NASA Daily News Summary – Media Advisory m00-020

NASA Daily News Summary

For Release: Feb. 2, 2000

Media Advisory m00-020

SUMMARY
NEWS RELEASES:

NASA FY 2001 Budget Briefing Scheduled

Japanese-U.S. Satellite Ushers in Golden Era of X-ray Astronomy
VIDEO:
ALL TIMES EASTERN
Video File For Feb. 2, 2000
Item 1 – Astro-E to Usher in Golden Era of X-ray Astronomy
Item 2 – STS-99 Crew Departure for Johnson Space Center
Item 3 – The Solar Magnetic Field is Crooked and Variable – JPL

(replay)
Item 4 – KSC Clean Up – KSC (replay)
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NASA FY 2001 Budget Briefing Scheduled

     A briefing on NASA’s fiscal year 2001 budget request will be

held on Monday, Feb. 7, 2000, at 2:30 p.m. EST in the James E. Webb

Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street, SW,

Washington, DC.
Headquarters contact: Beth Schmid (Phone:  202/358-1760)
Japanese-U.S. Satellite Ushers in Golden Era of X-ray Astronomy
     Astro-E, the Japanese-U.S. X-ray spacecraft poised for a Feb.

8 launch, will showcase an entirely new technology in X-ray

detection that not only will serve as a test bed for future

missions but also will earn the distinction of being the coldest

known object in space. 
Headquarters contact: Dolores Beasley (Phone: 202/358-1753)
Goddard Space Flight Center contact: Nancy Neal Phone: 301/286-

0039)
*****
Video File For Feb. 2, 2000
Item 1 – Astro-E to Usher in Golden Era of X-ray Astronomy
HQ Contact:     Dolores Beasley 202/358-1753

Goddard Contact:        Wade Sisler 301/286-6256
Item 1: Astro-E to Usher in Golden Era of X-ray Astronomy TRT: 3:50
Synopsis:       Astro-E, the Japanese-U.S. X-ray will showcase an entirely new

technology in X-ray detection that will not only serve as a test bed for future

missions but will also earn the distinction of being the coldest known object in

space.
ITEM 1a ASTRO-E SPACECRAFT
Astro-E’s targets include clusters of galaxies; supermassive black holes; neutron

stars; supernova remnants; stellar coronae of stars 10,000-times more active than

our Sun; and a study of the history of how chemicals are made throughout the

Universe.
ITEM 1b ASTRO-E TEAMS UP WITH CHANDRA
Astro-E is primarily a spectroscopy mission, which means the satellite’s

instruments will study the “colors” of X-ray light, much like a prism breaks

visible light into the colors of the rainbow. Whereas the recently launched

Chandra X-ray Observatory (shown in this animation) excels in producing X-ray

images, Astro-E excels in producing spectra. In this regard, Astro-E complements

Chandra, analyzing the light that Chandra sees and determining the temperature,

velocity and composition of the gas producing those X-rays.
ITEM 1c INTERVIEW EXCERPTS
Dr. Stephen Holt

Astro-E Project Scientist

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Greenbelt, MD
Contact:        Nancy Neal 301-286-0039

                Don Savage 202-358-1727
Item 2 – STS-99 Crew Leaves Cape

TRT – 5:09

The STS-99 Crew departed Kennedy Space Center last night when the launch was

scrubbed at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The launch has been rescheduled for no earlier

than February 9th.
Center contact: Joel Wells 321/867-2468

HQ contact:     Kirsten Williams 202/358-0243
Item 2 – STS-99 Crew Departure for Johnson Space Center
HQ Contact:     Kirsten Williams 202/358-0243

KSC Contact:    Joel Wells 321/867-2468
Item 3 – The Solar Magnetic Field is Crooked and Variable – JPL

(replay)
HQ Contact:     Dolores Beasley 202/358-1753

JPL Contact:    Jane Platt 818/354-5011
Item 4 – KSC Clean Up – KSC (replay)
HQ Contact:     Kirsten Williams 202/358-0243

KSC Contact:    Bruce Buckingham 321/867-2468
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TV Producers:
Please note all times, unless otherwise noted, are Eastern Time.
This heads-up announces our most current line-up of stories on

NASA’s daily Video File feed. As we try to provide you the best,

most current service possible, THE LINE-UP MAY CHANGE THROUGHOUT

THE DAY.
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, 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m.,

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.
For general questions about the video file call NASA Headquarters,

Washington, DC: Ray Castillo 202/358-4555 or Elvia Thompson

202/358-1696.
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Contract Awards
NASA HEADQUARTERS AWARDS RESEARCH SUPPORT CONTRACT

ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/contract/2000/c00-b.txt
Contract awards are posted to the NASA Acquisition information

Service Web site: http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/award.html
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end of daily news summary