NASA Daily News Summary For Release: Feb. 22, 1999 Media Advisory m99-036 TODAY'S SUMMARY: MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR READY TO BEGIN FULL MAPPING INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TELEVISION EVENT TARGETS RESEARCHERS AND INDUSTRY NASA-TV SATELLITE INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY WEDNESDAY -- LA NINA VIDEO FILE FOR FEB. 22, 1999 ********** MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR READY TO BEGIN FULL MAPPING NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft will begin its primary mapping mission within the next two weeks, following a successful firing of its main engine on February 19 to fine-tune its path around the red planet into a nearly circular, Sun-synchronous orbit. The final "transfer to mapping orbit" burn lowered Global Surveyor's closest approach over Mars from 253 miles (405 kilometers) to approximately 229 miles (367 kilometers.) Later this week, the flight team will turn on, focus and calibrate the spacecraft's camera and power up several other science instruments, including the thermal emission spectrometer and laser altimeter. Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Doug Isbell 202/358-1753. Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA: Mary Hardin 818/354-5011. For full text, see: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-024.txt ^^^^^ INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TELEVISION EVENT TARGETS RESEARCHERS AND INDUSTRY Commercial and scientific use of the International Space Station will be the topic as research and development professionals and managers in industry and academia join NASA and other experts in a live interactive teleconference. The program, linked by satellite to many sites across the country, will air from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. EST, Thursday, Feb. 25, 1999, on NASA Television. Members of the media may view the conference at any site across the country. Call 1-888-287-8060 or check the web site at http://centauri.larc.nasa.gov/issvc97/mbusines.htm for information. Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Dwayne C. Brown 202/358-1726. For full text, see: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/note2edt/1999/n99-010.txt ********** If NASA issues any news releases later today, we will e-mail summaries and Internet URLs to this list. Index of 1998 NASA News Releases: http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1998/index.html Index of 1999 NASA News Releases: http://www.nasa.gov/releases/1999/index.html ********** NASA-TV SATELLITE INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY WEDNESDAY Topic: Moderate La Nina Conditions May Persist Through Spring New images from satellites and ocean buoys show that the colder than normal ocean temperatures associated with La Nina now extend some 7500 miles along the equatorial Pacific. Although weakening from its peak in January, scientists expect the La Nina pattern to continue to influence the worldwide climate system through spring. NASA Research Oceanographer Antonio Busalacchi is available for live television interviews Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6:00 - 11:00 a.m. EDT to talk about the latest images and the possible effects of La Nina on spring weather in the United States. The interviews come to you from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. Ask Tony about the latest images and questions such as these: - What is La Nina and how does it differ from El Nino? - What is La Nina up to now? - How can La Nina effect our weather this spring? - Does La Nina have an influence on Atlantic hurricanes? - What has surprised scientists the most about El Nino and La Nina? TO REQUEST AN INTERVIEW: Deanna Corridon (301-286-0041, 888-474-0915 pager) Wade Sisler (301-286-6256, 888-474-0914 pager) TV-Control room number, 301-286-6146 B-Roll will be uplinked Feb. 24 at 5:45 a.m. (EST). The complete set of images will be uplinked during the NASA- TV Video File, beginning at 12 noon (EST). ********** VIDEO FILE FOR FEB. 22, 1999 ITEM 1. Heart Assist Pump ITEM 2. Mars Global Surveyor (replay) ^^^^^ ITEM 1. Heart Assist Pump Animation, B-roll, and interviews related to a miniaturized ventricular assist pump, developed for heart patients -- developed with NASA technology. Release available at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-022.txt. Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Michael Braukus 202/358-1979. Contact at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX: John Ira Petty 281/483-5111. ITEM 2. Mars Global Surveyor (replays) Animation showing Mars Global Surveyor orbiting and surveying the Martian Surface and performing its aerobraking configuration maneuvers and movie of Mars made from images taken by Mars Global Surveyor during its approach to the planet Contact at NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: Doug Isbell 202/358-1753. Contact at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA: Mary Hardin 818/354-5011. ^^^^^ NASA normally airs the Video File at noon, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 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. Ray Castillo NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC: 202/358-4555. For the most recent NASA Video File Advisory, see: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/tv-advisory/nasa-tv.txt For general information on NASA Television, see: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv ********** CONTRACT AWARDS NASA posts contract awards to: http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/award.html NASA issues the Daily News Summary at approximately 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on business days when we issue news releases, new Video File material or schedule live events. Members of the news media who wish to subscribe to or unsubscribe from this list should send an e-mail message to: brian.dunbar@hq.nasa.gov END OF DAILY NEWS SUMMARY