NASA Announces Final Shuttle Mission Preview Events

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Kylie Clem

Johnson Space Center, Houston

 

HOUSTON -- NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston has scheduled briefings, interview opportunities and demonstrations to highlight the final space shuttle mission, targeted to launch on July 8.

On June 30, NASA will hold news media briefings to preview the STS-135 mission and a news conference with the shuttle crew: Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim. NASA Television and the agency's website will carry the news briefings live.

Round-robin interview opportunities will be available with each crew member on June 30, but direct participation may be limited to networks, wire services and other major news outlets. Decisions regarding participation in the interviews will be based on the number of requests received and finalized about one week before the event. Remote participation in news briefings and round-robin interviews is permitted; however, priority will be given to reporters in attendance at Johnson.

On July 1, journalists can tour the shuttle simulators and mockups that are being used to train the astronauts for the shuttle's final flight to the International Space Station. Journalists also can tour a mockup of NASA's Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the spacecraft that is being developed to carry humans into deep space. The deadline to participate in the June 30 and July 1 events, and to request a round-robin crew interview, is 5 p.m. June 20. For credentials, reporters must call the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111.

On June 16 and 17, news outlets can document the shuttle crew and mission control teams during their training exercises. To attend, U.S. reporters must apply by 5 p.m. CDT on Monday, June 13. International journalists must apply for credentials and return all required paperwork by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8.

The schedule of activities includes (all times CDT):

-- June 16: STS-135 crew and ascent flight control team training

Journalists will have a behind-the-scenes look at the crew and Mission Control Center team training. There will be a photo opportunity of the crew getting into the motion-based simulator in launch and entry suits. Broadcast outlets can film on the floor of mission control for two launch simulations, with access to air-to-ground and flight director loop audio feeds. The training will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the crew, flight director, mission control team and trainers. Accredited journalists must be at the badging office, bldg. 110, by 7 a.m. for transportation to the event. The badging office opens at 6 a.m.

-- June 17: STS-135 crew; shuttle and station flight control team rendezvous training

Journalists will be allowed into the shuttle flight control room and the training version of the space station control room during a simulation of the shuttle's final docking to the International Space Station. Limited opportunities will be available to film the crew in the stationary shuttle simulator. Media representatives again will have access to air-to-ground and flight director loop audio feeds. Accredited journalists must be at the badging office, bldg. 110, by 11 a.m. for transportation to the event.

-- June 30: Mission overview, crew news conference, interviews

7 a.m. STS-135 video b-roll feed on NASA TV

8 a.m. Shuttle Program Overview

9:30 a.m. STS-135 Mission Overview

12 p.m. STS-135 Spacewalk Overview

1 p.m. STS-135 Crew News Conference

2-6 p.m. Individual crew round robin interviews (not on NASA TV)

-- July 1: Hands-on experience with shuttle mockups

Journalists can tour shuttle mockups and simulators and meet mission support and training team members. Journalists will have access to the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, motion and fixed based trainers at the Jake Garn Training Facility, Shuttle Engineering Simulator dome, Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory and Virtual Reality Lab. Activities will be available throughout the day. The Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle mockup will again be available for touring.

A switched video and audio feed of the training events, including video inside the simulator and mission control, will air on NASA TV. For downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

For more information about the mission and crew, visit http://go.nasa.gov/STS-135.

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