NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery Set to Land Friday

Dec. 21, 2006

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749

Jessica Rye
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

MEDIA ADVISORY: M06-191

NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY SET TO LAND FRIDAY

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Commander Mark Polansky and his crew aboard the
Space Shuttle Discovery will complete their 13-day mission to the
International Space Station Friday, Dec. 22. NASA will choose one of
three potential landing sites based on weather conditions.

The different shuttle landing opportunities are (all times Eastern):

--Kennedy Space Center, Fla.: 3:56 p.m. or 5:32 p.m.
--Edwards Air Force Base, Calif: 5:27 p.m., 7 p.m. or 8:36 p.m.
--White Sands Space Harbor, N.M.: 5:27 p.m. or 7:02 p.m.

Two hours after landing NASA officials will hold a briefing to discuss
the STS-116 mission. The participants are:

--NASA Administrator Michael Griffin
--Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier
--NASA Launch Director Mike Leinbach

A news conference with Discovery's crew will depend on the landing
site and time. For information on landing day, please call the
Kennedy Press Site at 321-867-2468.

The Kennedy Press Site will open for landing activities at 8 a.m. EST
Friday and close at approximately 10:30 p.m. The STS-116 mission
badges are in effect through landing. The press accreditation
building on State Road 3 will be open on Friday from 12 p.m. to 2:30
p.m. The last bus will depart the press site for the Shuttle Landing
Facility one hour before landing.

In the event of a landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., limited facilities will be available
to previously accredited journalists. For further information, please
call Dryden Public Affairs at 661-276-3449.

For credentials to cover a White Sands landing, media should contact
the White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs Office at 505-678-1134
by Thursday at 5 p.m. EST. News organizations requesting access for
satellite transmissions should contact the public affairs office by 3
p.m. EST. Journalists with STS-116 mission badges from NASA will be
issued separate credentials.

For the latest information on the STS-116 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

-end-

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