Newsroom Hours and TV Coverage for Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9


NASA's coverage of the impact of Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 during the week of July 16-22 includes a series of live, televised press briefings and a 24-hour newsroom operation at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, Md. The Goddard Comet Impact newsroom will be the central location providing coverage of observations and images from the worldwide network of ground-based observatories and spacecraft taking part in the NASA/National Science Foundation observing project. Scientists will be on hand at the newsroom to answer questions, or interviews can be arranged as needed. Press materials, artwork and video relating to the event will be available to media. The first fragment of the comet will impact Jupiter just before 4 p.m. EDT on the side of Jupiter facing away from Earth. Shortly afterwards, the point of impact will rotate into view as seen from Earth. The first image of the impact area is expected to be available (following minimal processing) at about 10 p.m. EDT.

NASA will release the image in a live program broadcast from the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md., starting at 10 p.m. EDT. There will be no press briefing on NASA TV at that time, however, a briefing will be held Sunday morning at the Goddard Comet Impact Newsroom.

Press Briefing Schedule


At 8:00 a.m. EDT, Sunday, July 17, a press briefing will be broadcast live on NASA TV with Q & A from other NASA Centers, and will include updated information about the first impact and the image. During the following week, NASA will hold a live press briefing each day at the GSFC Comet Impact Newsroom (see schedule below). The briefing panels will include Comet co-discoverers Drs. Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker and David Levy on most days as well as scientists presenting images and information from the Hubble Space Telescope and other spacecraft. Dr. Lucy McFadden will have a round-up of observations from ground- based observatories around the world. The program and briefing schedule follows: 

JULY DATE       TIME (EDT)      EVENT
Sat.    16      10:00 p.m.      Live from HST: First
                                Impact Image Release
                                (no Q & A from NASA Centers)
Sun.    17      8:00 a.m.       Press Briefing at GSFC
Mon.    18      8:00 a.m.       Press Briefing at GSFC
Tue.    19      8:00 a.m.       Press Briefing at GSFC
Wed.    20      12:00 noon      Press Briefing at GSFC
Th.     21      8:00 a.m.       Press Briefing at GSFC
Fri.    22      9:30 a.m.       Press Briefing at GSFC
Sat.    23      8:00 a.m.       Press Briefing at GSFC

Note: The above times are dependent on the STS-65 mission schedule. If there is a change in the launch or landing time of the Shuttle, the program times will change.

Comet Impact Newsroom Operations


The newsroom will operate on a 24-hour basis beginning at 6 a.m., Sun., July 17 until noon EDT, July 23. The newsroom will be located at the Goddard Visitor's Center on Soil Conservation Road in Greenbelt. The phone number for the newsroom will be 301/286-2300, but will not be active until 6 a.m., July 17. Media wishing to use the newsroom must register at the Visitor Center and obtain a media badge, starting at 6 a.m. EDT July 17. Valid press credentials and a photo ID must be presented. Media representatives who are not U.S. citizens must contact the Goddard Office of Public Affairs at 301/286- 8955 before registering.

Video Uplink Schedule


NASA will provide feeds of b-roll and animation of the comet impacts with Jupiter on the following schedule: 
June 29:        10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. EDT
June 30:        10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. EDT
July 5:         10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. EDT
July 15:        1:00 p.m. EDT

Also on July 5, NASA Television will replay the May 18 press briefing with panelists Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, Dr. Heidi Hammell, Dr. Hal Weaver, Dr. Lucy McFadden and Dr. Melissa McGrath.

NASA TV is carried on Spacenet 2, transponder 5, channel 9, 69 degrees West, transponder frequency is 3880 MHz, audio subcarrier is 6.8 MHz, polarization is horizontal.

Author/Curator:
Dr. David R. Williams, dave.williams@nasa.gov
NSSDCA, Mail Code 690.1
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD 20771
+1-301-286-1258
NASA Official: Dave Williams, david.r.williams@nasa.gov
Last Updated: 08 January 1997, DRW