 900,000 measurements of elevation every day. MOLA was designed and built by the Laser Remote Sensing Branch of the Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. The Mars Global Surveyor mission is managed by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. ITEM 4 - NASA SPACECRAFT OBSERVES LOWEST OZONE EVER IN NORTHERN HEMISPHERE- GSFC Contact at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD: Wade Sisler (Phone 301/286-6256). Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: David E. Steitz (Phone 202/358-1730). ITEM 4a - LOWEST NORTHERN HEMISPHERE OZONE LEVELS---------TRT :20 A NASA spacecraft has observed the lowest value of ozone ever seen in the Northern Hemisphere since spacecraft first began ozone measurements in 1978. The measurement was obtained on Nov. 30, 1999, using the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument aboard NASA's Earth Probe (TOMS-EP) satellite. The measurement showed an extremely low level of 165 Dobson Units (DU) over the North Sea between Scotland and Norway. ITEM 4b - TOMS EARTH PROBE ANIMATION----------------------TRT :24 Scientists believe a combination of stratospheric and tropospheric weather systems may be responsible for this extreme low ozone event. Scientists and others have a keen interest in polar ozone depletion. While this particular record low value results from a convergence of weather systems, severe depletions of ozone can result from chemical processes. Chemically caused Arctic ozone losses have also been observed, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere springs of 1996 and 1997. ----------------------------- Unless otherwise noted, ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN. ANY CHANGES TO THE LINE-UP WILL APPEAR ON THE NASA VIDEO FILE ADVISORY ON THE WEB AT ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt WE UPDATE THE ADVISORY THROUGHOUT THE DAY. The NASA Video File normally airs at noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m. and midnight Eastern Time. NASA Television is available on GE-2, transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, with vertical polarization. Frequency is on 3880.0 megahertz, with audio on 6.8 megahertz. Refer general questions about the video file to NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Ray Castillo, 202/358-4555, or Elvia Thompson, 202/358-1696, elvia.thompson@hq.nasa.gov During Space Shuttle missions, the full NASA TV schedule will continue to be posted at: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/schedule.html For general information about NASA TV see: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv/ ***************************** Contract Awards Contract awards are posted to the NASA Acquisition information Service Web site: http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/award.html ***************************** The NASA Daily News Summary is issued each business day at approximately 2 p.m. Eastern time. Members of the media who wish to subscribe or unsubscribe from this list, please send e-mail message to: Brian.Dunbar@hq.nasa.gov ***************************** end of daily news summary