NASA Astronaut Mark Kelly Resumes Training For STS-134 Mission

Michael Curie

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters

Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut Mark Kelly will resume training as commander of the STS-134 space shuttle mission on Monday, Feb. 7. With the exception of some proficiency training, Kelly has been on personal leave since Jan. 8 to care for his wife, congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was critically wounded in a Tucson, Ariz. shooting.

"I am looking forward to rejoining my STS-134 crew members and finishing our training for the mission," Kelly said. "We have been preparing for more than 18 months, and we will be ready to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space Station and complete the other objectives of the flight. I appreciate the confidence that my NASA management has in me and the rest of my space shuttle crew."

"We are glad to have Mark back," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "He is a veteran shuttle commander and knows well the demands of the job. We are confident in his ability to successfully lead this mission, and I know I speak for all of NASA in saying 'welcome back'.

A news briefing will be held at 2 p.m. CST today at Johnson to discuss Kelly's return. The briefing will be broadcast on NASA Television.

Questions will be taken from reporters at Johnson, NASA Headquarters and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Participants will include:

-- Mark Kelly, commander, STS-134

-- Peggy Whitson, chief, Astronaut Office

-- Brent Jett, chief, Flight Crew Operations Directorate

Because of winter weather conditions, Johnson will be closed until noon. However, the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 is staffed to receive calls from journalists requesting credentials.

On Monday, Feb. 7, NASA TV will broadcast video b-roll of Kelly's first training session with his crew at 11:30 a.m. CST. Additional b-roll of his first day of training will air at 3 p.m. The training sessions will not be available for filming by news media. Astronaut Rick Sturckow, the backup commander for the mission, will resume his role as the deputy chief of the Astronaut Office. For more information about the STS-134 mission and crew, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

Kelly's biography can be found at http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/kellyme.html.

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

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This article was sponsored by Forensic Science Books.

NASA To Hold Briefing On The Shuttle Commander For April Flight

Michael Curie

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters

Johnson Space Center, Houston

 

HOUSTON -- NASA will hold a news conference to discuss command of the STS-134 space shuttle mission at 2 p.m. CST Friday, Feb. 4, at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The briefing participants are:

-- Mark Kelly, commander, STS-134

-- Peggy Whitson, chief, Astronaut Office

-- Brent Jett, chief, Flight Crew Operations Directorate

The news conference will be broadcast on NASA Television and the agency's website. Reporters may ask questions from Johnson, NASA Headquarters in Washington and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

U.S. media representatives planning to attend the briefing must contact the NASA newsroom at one of the three facilities listed above by 1 p.m.

Because of expected winter weather conditions, Johnson will be closed until noon Friday. However, the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 will be staffed beginning at 9 a.m. to receive calls from journalists requesting credentials.

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

Complete astronaut biographies are available at http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/.

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

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Astronaut Steve Bowen Named To STS-133 Space Shuttle Crew; Media Teleconference scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CST

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters

Johnson Space Center, Houston

 

HOUSTON -- NASA selected astronaut Steve Bowen as a mission specialist on STS-133, the next space shuttle mission planned for launch on Feb. 24. Bowen replaces astronaut Tim Kopra, who was injured in a bicycle accident over the weekend. The agency will hold a media teleconference at 3:30 p.m. CST on Wednesday, Jan. 19, to discuss the change in crew personnel.

The teleconference panelists are:

-- Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for Space Operations

-- Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office

To participate in the teleconference, reporters must contact the NASA Space Operations Public Affairs office at 202-358-1100 or the Johnson Space Center's newsroom at 281-483-5111 for dial-in instructions. Requests must include reporters' media affiliation and telephone number.

"Tim is doing fine and expects a full recovery, however, he will not be able to support the launch window next month," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "If for some unanticipated reason STS-133 slips significantly, it is possible that Tim could rejoin the crew."

The crew change should not affect the mission's target launch date.

"Steve is an ideal candidate, and we have complete confidence he'll contribute to a fully successful STS-133 mission," Whitson said. "He has performed five prior spacewalks. That extensive experience, coupled with some adjustments to the spread of duties among the crew, will allow for all mission objectives to be accomplished as originally planned in the current launch window."

Bowen will begin training this week with the STS-133 crew, which includes Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Eric Boe, and Mission Specialists Alvin Drew, Michael Barratt and Nicole Stott. Bowen also will train to perform the two planned spacewalks of the mission. He will join Alvin Drew to move a failed ammonia pump and perform other external configurations to the station.

The STS-133 mission to the International Space Station will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, an external platform that holds large equipment and critical spare components for the station. The mission also will deliver Robonaut 2, or R2, the first human-like robot in space.

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.

For Bowen's complete astronaut biographical information, visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/bowen-sg.html.

For Kopra's complete astronaut biographical information, visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/kopra-tl.html.

For information on the STS-133 mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle.

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