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Steve Roy
 Media Relations Dept.
 (256) 544-0034

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Marshall News

Hurricane Jeanne, seen from Space Station on Sept. 25, 2004
FEATURED PHOTO
Hurricane Jeanne

Marshall Headlines

Motions in nearby galaxy cluster reveal presence of hidden superstructure

Gravity Probe B mission begins collecting science to test Einstein's theory

  

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For release: 11/08/02
Satellite release #: 02-283

Attention:  Early Morning Producer
Monday, Nov. 18
5-8 a.m. EST
Free 10-minute windows—with B-roll

Leonids will be spectacular! 2002 meteor shower could have peak rates between 600 to 2,000 per hour - biggest for the next 30 years

  • Earth passes through debris streams from Comet Tempel-Tuttle next week and the resulting Leonids meteor shower could be the most visible for the next 30 years.
  • Called Leonids because meteors appear to radiate out of the constellation Leo, the shower is predicted to peak in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday Nov. 19.

  • Stargazers in the United States will get the best chance to "catch" a shooting star as rates between 600 to 2,000 meteors per hour are possible over North America.

  • Meteors are produced when bits of debris from comets or asteroids enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up, creating a brief, usually white, streak of light.

  • They're small -- usually between the size of a grain of sand and a pebble -- and fast -- traveling at speeds of 45 miles per second (71 kilometers per second.)

  • Experts at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., and the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, predict space debris hazards to help protect satellites.

  • Talk to an expert about Leonids, its importance and the best way to see this year's "show."

Who: Frank Six
Manager, Space Science Department
Marshall Space Flight Center
Satellite coordinates: GE-2, Transponder 9C,
85 degrees west longitude,
Frequency: 3880 MHz, audio: 6.8 MHz.
Contacts:

Satellite Interview Information:
Camille Sevier (256) 544-2188

Story Information:
Steve Roy, Media Relations
(256) 544-0034

For more information:

Visit the Marshall News Center for news media.

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