Robert Chacon
Residents don't need special clearance from Jet Propulsion Laboratory
or NASA to see up-to-the-minute pictures of Mars' bleak landscape.
All they need to do is turn their televisions to Charter
Communications Channel 15.
The public-access channel began airing live coverage of the space
mission Monday, and will continue to do so indefinitely, with limited
interruptions.
The space agency's Spirit rover landed Saturday on Mars' Gusev
Crater, and within hours began sending back pictures. Spirit will
spend at least three months evaluating the surface for evidence of
water, a precursor to life on the Red Planet.
"We're going to go along with the mission as long as there is
major activity," said Vic Pallos, who is in charge of programming for
Channel 15 through the Glendale Unified School District.
The channel's broadcast will include live shots of the mission and
interviews with NASA and JPL scientists.
The live satellite feed provides students and the community a look
at a historic exploration of Mars, Supt. Jim Brown said.
"Our intent for Channel 15 is education, and what better way to
use this resource than to show history in the making?" he said.
Prompted by questions from children Monday night, a NASA official
explained how the Spirit rover slowed down before landing on Mars'
surface.
The district's science teachers will use the channel for classroom
lessons, Pallos said.
"When Rover begins to venture out, the pictures coming in will be
amazing," he said.
Mars exploration coverage started Monday and will break
periodically for local programming and daily calendar scrolls at 7
a.m. and 6 p.m.
