THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 31, 1995 TAG: 9507310099
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Text by KAREN JOLLY DAVIS\ On Sunday, history will be made at
NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island when a five-story
Conestoga, the biggest rocket and the first commercial rocket to be
launched from there, takes off. The Conestoga will be carrying 14
medical and scientific experiments, some sponsored by NASA and
others by private firms.
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 6. Blastoff is scheduled for 6:20 a.m., but it
can happen at any time between then and 12:20 p.m.
WHERE: There is no official viewing site on NASA property.
Officials recommend watching the launch from the beach parking lot
of Chincoteague's National Wildlife Refuge, or from a 50-acre
waterfront field near Temperanceville owned by Emmett Taylor.
``Just go north on Route 13, and take a right on 695 East at
Temperanceville,'' said Taylor. ``Follow it to the end, and you're
there.''
The refuge gate will open at 5 a.m., and there is a $4 fee to
enter.
NASA officials say the launch can also be seen from any spot on
Accomack County's seaside.
RESTRICTIONS: No boats will be allowed in Chincoteague Inlet,
and the Coast Guard will enforce a restricted zone in the waters
near Wallops and Assawoman islands.
As the rocket's motors burn out, they drop into the Atlantic. If
something goes wrong, NASA could abort the flight in the air, and
the rocket would separate into pieces and fall.
NASA officials will delay liftoff if there are people or boats in
the closed zones. Repeated delays could abort the launch.
Also, Assateague Island will be blocked off from its southern tip
to the beach parking area, as will the marshes behind Wallops. The
NASA Visitors' Center near Chincoteague will be closed. And the gate
at Wallops Island will be kept clear for emergency vehicles.
WHY GO? Those who see the launch will be witnessing a bit of
history, and maybe the blossoming of Virginia's aerospace industry.
A viable launch site at Wallops could provide satellite builders,
space technology companies and experimenters a low-cost way of
getting their projects into orbit.
LAUNCH DAY INFORMATION: NASA will broadcast launch information on
760 AM radio, which has a range of seven miles from the base.
Updates will run every half-hour for five hours before the launch
and switch to continuous commentary 30 minutes before the launch.
Several radio stations also will be covering the day's events. The
launch will be canceled if it is cloudy, rainy or windy. by CNB