Shuttle, Station Crews Meet the President

President Barack Obama looks at a photo presented to him while meeting with the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the U.S. Commander of the ISS Expedition 26 in the Oval Office, Aug. 2, 2011. From left to right: STS-134 Pilot Gregory H. Johnson, Mission Specialist Michael Fincke, Commander Mark Kelly, President Barack Obama, Expedition 26-27 crewmember Catherine Coleman, Expedition 26 Commander Scott Kelly and Expedition 26-27 Paolo Nespoli. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

STS-134: Mission Accomplished

Transcript

Launch Commentator George Diller: "Go for main engine start, 8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...zero...and liftoff for the final launch of Endeavour, expanding our knowledge and expanding our lives in space."

And with that, space shuttle Endeavour embarked on its final flight on the morning of May 16, 2011, carrying six crew members on their way to complete U.S. construction of the International Space Station.

Under the command of Mark Kelly, Pilot Greg Johnson and Mission Specialists Mike Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Drew Feustel and the European Space Agency's Roberto Vittori headed to orbit.

After the remote inspection of the shuttle's exterior thermal protection system was complete, Vittori and Johnson used the shuttle's robotic arm to reach into the payload bay and grapple the Express Logistics Carrier.

Once Endeavour caught up with the station, Kelly put the shuttle through a "backflip" at a distance of 600 feet to allow the station crew to photograph Endeavour's thermal protection tiles before docking.

During the docking process an advanced system called STORMM -- or Sensor Test for Orion Rel-nav Risk Mitigation -- gathered data that could help future spacecraft dock to the station.

Soon after docking and the hatches were opened, the Express Logistics Carrier containing space parts was installed on the station's exterior using shuttle and station robotic arms.

The chief payload -- the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 -- was handed off from the shuttle arm to the station's and then placed in its permanent position atop the starboard 3 truss.

The spectrometer is a 15,000-pound, $2 billion advanced scientific instrument that could answer basic questions about our universe, perhaps shedding light on dark matter and antimatter.

The mission's first of four spacewalks was completed by Feustel and Chamitoff as they swapped exterior experiments and installed equipment in more than six hours outside the station.

The following day, the crew used the station's robotic arm to conduct a focused inspection to collect photographs and data on a small area of damage spotted on Endearvour's underside.

The information gathered enabled mission managers to clear Endeavour for its return.

That same day, the combined crews joined together in the Kibo module for a special call from Pope Benedict XVI.

Spacewalk two paired Fincke and Feustel as they spent eight hours completing station maintenance tasks.

Among those tasks -- topping off ammonia in a cooling loop and lubricating a solar array joint on the port truss and one of the hands on Dextre robotic arm.

There was a break in the busy schedule when three of the station's crew members departed the station aboard a Russian Soyuz and returned to Earth on May 23.

It marked the only time a Soyuz departed the station while a space shuttle was docked.

The following day, the remaining combined crew of nine had time to complete some interior maintenance around the station.

The third spacewalk was once again conducted by the team of Fincke and Feustel.

Performing a number of tasks in just short of seven hours, the spacewalkers left the Canadarm2 closer to having a new base of operation which will give it access to much of the orbiting laboratory's Russian segment.

After the docked inspection and clearance for Endeavour from Houston, the fourth and last spacewalk was conducted by Chamitoff and Fincke.

The outing marked the final spacewalk by space shuttle crew members.

Among the tasks in their almost seven-and-a-half hour work, the spacewalkers attached the shuttle's boom sensor to the station -- making it the final major U.S. piece to be added to the orbiting laboratory.

Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff: "On behalf of the STS-134 crew and the Expedition 27 crew, space station assembly is complete."

With construction complete and supplies delivered during 11 days of joint operations, the two crews said goodbye and the hatches were closed between the two spacecraft.

After undocking, the shuttle completed a fly-around, providing amazing images of the fully completed station.

Fincke, who during the mission became the U.S. astronaut with the most time in space, later described the crew's feelings looking at the completed station.

Mission Specialist Mike Fincke: "I think we all should be really impressed how big and magnificent that space station is, we were impressed; we were exited like five-year olds at a rollercoaster park a mean it was pretty impressive."

The STS-134 crew performed an additional test of the STORRM equipment during a rendezvous exercise before backing away from the station.

Endeavour's final return to Earth came in the overnight hours, as its ghostly outline -- lit by the runway's xenon lights -- appeared out of the darkness at 2:35 a.m. on June 1.

Commander Mark Kelly: "Houston, Endeavour, wheelstop."

Mission Control: "One hundred and twenty-two million miles flown during 25 challenging spaceflights, your landing ends a vibrant legacy for this amazing vehicle that will long be remembered. Welcome home, Endeavour."

After 16 days of a demanding and busy mission, the crew members greeted well-wishers at the runway and received congratulations for a job well done.

Brothers in Arms

The STS-134 crew pose for a group photograph shortly after landing aboard the space shuttle Endeavour at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, Wednesday, June 1, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. From left are European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori and NASA astronauts Gregory H. Johnson, pilot; Mark Kelly, commander; Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, and Andrew Feustel all mission specialists. Endeavour completed a 16-day mission to outfit the International Space Station, its final voyage.

Endeavout launched on its first mission on May 7, 1992 and spent a total of 299 days in space and traveled more than 122.8 million miles during its 25 flights.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Endeavour Undocks from Station

At 11:55 p.m. EDT Sunday, space shuttle Endeavour undocked from the International Space Station. Endeavour spent 11 days, 17 hrs and 41 minutes docked to the orbiting laboratory. At undocking, the spacecraft were 215 miles above LaPaz, Bolivia.

The fly around of the space station will begin at 12:22 a.m., with Pilot Greg Johnson maneuvering Endeavour to circle the station at a distance of about 600 feet. The shuttle crew members will take detailed photographs of the external structure of the station, which serves as important documentation for the ground teams in Houston to monitor the orbiting laboratory.

Once the shuttle completes 1.5 revolutions of the complex, Johnson will fire Endeavour’s jets to leave the area. Nearly two hours after undocking a second firing of the engines, which would normally take the shuttle further away, will serve as the first maneuver to bring Endeavour back toward the station for the Sensor Test for Orion Relative-navigation Risk Mitigation, or STORRM. Commander Mark Kelly will pilot Endeavour for the re-rendezvous.

The test will characterize the performance of sensors in Endeavour’s payload bay and acquisition of reflectors on the shuttle’s docking target at the station. The re-rendezvous will mimic the Orion vehicle’s planned rendezvous trajectory and will approach no closer than 600 feet to the station. Endeavour is targeted to approach the station to a point 1,000 feet below and 300 feet behind the station at its closest point.

Undocking Day for Endeavour

The crews of space shuttle Endeavour woke at 7:27 p.m. EDT to the song “Slowness” performed by Calexico, a Tucson band, for Commander Mark Kelly.

Today is undocking day for Endeavour and the six crew members of the STS-134 mission. Undocking is scheduled to take place at 11:55 p.m., while the spacecraft are 215 miles above and over La Paz, Bolivia.

At 12:22 a.m., Pilot Greg Johnson will fly the shuttle one lap around the station while the other crew members take photos to document its configuration. Following the fly around, Kelly will pilot Endeavour on a rendezvous maneuver that returns the shuttle within 600 feet of the station as part of the Sensor Test for Orion Relative-navigation Risk Mitigation, or STORRM.

Crews Complete Workday

Spacesuit reconfiguration, work on a carbon dioxide scrubber, and movement of equipment and supplies between Endeavour and the International Space Station kept crew members of the docked spacecraft busy during their just-completed workday.

Early in their day, at about 9:15 p.m. Friday, STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Greg Johnson along with Expedition 27 Flight Engineer Ron Garan talked with middle school students, teachers and others gathered at the University of Arizona in Tucson. At about 7:45 a.m. Saturday Johnson answered questions from representatives of Gannet, Houston's KPRC-TV and the Voice of America.

Spacewalkers Outfit Station

The International Space Station’s Canadarm2 is closer to having a new base of operation, giving it access to much of the orbiting laboratory’s Russian segment. Endeavour Mission Specialists Drew Feustel and Mike Fincke installed a power and data grapple fixture on the Russian Zarya module during a 6-hour, 54-minute spacewalk early Wednesday. The arm can “inchworm” its way to the new base by grasping it and then releasing the hand holding the old base to become the new end effector. A cable to provide power to that new operating base is on the to-do list for the fourth spacewalk of the mission. The spacewalkers also installed a video signal converter on Zarya and ran power cables from the U.S. segment to Zarya. That provides a backup for transmission of power from the solar arrays to the Russian segment.

Feustel and Fincke completed a job started on the flight’s first spacewalk, finishing hookup of an external wireless communications system antenna. The work was postponed because of a malfunction of one suit’s carbon dioxide gauge that caused the Friday spacewalk to be cut short. They took photos of some of their handiwork and of Zarya thrusters, and some infrared video of an experiment involving coatings with variable thermal control qualities. Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff was their intravehicular officer and astronaut Steve Swanson served as spacewalk capcom in the station flight control room. Endeavour Commander Mark Kelly did photo and video documentation.

Feustel and Fincke used a new procedure to prepare astronauts for spacewalks. They breathed oxygen for an hour, then put on spacesuits and did “light exercise” for 50 minutes, standing and doing slow intermittent movements. The procedure avoids the overnight stay in the Quest airlock that had become standard. The Wednesday spacewalk ended at 7:37 a.m. CDT, when repressurization of the airlock began. It was the sixth for Feustel and the eighth for Fincke. It was the 247th U.S. spacewalk. The spacewalk brought the total time spent for station assembly construction and maintenance to 995 hours and 13 minutes during 158 spacewalks.

The mission’s fourth spacewalk, Friday morning, is expected to break the 1,000-hour mark. It will also be the last spacewalk by space shuttle crew members. A spacewalk during the program’s final mission, STS-135, is to be conducted by space station residents. In other activities, Pilot Greg Johnson and Mission Specialist Roberto Vittori spent much of their day stowing equipment and supplies. Station Flight Engineer Ron Garan helped out with post-spacewalk tasks. The next status report will be issued after crew wakeup or earlier if warranted.

Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 Installed

At 5:46 a.m. EDT, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) was installed successfully on the outside of the International Space Station's right side. Mission Specialists Andrew Feustel and Roberto Vittori used the space shuttle’s robotic arm to extract it from Endeavour's payload bay. They handed it off to the space station’s Canadarm2, and Pilot Greg Johnson and Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff then used the robotic arm to install AMS on the starboard side of the station’s truss.

The AMS team will monitor the experiment 24 hours a day, gathering data for as long as the space station is in orbit. Using a large magnet to create a magnetic field that will bend the path of the charged cosmic particles already traveling through space, eight different instruments will provide information on those particles as they make their way through the magnet.

Armed with that information, hundreds of scientists from 16 countries are hoping to determine what composes the universe and how it began, as the AMS searches for clues on the origin of dark matter and the existence of antimatter and other unusual matter. AMS also could provide information about pulsars, blazers, gamma ray bursts and any number of other cosmic phenomena.

NASA's Shuttle Endeavour Heads To Space Station On Its Final Mission

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington

 

Candrea Thomas

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

 

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Commander Mark Kelly and his five crewmates are on their way to the International Space Station after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 8:56 a.m. EDT Monday. The STS-134 mission is the penultimate orbiter flight and the final one for shuttle Endeavour

"This mission represents the power of teamwork, commitment and exploration," Commander Mark Kelly said shortly before liftoff. "It is in the DNA of our great country to reach for the stars and explore. We must not stop. To all the millions watching today including our spouses, children, family and friends, we thank you for your support."

The crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS) and critical supplies to the space station, including two communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional parts for the Dextre robot. AMS is a particle physics detector designed to search for various types of unusual cosmic matter. The crew also will transfer Endeavour's orbiter boom sensor system to the station, where it could assist spacewalkers as an extension for the station's robotic arm.

"Today's final launch of Endeavour is a testament to American ingenuity and leadership in human spaceflight," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "As we look toward a bright future with the International Space Station as our anchor and new destinations in deep space on the horizon, we salute the astronauts and ground crews who have ensured the orbiter's successful missions. The presence of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at the launch inspired us all, just as America's space program has done for the past 50 years."

Kelly's crewmates are Pilot Greg H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Mike Fincke, Drew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and Roberto Vittori of the European Space Agency. This is the first shuttle flight for Fincke and Vittori. Vittori will be the last international astronaut to fly aboard a shuttle.

Endeavour is scheduled to dock to the station at 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday. The 16-day mission includes four spacewalks. After undocking to return to Earth, Kelly and Johnson will ease the shuttle back toward the station to test new sensor technologies that could facilitate the docking of future space vehicles to the station.

The shuttle's first landing opportunity at Kennedy is scheduled for 2:32 a.m. on June 1. STS-134 is the 134th shuttle flight, the 25th flight for Endeavour and the 36th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.

NASA's web coverage of STS-134 includes mission information, a press kit, interactive features, news conference images, graphics and videos. Mission coverage, including the latest NASA Television schedule, is available on the main space shuttle website at http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of the mission. NASA TV features live mission events, daily status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Daily news conferences with STS-134 mission managers will take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. To participate, reporters must have valid media credentials issued by a NASA center or issued specifically for the STS-134 mission.

Journalists not on site must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of a briefing to participate. Newsroom personnel will verify credentials and transfer reporters to the phone bridge. Phone bridge capacity is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Live updates to the NASA News Twitter feed will be added throughout the mission and landing. To access the feed, go to the NASA.gov homepage or visit http://www.twitter.com/nasa.

Kelly, Johnson, Fincke and Chamitoff are providing updates to their Twitter accounts during the mission. They can be followed at http://www.twitter.com/shuttleCDRkelly , http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Box, http://www.twitter.com/AstroIronMike , and http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Taz.

For more information about the space station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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STS-134 Crew Completes First Full Day in Space

Endeavour’s astronauts performed an inspection of the orbiter’s thermal protection system. They also checked out spacesuits and rendezvous tools in preparation for Wednesday’s docking with the International Space Station, scheduled for 5:16 a.m. CDT.

The shuttle and its crew of six, Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Greg H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Mike Fincke, Roberto Vittori, Andrew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff are delivering the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2, other experiments and critical spare parts to the station.

The crew members took turns monitoring and using the shuttle’s robotic arm and its orbiter boom sensor system to look at the reinforced carbon-carbon on the spacecraft’s nose and wing leading edges, and some of its heat-resistant tiles.

Vittori and Johnson then latched the shuttle robotic arm onto the Express Logistics Carrier 3 to prepare for its installation shortly after arrival at the station.

Fincke and Feustel spent several hours preparing spacesuits for transfer to the station’s Quest airlock, where the mission’s four spacewalks will originate. The spacewalks are aimed at getting the International Space Station in the best possible shape for the retirement of the space shuttle fleet, through a variety of different tasks.

Feustel completed a checkout of the Sensor Test for Orion Rel-nav Risk Mitigation, or STORRM, equipment. The system is flying aboard Endeavour to examine sensor technologies that could make it easier for future space vehicles to dock to the International Space Station. It will gather data during the initial rendezvous and docking to the station, during the nominal undocking, and again during a dedicated re-rendezvous.

The next shuttle status report will be issued after crew wake up, or earlier if warranted. The crew is scheduled to be awakened at 9:56 p.m.

STS-134 Crew Arrives at Kennedy

STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly, center, along with his crew speaks to the media following their arrival to Kennedy Space Center, Tuesday, April 26, 2011, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. From left are Mission Specialists Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel, Kelly, Pilot Greg H. Johnson, Mission Specialist Mike Fincke and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori. The six astronauts for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the International Space Station arrived at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) in T-38 jets early Tuesday afternoon.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA Announces Sts-134 Prelaunch Events And Countdown Details

Stephanie Schierholz

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Candrea Thomas

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

 

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- News conferences, events and operating hours for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., are set for the final scheduled launch of space shuttle Endeavour. Lift off is targeted for 3:47 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 29, to begin the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station.

Endeavour's crew members are Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Greg H. Johnson and NASA Mission Specialists Mike Fincke, Drew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency Mission Specialist Roberto Vittori.

A NASA blog will provide countdown updates beginning at 10:30 a.m. April 29. Originating from Kennedy's Launch Control Center, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to lift off.

During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle website can read about the crew's progress and watch the mission's four spacewalks live. As Endeavour's flight concludes, the NASA blog will detail the spacecraft's return to Earth. For NASA's launch blog and continuous mission updates, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

Detailed lists of countdown milestones, news briefing times and participants, and hours of operation for Kennedy's news center and media credentialing office are available at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news.

The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the shuttle launch countdown, mission and landing. Four of Endeavour's crew members -- Johnson, Chamitoff, Fincke and Kelly -- may post updates from the mission to their Twitter accounts. To follow, visit http://www.twitter.com/nasa, http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Box, http://www.twitter.com/Astro_Taz, http://www.twitter.com/AstroIronMike, and http://www.twitter.com/ShuttleCDRKelly.

Free wireless Internet access is provided at the Kennedy Press Site news center and annex. Instructions for wireless access will be available at the news center. Since accessibility may be limited because of the number of users, reporters should bring a backup.

For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

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Endeavour's Launch Officially Set for April 29

Space shuttle Commander Mark Kelly and his five crewmates are scheduled to begin a 14-day mission to the International Space Station with a launch at 3:47 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 29, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The STS-134 mission is shuttle Endeavour's final scheduled flight.

The launch date was announced Tuesday at the conclusion of a flight readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission and determined the shuttle and station's equipment, support systems and personnel are ready.

The crew consists of Commander Kelly, Pilot Greg H. Johnson, NASA Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel and Greg Chamitoff and European Space Agency Mission Specialist Roberto Vittori. They are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy on Tuesday, April 26, for final launch preparations.

STS-134 is the 134th shuttle mission, Endeavour's 25th flight and the 36th shuttle mission to the station.

Endeavour's Ordnance Installation Scheduled

Technicians at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A will continue preparations for space shuttle Endeavour's launch countdown. Tonight, teams will install the final ordinances needed for liftoff.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-134 crew will review rendezvous procedures today before Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Greg H. Johnson fly to El Paso for landing practice in the shuttle training aircraft at White Sands Space Harbor, N.M.

NASA managers will meet Tuesday at Kennedy for a flight readiness review. An official launch date will be announced during a news briefing after the conclusion of the meeting.

Endeavour's launch to the International Space Station remains targeted for April 29 at 3:47 p.m.

Endeavour and Crew Preps Ongoing

Launch Pad 39A technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center have opened space shuttle Endeavour's airlock hatch in preparation for a functional checkout of the astronaut's spacewalking suits that will take place on Thursday.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-134 crew will review camp out procedures today for the mission's spacewalks. Meanwhile, Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Greg H. Johnson will practice landings in the shuttle training aircraft at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

The Flight Readiness Review for Endeavour's flight to the International Space Station will be held on Tuesday, April 19. NASA managers will announce the official launch date during a briefing at the conclusion of the meeting.

Endeavour is targeted to lift off on its final mission 3:47 p.m. EDT, April 29.

STS-134: Countdown Rehearsal

In preparation for space shuttle Endeavour's final launch, the STS-134 crew of six veteran astronauts flew T-38 training jets to NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the afternoon of March 29.

They came to the Florida launch site to conduct the standard week-long prelaunch training and countdown dress rehearsal -- officially known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test.

Mark Kelly/STS-134 Commander:

"TCDT, or Terminal Countdown Test, is when the processing and the training kind of comes together after being parallel things for a very long period of time."

Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Greg Johnson got down to business the next morning with practice landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft.

The entire crew received instruction and practiced driving the M113 armored personnel carrier as part of its emergency exit training.

At Launch Pad 39A, where Endeavour is undergoing final preparations, the astronauts inspected the payload for the mission, which already is tucked inside the shuttle's cargo bay.

Severe weather closed in on the Space Coast for 24 hours, covering the area with heavy winds, rain, lightning and hail.

While the storms caused no significant damage at the launch pad, weather conditions caused some delays and reshuffling of training activities.

This included moving the media Q&A, normally held at the launch pad, into Kennedy’s television auditorium.

Greg H. Johnson/STS-134 Pilot:

"I think every time you strap on a space shuttle, there is some intimidation among the crew members, knowing there's just an awesome amount of power and something that's going to be a milestone in their life. Whether it's the first time, or the fourth time. And Mark and I were talking about it today, how excited we are to be flying Endeavour in a couple weeks."

With the sun shining again, the crew participated in the centerpiece of the week's activities -- a launch dress rehearsal and practice countdown with the look and feel of a real launch day.

The crew members also rehearsed launch pad emergency evacuation procedures.

With the launch site exercises behind them, the astronauts returned to their home base -- NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston -- where they will continue training before returning to Florida for their targeted April launch.

At the launch pad, technicians will continue to prepare space shuttle Endeavour for its final flight, a 14-day mission to the International Space Station.

STS-134 Crew Begin TCDT at Kennedy

Space shuttle Endeavour's six astronauts arrived at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility in four T-38 jets between 5:07 p.m. and 5:24 p.m. EDT. The crew is at Kennedy for their week-long launch dress rehearsal, called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test or TCDT.

TCDT will provide Endeavour's astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training.

Later today STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Greg H. Johnson, will practice shuttle landings in shuttle training aircraft.

The next media event will be a Q and A at Launch Pad 39A on March 31 at 8:40 am. EDT. The event will be aired on NASA TV (www.nasa.gov.ntv).

Crew Arrives This Evening for TCDT

Crews at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are preparing space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-134 crew's Terminal Countdown Demonstration test this week. 

Endeavour's six astronauts are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility tonight at approximately 7 p.m. EDT to begin the dress launch rehearsal and other related training. The arrival will be shown live on NASA TV.

Once at Kennedy, STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly and Pilot Greg H. Johnson, will practice shuttle landings in shuttle training aircraft.

Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly Not Available For Media Interviews

Michael Curie

Headquarters, Washington                                   

 

James Hartsfield

Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON -- Space Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly will not be available for media interviews that had been scheduled from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. CDT Thursday, March 24, at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Kelly will participate in a previously scheduled news conference with his crew at 2 p.m. CDT Thursday to discuss their upcoming STS-134 shuttle mission to the International Space Station.

The news conference will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

The other STS-134 crew members, pilot Greg H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, will be available for previously scheduled interviews from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. CDT Thursday.

All other Thursday briefings related to the STS-134 mission remain as planned.

For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

For information on the STS-134 crew and mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

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