Michael Curie
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
michael.curie@nasa.gov
Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
kyle.j.herring@nasa.gov
Candrea Thomas
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov
MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-151
NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE SCHEDULED TO RETURN TO EARTH FOR FINAL TIME THURSDAY
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The final flight of NASA's 30-year-old space
shuttle program is scheduled to end on Thursday, July 21, when
Atlantis and its STS-135 crew return to Earth. The landing at NASA's
Kennedy Space Center in Florida marks the completion of a 13-day
mission to supply the International Space Station for the
post-shuttle era.
Thursday's Kennedy landing opportunities are at 5:56 a.m. and 7:32
a.m. EDT. Atlantis' entry flight control team, led by Flight Director
Tony Ceccacci, will evaluate weather conditions at the landing site
before giving approval to Atlantis to return. If the shuttle is
unable to come home Thursday, additional opportunities are available
on Friday at Kennedy and at the backup landing site, Edwards Air
Force Base in California. Recorded updates about landing are
available at 321-867-2525.
Journalists are invited to cover news briefings and special events to
commemorate the historic event. To cover landing at the Shuttle
Landing Facility (SLF) runway, reporters must sign up at Kennedy's
press site for transportation. NASA will accommodate as many news
media representatives as possible, but the number is limited because
of safety requirements.
At about 7:45 a.m., NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and STS-135
Commander Chris Ferguson will make comments at the shuttle runway.
The remarks will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the
agency's website.
From about 8 - 9 a.m. on Thursday, following the astronaut's departure
from the shuttle runway, a limited number of journalists at the SLF
will be allowed near Atlantis for a photo opportunity and comments
from Bolden and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana. Interested
journalists must e-mail Allard Beutel allard.beutel@nasa.gov by 5
p.m. Wednesday. Space is limited.
At 10 a.m., NASA officials will hold a briefing at Kennedy's press
site to discuss Atlantis' STS-135 mission. The event will be
broadcast live on NASA TV and the agency's website. The participants
will be:
- Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations,
NASA Headquarters
- Bob Cabana, director, Kennedy Space Center
- Mike Moses, space shuttle launch integration manager
- Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director
Also at about 10 a.m., Atlantis will be towed from the runway and
parked outside Orbiter Processing Facility-2 (OPF-2) for several
hours to give employees an opportunity to walk around and photograph
the shuttle. Reporters interested in covering the move must sign up
at the press site for transportation to the photo opportunity
locations. These events will not be carried live on NASA TV.
At 11:45 a.m., Bolden and Cabana will host an employee appreciation
event outside OPF-2. Journalists can cover the event from a
designated media area near the main stage. News media representatives
interested in covering the event must sign up at the press site for
transportation. The event will be broadcast live on NASA TV and the
agency's website.
At about noon, following opening comments at the employee event, the
STS-135 crew is expected to participate in a post-landing news
conference from the press site. The astronauts' availability is
subject to change. Immediately after a 20 minute media
question-and-answer session, the astronauts will go to the employee
appreciation event to talk briefly to the work force. The events will
be broadcast live on NASA TV and the agency's website.
The Kennedy press site will open for shuttle Atlantis' landing at 8
a.m. Wednesday and remain open until 6:30 p.m. Thursday. News media
representatives approved for STS-135 mission badges can pick them up
at NASA's Pass and Identification Building on State Road 3 on
Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Thursday from 2 - 4 a.m. The last
bus will depart from the press site for the SLF about one hour before
landing.
If the shuttle landing is diverted to Edwards after Thursday,
reporters should call the public affairs office at NASA's Dryden
Flight Research Center at 661-276-3449 for access. Dryden has limited
facilities available for previously accredited journalists.
If Atlantis lands Thursday, it will have spent 307 days in space and
traveled nearly 126 million miles during its 33 flights. Atlantis
launched on its first mission on Oct. 3, 1985. For the latest
information about the STS-135 mission and accomplishments, visit:
The NASA News Twitter feed is updated throughout the shuttle mission
and landing. To follow, visit:
For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming
video, visit:
For more information about the space station and its crew, visit:
-end-
To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
To remove your address from the list, send a message to:
hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices.nasa.gov
No comments:
Post a Comment