NASA Signs Commercial Space Agreement With Sierra Nevada

J.D. Harrington/Michael Braukus     

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Amber Philman

Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

 

Cassie Kloberdanz

Sierra Nevada Space Systems, Sparks, Nev.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is entering into an agreement with Sierra Nevada Space Systems (SNSS) of Sparks, Nev., to offer technical capabilities from the center's uniquely skilled work force.

The umbrella space act agreement is Kennedy's latest step in its transition from a historically government-only launch complex to a multi-user spaceport. Sierra Nevada also has space act agreements with NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston; NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.; NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif.; and NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.

"We're pleased that our partner Sierra Nevada is going to make use of the deep resources existing at the Kennedy Space Center to enhance its ongoing work," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "Sierra Nevada's agreements with Kennedy and other NASA centers demonstrate its commitment to using the full resources of NASA as the agency facilitates commercial cargo and crew capabilities to the International Space Station."

Kennedy will help Sierra Nevada with the ground operations support of its lifting body reusable spacecraft called "Dream Chaser," which resembles a smaller version of the space shuttle orbiter. The spacecraft would carry as many as seven astronauts to the space station.

Through the new agreement, Kennedy's work force will use its experience of processing the shuttle fleet for 30 years to help Sierra Nevada define and execute Dream Chaser's launch preparations and post-landing activities.

"The partnership is an effort to bring new commercial space activities to the center and help transition Kennedy from a government, program-focused, single user launch complex to a diverse, multi-use spaceport, enabling both government and commercial space providers," said Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana.

In 2010 and 2011, Sierra Nevada was awarded grants as part of the initiative to stimulate the private sector in developing and demonstrating human spaceflight capabilities for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The goal of the program, which is based at Kennedy, is to facilitate the development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability by achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the space station and future low Earth orbit destinations.

"Our Dream Chaser vehicle was born at NASA, and NASA has continued to be an important partner in the vehicle's development," said Mark Sirangelo, head of SNSS. "By adding the Kennedy Space Center, with its highly experienced technical staff and world-class facilities, to the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser Program we blend the best of both the NASA shuttle heritage alongside the best of industry practices."

NASA also has space act agreements with other commercial partners under the agency's Commercial Crew Program. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has agreements with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., for development of the J-2X upper-stage engine; NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for hardware assurance testing; and NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, for propulsion related technology development. Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) in Hawthorne, Calif., has agreements with Marshall for engineering development work, and Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Va., has agreements with Marshall and Stennis for AJ-26 engine engineering support.

For more information about Kennedy, visit http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy.

For information about NASA's commercial transportation programs, visit

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/index.html.

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Launch Preparations Move Forward

Preparations at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are moving forward as space shuttle Atlantis' liftoff on July 8 nears. Today, technicians at Launch Pad 39A will pressurize Atlantis' main propulsion system following the closure yesterday of the spacecraft's payload bay doors.

The STS-135 crew will participate in preflight interviews from NASA's Johnson Space Center today. Briefings about this final mission of the Space Shuttle Program will air live on NASA TV throughout the day and also can be seen online at nasa.gov/ntv.

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Atlantis and Crew Prepared for July 8 Liftoff

Launch pad technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are in the process of closing out space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay in preparation for liftoff from Launch Pad 39A on July 8 at 11:26 a.m. EDT. The bay's doors are expected to be closed for flight today.

This follows yesterday's day-long Flight Readiness Review at which senior NASA and contractor managers confirmed that Atlantis is ready for this last shuttle flight to supply the International Space Station.

"This flight is incredibly important. The cargo that is coming up on this flight is really mandatory for space station," said Bill Gerstenmaier, assistant administrator for space operations, following yesterday's review.

In preparation for this final mission of the Space Shuttle Program, the STS-135 astronauts will undergo their L-10 physicals today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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STS-135 Countdown Rehearsal Complete

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning, the four Atlantis astronauts put on their bright orange launch-and-entry suits and traveled to Launch Pad 39A aboard the Astrovan, just as they will on launch day a couple of weeks from now. Climbing into space shuttle Atlantis, they participated in a countdown dress rehearsal.

The crew members are wrapping up their on-site training at Kennedy before departing from the Shuttle Landing Facility later today for the flight back to their home base at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. At Johnson, they'll continue their training for the final space shuttle flight, the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station. The crew plans to return to Kennedy on July 4 in preparation for the targeted liftoff on July 8.

Work at the launch pad continues as technicians are scanning the bottom portions of the stringers on Atlantis' external fuel tank, and no issues have been found. A mass spectrometer external leak check of the shuttle's engine No. 3's main fuel valve was completed, and technicians now are installing insulation. A full retest of the valve is set for this weekend.

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STS-135 Crew Heads to Florida for Countdown Test

The four veteran astronauts for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-135 mission are on their way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The two T-38 jets the crew members are flying in departed NASA Johnson Space Center's Ellington Field at 2:50 p.m. EDT. They're expected to make a refueling stop in Mobile, Ala., and then land at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility by about 5:45 p.m. The crew's arrival at Kennedy this afternoon will air live on NASA TV and on www.nasa.gov/ntv.

The crew is coming to Kennedy for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test and related training. The countdown full dress rehearsal is scheduled for Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, at Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A, technicians are performing high-tech X-ray scans of the tops and bottoms of 50 support beams, called stringers, on the shuttle-facing side of space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank. The scans should take about a week to complete and are expected to confirm there are no problems with the tank's stringers. Scans began Sunday due to strong storms on Saturday, which caused no damage to the shuttle and pad. Technicians are also replacing a suspected leaky valve in Atlantis' space shuttle main engine No. 3.

Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program, targeted for launch July 8.

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Fuel Tank Stringer Scans Begin; Crew Arrives Today for Countdown Test

At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A in Florida, technicians are performing high-tech X-ray scans of the tops and bottoms of 50 support beams, called stringers, on the shuttle-facing side of space shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank. The scans should take about a week to complete and are expected to confirm there are no problems with the tank's stringers. Scans began Sunday due to strong storms on Saturday, which caused no damage to the shuttle and pad. Atlantis is being prepared for the STS-135 mission, the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program, targeted for launch July 8.

Science technicians will begin to replace a suspected leaky valve in Atlantis' space shuttle main engine No. 3 today.

Late this afternoon, the mission's four veteran astronauts are scheduled to fly to Kennedy from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. They're set to arrive in T-38 jets at about 5:45 p.m. EDT to begin their prelaunch countdown dress rehearsal, called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, and related training. Their arrival at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility will be carried live on NASA TV and on the Web at nasa.gov/ntv.

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NASA Television Covers Station Cargo Craft Departure And Arrival

Michael Curie

Headquarters, Washington                               

 

Kelly Humphries

Johnson Space Center, Houston

 

HOUSTON -- NASA Television will provide live coverage during a busy International Space Station traffic pattern, when one cargo spacecraft departs and another arrives.

The European Space Agency's "Johannes Kepler" Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 (ATV2) is scheduled to undock from the station's Zvezda service module port at 9:48 a.m. CDT on Monday, June 20, and will burn up in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

ATV2, the second unpiloted European cargo ship, delivered seven tons of food and supplies and is supporting a series of reboosts to raise the station's orbit. It has been linked to the station since February. NASA TV will incorporate coverage of the undocking into the "ISS Update" hour, which will air at 9:30 a.m. Monday.

The next day, the Russian Progress 43 cargo ship will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:38 a.m. (8:38 p.m. Baikonur time), carrying nearly three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the six-person Expedition 28 crew. The launch will be part of the NASA TV "ISS Update" that day, which will air at 9 a.m. NASA TV will provide live coverage of the Progress docking beginning at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 23.

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

For International Space Station information, visit

http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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NASA Gives News Media Access To Final Shuttle Simulations

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington                                   

Kylie Clem

Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON -- As the final space shuttle training simulations take place at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the agency is giving journalists an unprecedented view of the crew and Mission Control team training for the upcoming STS-135 mission.

On Thursday, June 16, news media representatives can witness one of the final launch and ascent simulations conducted by the STS-135 crew, flight controllers and simulation and training teams. The Johnson badging office opens at 6 a.m. CDT and journalists should arrive early to be ready for transportation to the training site at 7 a.m.

Reporters will be able to photograph the crew getting into the motion-based shuttle simulator and gather behind-the-scenes interviews and footage with the teams that train the astronauts before launch. Flight controllers who oversee the shuttle's performance from the ground also will be available.

Filming and photographs will be allowed using only available light inside both the simulation control rooms and the space shuttle flight control room in the Mission Control Center. Reporters also will be able to listen to and record conversations between the crew and mission control, as well as between the flight director and his team as they work through mock shuttle launches.

Following the simulation, STS-135 Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim and STS-135 Ascent Flight Director Richard Jones will be available for a question-and-answer session in mission control. NASA Television will air the event live at 1 p.m. The training team will be available for interviews afterward.

On Friday, June 17, the space shuttle and space station flight controllers will practice the shuttle's final rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station. Reporters should arrive at Johnson's badging office by 10:30 a.m. for transportation to the training facility.

Journalists will have access to Johnson's fixed-based shuttle simulator and can witness the STS-135 crew preparing for a mock terminal initiation burn and getting the shuttle ready for docking with the station. At noon, news media representatives will be escorted to mission control to tour the space shuttle flight control room and the space station training version. The flight control team will be practicing the shuttle's backflip as it approaches the station and the docking. Reporters will have access to the front of the room and can listen to the flight director's audio and the air-to-ground transmissions from the shuttle crew. The simulated docking is expected to begin at 2 p.m.

Both training events will be recorded for broadcast on NASA TV. The schedule is below.

June 16

1 p.m. - Question-and-answer session with STS-135 crew and flight control team in space shuttle flight control room

2 p.m. - Replay of STS-135 ascent simulation

June 17

3:30 p.m. - Replay of STS-135 rendezvous simulation with shuttle and station flight control teams

For NASA TV 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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NASA Spacecraft to Make Cross Country Voyage

Michael Braukus/J.D. Harrington

Headquarters, Washington

 

Josh Byerly

Johnson Space Center, Houston

WASHINGTON -- NASA is inviting the public to view a test version of the agency's next spacecraft that will carry humans into deep space.

The Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, which NASA announced last month would be the agency’s deep space crew module based on the original work on the Orion capsule, will make three stops as it travels by truck from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The planned stops are June 15-16 at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Ariz.; June 19-20 at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas; and June 24-25 at the Tallahassee Challenger Learning Center in Florida. The module also will be on display June 29-July 4 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

During a test flight in New Mexico last year, a new launch abort system propelled the spacecraft off the launch pad to a speed of almost 445 mph in three seconds. The spacecraft then parachuted to the desert floor.

The test module eventually will be moved to Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Facility for further study. The Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle’s propulsion, life support, thermal protection and avionics systems ultimately will enable astronauts to travel for extended deep space missions and return safely to Earth.

Reporters interested in seeing the test spacecraft or scheduling interviews should contact Dan Huot at daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov or call the Johnson Space Center newsroom at 281-483-5111.

The public can contact each of the sites directly for information on seeing the spacecraft and hours of operation. For more information on the each of the museums, visit http://www.pimaair.org , http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/the_museum/about.html and http://www.challengertlh.com/.

To learn more about the development of the vehicle, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/mpcv.

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NASA Selects Five Firms For General Construction Contracts

Katherine Trinidad

Headquarters, Washington                               

 

Amiko Kauderer

Johnson Space Center, Houston                              

HOUSTON -- NASA has selected five firms for awards under a $400 million solicitation to perform large general construction projects. The work will be performed at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Ellington Field, the Sonny Carter Training Facility, all in Houston, and the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico.

The five selected firms are Swinerton Builders of Arvada, Colo.; J.T. Vaughn Construction, LLC of Houston; Kiewit Building Group of Arlington, Va.; Skanska USA Building of Houston; and Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Austin, Texas.

Awardees will provide general construction services, including limited design-build capability, modification, repair and demolition for multiple unrelated large projects. The guaranteed minimum amount of work for each firm under the contracts is $5,000. The maximum total amount of all task orders under all contracts awarded under this solicitation shall not exceed $400 million for the five-year period of performance. There are no options included.

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov.

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Techs Prep Atlantis for Wed. Tanking Test

Technicians at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A will continue preparations that began over the weekend for space shuttle Atlantis' tanking test scheduled for Wednesday.

The STS-135 astronauts will have a spacewalk hardware review in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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New York Students Will Call Space Station Astronaut

Sonja Alexander

Headquarters, Washington                                    

 

Rachel Kraft

Johnson Space Center, Houston

WASHINGTON -- Students in Otsego County, N.Y., will make a special call to the International Space Station and Expedition 28 Flight Engineer Ron Garan on Friday, June 17.

The event, which includes a video link with Garan, will be broadcast live on NASA Television at 11:05 a.m. EDT. Fifth through eighth grade students from the Oneonta City School district will ask Garan questions about how the space station plays a pivotal role in expanding human understanding of the Earth and space.

The State University of New York's (SUNY) Oneonta campus, located at 108 Ravine Parkway, will host the event. To attend, journalists must contact Hal Legg at legghs@oneonta.edu by 3 p.m., June 16.

Garan received his undergraduate degree from SUNY Oneonta in 1982. The university expects 1,000 participants from several school districts and the Oneonta Job Corps Academy.

Garan previously spoke with many of the students in February through NASA's Digital Learning Network about the benefits of studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and his first spaceflight.

The in-flight education downlink is part of a series with educational organizations in the U.S. and abroad to improve teaching and learning in STEM subjects. It is an integral component of Teaching From Space, an agency education program that promotes learning opportunities and builds partnerships with the education community using the unique environment of space and NASA's human spaceflight program.

For NASA TV information and schedules, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

For information about NASA's education programs, visit http://www.nasa.gov/education.

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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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Unique 'Portrait' Of Shuttle And International Space Station Released

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Kelly Humphries

Johnson Space Center, Houston

WASHINGTON -- Newly-released portraits show the International Space Station together with the space shuttle, the vehicle that helped build the complex during the last decade. The pictures are the first taken of a shuttle docked to the station from the perspective of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

On May 23, the Soyuz was carrying Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli back to Earth. Once their vehicle was about 600 feet from the station, Mission Control Moscow, outside the Russian capital, commanded the orbiting laboratory to rotate 130 degrees. This move allowed Nespoli to capture digital photographs and high definition video of shuttle Endeavour docked to the station.

The Soyuz landed in Kazakhstan and was taken to Moscow for routine post-landing analysis. NASA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, then processed the imagery as part of the standard disposition of spacecraft cargo.

Additional images and high definition video are being processed and will be posted on NASA's website. To view the still images, visit http://go.nasa.gov/stationportrait.

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

For information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station.

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Students Build Space Habitats at NASA's Johnson Space Center

J.D. Harrington / Michael Braukus

Headquarters, Washington                               

 

Lynnette Madison

Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON -- University students are helping NASA develop potential habitats for future space missions. Three teams from across the country will visit NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston during June to show off the inflatable space lofts they've designed and built for the inaugural eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge.

One of the habitats will be chosen to participate in NASA's annual Desert Research and Technology Studies (Desert-RATS) field test in September, where it will be tested as part of a simulated astronaut mission to an asteroid. The winning team will receive $10,000 to offset costs associated with its participation.

The three university teams will each spend one week in Houston setting up their habitat for judging. News media representatives are invited to see the student innovations from 2 to 4 p.m. CDT during the next three Thursdays. The schedule is:

-- June 9: Oklahoma State University, Stillwater

-- June 16: University of Maryland, College Park

-- June 23: University of Wisconsin, Madison

To RSVP for any of these opportunities, reporters must contact Lynnette Madison at lynnette.b.madison@nasa.gov by 5 p.m. on each preceding Wednesday.

In June 2010, NASA invited university teams to submit inflatable loft concepts for the X-Hab Challenge. Three competing universities were chosen, and those teams received $48,000 of seed funding to assist with their projects.

The competition is designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, which in turn will help develop the next generation of innovators and explorers. It could also result in new concepts and solutions that NASA could apply to later exploration habitats.

X-Hab is sponsored by NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and the Innovative Partnerships Office in the Office of the Chief Technologist at agency headquarters in Washington. For more information about the X-Hab competition, and for updates about the designs of each school, visit http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/analogs/xhab_challenge.html.

For more information about D-RATS, visit http://www.nasa.gov/desertrats.

Updates about the activities will also be available via Twitter at https://twitter.com/DESERT_RATS.

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Preparations Move Forward for STS-135

Today at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, launch pad technicians are loading oxidizer into space shuttle Atlantis' forward and aft reaction control systems. Both solid rocket booster hydraulic power units have been filled with hydrazine and the tanks have been pressurized.

The four STS-135 crew members are set to fly back to their home base at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston where they will resume training for the upcoming mission. The astronauts are expected to depart from Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility in T-38 jets this morning.

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Last Female Shuttle Astronaut Available For Interviews

Michael Curie

Headquarters, Washington

 

Kylie Clem

Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus, who will fly on the last space shuttle mission next month, is available for live satellite interviews from 7 to 9 a.m. CDT on Monday, June 6. Shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch July 8 with Magnus, Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialist Rex Walheim to deliver supplies and spare equipment to the International Space Station.

After her first spaceflight in 2002, Magnus became the 34th out of 47 women to fly aboard the shuttle, which launched the first American woman into space, Sally Ride, in 1983. With the upcoming STS-135 launch, Magnus will be the last female astronaut to fly on the storied vehicle.

Magnus is a native of Belleville, Ill. She earned a bachelor's and a master's from the University of Missouri-Rolla and a doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a veteran of two shuttle flights and a 4.5-month stay aboard the station as a member of the Expedition 18 crew. Her first spaceflight was aboard shuttle Atlantis on the STS-112 mission in October 2002. She later flew to the station aboard shuttle Endeavour on STS-126 in November 2008 and returned to Earth aboard shuttle Discovery on STS-119 in March 2009.

To arrange an interview, news media representatives must contact Karen Svetaka at 281-483-8684, no later than 4 p.m. on Friday, June 3. Participating media must tune into NASA Television's Live Interview Media Outlet channel. The channel is a digital satellite C-band downlink by uplink provider Americom.

It is on satellite AMC 3, transponder 9C, located at 87 degrees west, downlink frequency 3865.5 MHz based on a standard C-band, horizontal downlink polarity. FEC is 3/4, data rate is 6.0 Mbps, symbol rate is 4.3404 Msps, transmission DVB-S, 4:2:0. NASA TV will air the Magnus interviews live. Video b-roll of STS-135 flight preparations will air June 6 at 6:30 a.m. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

For Magnus' complete biography, visit http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/magnus.html.

To follow Magnus on Twitter, visit http://www.twitter.com/astro_sandy.

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

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NASA Television To Cover Next Soyuz Departure, Arrival

Joshua Buck

Headquarters, Washington                                        

 

Kelly Humphries

Johnson Space Center, Houston

HOUSTON -- NASA Television will cover the return of three International Space Station crew members and the launch of three new station residents in the coming weeks.

For the first time, a Soyuz undocking is expected to take place while a space shuttle is docked. Endeavour is set to launch May 16 on the STS-134 mission to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and continue station outfitting. All Soyuz activities during STS-134 will be incorporated into mission coverage.

Expedition 27 Commander Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA Flight Engineer Cady Coleman and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Paolo Nespoli are scheduled to land in their Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft in southern Kazakhstan at 9:26 p.m. CDT May 23 (8:26 a.m. local time May 24).

Two weeks after the Expedition 27 crew lands, Soyuz Commander Sergei Volkov, NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fossum and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Flight Engineer Satoshi Furakawa will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Their Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft is scheduled to lift off at 3:15 p.m. June 7 (2:15 a.m. local time June 8).

They will join Expedition 28 Commander Andrey Borisenko, NASA astronaut Ron Garan and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyaev, who have been aboard the station since April.

NASA Television’s scheduled coverage includes (all times Central):

Monday, May 16

2 p.m. – Video File of the Soyuz TMA-02M crew news conference at Star City, Russia, and visit to Red Square in Moscow

Monday, May 23

2:30 p.m. – Soyuz TMA-20 crew farewells and hatch closure (3 p.m.) coverage

5:45 p.m. – Undocking (6:06 p.m.) coverage

8:15 p.m. – Deorbit burn (8:35 p.m.) and landing (9:26 p.m.) coverage

Tuesday, May 24

5 a.m. – Video File of landing and post-landing activities

11 a.m. – Video File of the landing and post-landing activities, including post-landing interview and return to Chkalovsky Airfield, Star City, Russia

Wednesday, May 25

11 a.m. – Video File of the Soyuz TMA-02M crew departure for Baikonur ceremony at Star City, Russia

Friday, June 3

11 a.m. – Video File of the crew activities in Baikonur

Sunday, June 5

11 a.m. – Video File of the rocket mating and rollout to the launch pad in Baikonur

Monday, June 6

2 p.m. – Video File of the final pre-launch crew news conference and Russian State Commission meeting in Baikonur

Tuesday, June 7

1:45 p.m. – Video File of the crew pre-launch activities in Baikonur

2:30 p.m. – Launch (3:15 p.m.) coverage

6 p.m. – Video File of pre-launch, launch and post-launch interviews

Thursday, June 9

3:30 p.m. – Docking (4:15 p.m.) coverage, including post-docking news conference from Mission Control in Korolev, Russia

6:45 p.m. – Hatch opening (7:15 p.m.) and welcoming ceremony coverage

9 p.m. – Video File of docking, hatch opening and welcoming ceremony

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

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STS-134 Crew Returns to Kennedy Tomorrow

Science Technicians at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A are preparing space shuttle Endeavour for its upcoming launch attempt. Teams have completed all retesting of the aft load control assembly-2 (ALCA-2) and will install the aft compartment flight doors today.

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the STS-134 crew will spend the day in spacewalk procedure review meetings with their spacewalk flight control team. The six crew members are set to arrive tomorrow at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at approximately 9 a.m. EDT.

Endeavour is scheduled to launch Monday, May 16 at 8:56 a.m. on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station.

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Aft Compartment Closeout Today

Technicians at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A will continue closing out space shuttle Endeavour's aft compartment and will retract the access arm to the external fuel tank today. Workers will complete installing and reconnecting the spacecraft's ordnance. The team will continue preparing for the start of the countdown on Friday.

At NASA 's Johnson Space Center, the STS-134 crew is preparing to return Thursday to Kennedy.

Endeavour's is scheduled to launch Monday, May 16 3 8:56 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station.

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