Friends of the Zeiss                                    

P.O. Box 1041                                                                   

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15230-1041 U.S.A.

Telephone: 412-561-7876

Electronic Mail: < fotzeiss@planetarium.cc >

Internet Web Site: < http://www.planetarium.cc >

Space News Blog Site: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >




                       NEWS RELEASE



For immediate release: 2014 November 24

For more information -- Glenn A. Walsh:

                     E-Mail: < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >

                           Telephone: 412-561-7876



DEC. 4 –

PUBLIC VIEWING, VIA WEB-CAST, OF 1st NASA TEST LAUNCH

OF NEW ORION DEEP-SPACE VEHICLE

AT MT. LEBANON PUBLIC LIBRARY


Pittsburgh, 2014 Nov. 24 --- Public viewing of NASA's first test launch of the new Orion Deep-Space Vehicle, which will some day transport astronauts to the Moon, an asteroid,
and perhaps eventually Mars, will be shown at the Mt. Lebanon Public Library on Thursday Morning, December 4, 2014. The event will be shown to the public, via a live Internet
web-cast, in a Library study room (upper level) from the time the Library opens at 9:00 a.m. to  approximately 12:30 p.m. EST / 14:00 to 17:30 UTC.

The Mt. Lebanon Public Library is located at 16 Castle Shannon Boulevard, very close to Washington Road at the southern end of the Mt. Lebanon Uptown business district, in south suburban Pittsburgh. This special event is co-sponsored by Friends of the Zeiss and the Mt. Lebanon Public Library.

The Orion Deep-Space Vehicle is NASA's successor to the Space Shuttle, which was retired after its last flight on 2011 July 21. Officially called the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), this new NASA spacecraft is designed to carry a maximum of four astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. The Space Shuttle program, which started with the first launch on 1981 April 12, provided human access to low-Earth orbit, including access to the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope, both of which Space Shuttle astronauts helped install in orbit.

In conjunction with the Orion Deep-Space Vehicle is the Space Launch System (SLS), which is being developed to help future human exploration of the Moon, asteroids, and Mars. This first test flight of the Orion Deep-Space Vehicle, known as Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1), is an uncrewed mission which will be launched aboard a Delta IV heavy rocket. Although not yet scheduled, the first crewed flight of Orion and the Space Launch System is expected after 2020.

As delays with NASA launches, due to poor weather or technical glitches, are not uncommon, people interested in this event may check on the morning of December 4 to be sure that the event is still scheduled. After 9:00 that morning, you can telephone the Library at 412-531-1912, or send an electronic mail message to < orionlaunch1@planetarium.cc >.

The Library event on December 4 will include other NASA presentations regarding the new Orion Deep-Space Vehicle, as well as some educational materials regarding this new NASA space program.

The actual test launch of the Orion vehicle is scheduled for 7:05 on the morning of December 4, about two hours before the 9:00 opening of the Library. So, if the launch occurs on schedule, the Library will join the mission in-progress at the time of the Library opening.

It is expected that NASA will provide replays of the launch throughout the morning, which the Library will be able to show the public after the 9:00 opening. And, if the launch is delayed beyond the 9:00 opening, the Library may be able to show the launch live.

Currently, splash-down of the Orion vehicle is scheduled for 11:29 a.m. that morning in the Pacific Ocean, which is expected to be included in the NASA live coverage, which the Library will show.

Friends of the Zeiss is a non-profit organization which has the mission to promote Astronomy, Space Science, and related sciences, as well as promote the history and preservation of the historic equipment, artifacts, and building of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, including the Zeiss II Planetarium Projector (prior to 2002 dismantling, oldest operable major planetarium projector in the world !) and the 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope. 2014 is the 75th year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium.

More information: < http://www.planetarium.cc/ > or 412-561-7876.

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