First African-American Spacewalker Speaks at National Conference

Feb. 8, 2007

Sonja Alexander
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1761

Lindsay Crouch
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
757-864-3189

Harla Sherwood
National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, Va.
757-636-6300

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-020

FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN SPACEWALKER SPEAKS AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE

WASHINGTON - NASA and the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) will
host the 12th Annual Pre-Service Teacher Conference Feb. 15-17 at the
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, in Alexandria, Va.

Former Astronaut Bernard Harris, Jr., will open the conference as the
keynote speaker Feb. 15. Harris was the payload commander on shuttle
flight STS-63, the first flight of a new joint Russian-American Space
Program in 1995. During the flight, Harris became the first
African-American to walk in space.

The conference was created to help undergraduate education students
develop the confidence and skills to teach mathematics and science
effectively using cutting-edge technology and educational materials
only NASA can provide. Harris will address more than 300 prospective
elementary and middle school teachers and faculty advisors from 50
member institutions representing Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal
Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and selected minority institutions.
Media are invited to attend.

The Pre-Service Teacher Program is a partnership between NASA, NIA and
the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. NIA is a nonprofit research
and graduate education institute created by a consortium of leading
research universities and the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics to complement NASA's mission to conduct innovative
aeronautics, space and atmospheric research; to develop new
technologies; and to inspire the next generation of explorers.

For information about conference events, visit:

http://research.nianet.org/pstc/index.html

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

www.nasa.gov

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NASA's Shuttle Atlantis Rolls to Vehicle Assembly Building

Feb. 7, 2007

John Yembrick
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0602

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

RELEASE: 07-25

NASA'S SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ROLLS TO VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA's space shuttle Atlantis completed a
milestone to move it one step closer to a targeted March launch.
Early Wednesday drivers moved Atlantis from the Orbiter Processing
Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space
Center in Florida. Atlantis, perched on top of the giant, 76-wheel
Crawler-Transporter, began its move at 6:19 a.m. EST. It arrived in
the Vehicle Assembly Building at 7:24 a.m.

In the assembly building, technicians will attach Atlantis to its
propulsion elements, an external fuel tank and twin solid rocket
boosters. Following those operations, final integration, preparations
and closeouts will begin in preparation for flight.

The next milestone for Atlantis is the 3.4-mile trip to Launch Pad 39A
in preparation for its 11-day mission, designated STS-117, to
continue construction of the International Space Station. The crew's
six astronauts will install a new truss segment, retract a set of
solar arrays and unfold a new set on the starboard side of the
station. Lessons learned from two previous missions will provide the
astronauts with new techniques and tools to perform their duties.

News media are invited to attend the rollout of Atlantis to the launch
pad, scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 14. First motion of the vehicle
out of the building is targeted for 7 a.m.

The Kennedy News Center will open for media activities Wednesday at 6
a.m. Reporters are asked to be ready for transportation to the
assembly building by 6:30 a.m. Since dates and times of this event
are subject to change, updates are available by calling 321-867-2525.

Permanently badged media interested in attending this event are asked
to contact the press site at 321-867-2468 by Tuesday, Feb 13. Media
without Kennedy credentials should submit requests via the
accreditation Web site at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

NASA TV will provide live coverage of the rollout of Atlantis to the
launch pad beginning at 7 a.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 14. For NASA TV
downlink, streaming video and scheduling information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information on the STS-117 mission and crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

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Spacecraft Set to Reach Milestone, Reports Technical Glitches

Feb. 7, 2007

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726

Guy Webster
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-6278

RELEASE: 07-24

SPACECRAFT SET TO REACH MILESTONE, REPORTS TECHNICAL GLITCHES

WASHINGTON - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft this month
is set to surpass the record for the most science data returned by
any Mars spacecraft. While continuing to produce data at record
levels, engineers are examining why two instruments are
intermittently not performing entirely as planned. All other
spacecraft instruments are operating well and continue to return
science data.

Since beginning its primary science phase in November 2006, the
orbiter has returned enough data to fill nearly 1,000 CD-ROMs. This
ties the record for Mars data sent back between 1997 and 2006 by
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor mission.

In late November 2006 the spacecraft team operating the High
Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter noticed a significant increase in noise, such as bad pixels,
in one of its 14 camera detector pairs. Another detector, that
developed the same problem soon after launch, has worsened. Images
from the spacecraft camera last month revealed the first signs of
this problem in five other detectors.

While the current impact on image quality is small, there is concern
as to whether the problem will continue to worsen.

In-flight data show that more warming of the camera's electronics
before taking an image reduces or eliminates the problem. The imaging
team aims to understand the root cause of the worsening over time and
to determine the best operational procedures to maximize the
long-term science benefits. The camera continues to make observations
and is returning excellent images of the Martian surface.

The second instrument concern aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
is related to an instrument designed to routinely scan from the
surface across the atmosphere above Mars' horizon. The Mars Climate
Sounder maps the temperature, ice clouds and dust distributions in
the atmosphere on each of nearly 13 orbits every day. In late
December, the sounder appeared to skip steps occasionally, so that
its field of view was slightly out of position. Following uplink of
new scan tables to the instrument, the position errors stopped and
the instrument operated nominally.

In mid-January, the position errors reappeared. Although still
intermittent, the errors became more frequent, so the instrument has
been temporarily stowed while the science team investigates the
problem.

The rate of data return is expected to increase over the coming months
as the relative motions of Earth and Mars in their orbits around the
sun shrink the distance between the planets. By the conclusion of its
first science phase in 2008, the mission is expected to have returned
more than 30 terabits of science data, enough to fill more than 5,000
CD-ROMs. Observations will be used to evaluate potential landing
sites for future missions and to increase our understanding of Mars
and how planets change over time.

The mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif., for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed
Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo., is the prime contractor and
built the spacecraft.

Additional information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is
available on the Web at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mro

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NASA Sets Briefing Today to Respond to Astronaut-Related Inquiries

Feb. 7, 2007

David Mould/Bob Jacobs
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1898/1600

Eileen Hawley/James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-026

NASA SETS BRIEFING TODAY TO RESPOND TO ASTRONAUT-RELATED INQUIRIES

NASA will hold two consecutive media briefings today beginning at 3
p.m. EST to address general questions from media concerning
astronauts, their selection and screening, flight training and other
matters.

The briefings will originate from NASA Headquarters and from the
Johnson Space Center in Houston. They will be broadcast live on NASA
Television and the agency's Internet homepage.

Questions will be taken from media representatives at participating
NASA field centers. For NASA TV downlink, schedules and streaming
video information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

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Hubble Mission Astronauts Media Availability Feb. 13

Feb. 7, 2007

Dwayne Brown/Grey Hautaluoma
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726/0668

Susan Hendrix/Ed Campion
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-7745/0697

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-019

HUBBLE MISSION ASTRONAUTS MEDIA AVAILABILITY FEB. 13

GREENBELT, Md. - The space shuttle crew for a mission to extend and
improve the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope will be at
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., Feb. 12-14. This
is the first visit by the astronauts to Goddard as part of their
formal mission preparation activities. The mission is targeted to
launch in 2008.

On Tuesday, Feb. 13, media will have the opportunity to talk with the
astronauts from 5:15 - 5:45 p.m. EST. Media representatives wishing
to attend the availability must contact Susan Hendrix at 301-286-7745
or Ed Campion at 301-286-0697 to arrange access.

Veteran astronaut Scott Altman will command the final shuttle mission
to Hubble. Navy Reserve Capt. Gregory C. Johnson will serve as pilot.
The mission specialists are veteran spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and
Mike Massimino and first-time space fliers Andrew Feustel, Air Force
Col. Michael Good and flight engineer and robotic arm operator Megan
McArthur.

Goddard is responsible for Hubble program management, including
development of new science instruments, replacement hardware, tools
and procedures that allow Hubble to stay on the cutting edge of
technology.

The NASA Video File feed on Feb. 13-14 will feature footage of the
astronauts' visit to Goddard. Also airing will be new Hubble
animation and footage of recent spacewalk training activities in the
Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory pool at the Johnson Space Center,
Houston. For NASA Television downlink, schedule and streaming video
information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the space shuttle Hubble servicing mission,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

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Statement Regarding the Status of Lisa Nowak

Feb. 6, 2007

David Mould/Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1898/4769

Eileen Hawley/James Rostohar
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

RELEASE: 07-23

STATEMENT REGARDING THE STATUS OF LISA NOWAK

The following is a statement from Michael Coats, director of NASA's
Johnson Space Center in Houston, regarding the status of astronaut
Lisa Nowak.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic event. The charges against Lisa
Nowak are serious ones that must be decided by the judicial system.
She is officially on 30-day leave and has been removed from flight
status and all mission-related activities. We will continue to
monitor developments in the case."

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NASA Sets Briefings to Preview Next Space Shuttle Mission

Feb. 6, 2007

Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4769

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

MEDIA ADVISORY: M07-018

NASA SETS BRIEFINGS TO PREVIEW NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

HOUSTON - NASA will discuss the next space shuttle mission during a
day-long series of media briefings from the Johnson Space Center
beginning at 8 a.m. CST, Thursday, Feb. 15. The briefings will be
broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Internet homepage.
Questions also will be taken from participating NASA sites.

Space shuttle Atlantis' 11-day mission, designated STS-117, is
targeted for launch Mar. 15. The mission will continue construction
of the International Space Station, launching a third set of solar
arrays, batteries and associated electronics to power the station.
The crew will install and extend the new set of arrays and retract
the second half of another set. These tasks continue the solar array
work begun during the final two shuttle missions of 2006. The
completed International Space Station will have four solar arrays.

Following the briefings, members of the shuttle crew will be available
for a series of round-robin interviews. Media planning to attend or
participate in the interviews must contact the Johnson newsroom,
281-483-5111, by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

Atlantis will be commanded by Marine Col. Rick Sturckow. Air Force
Col. Lee Archambault will be pilot. The mission specialists are
retired Army Col. Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson, John "Danny"
Olivas and Jim Reilly.

The schedule of briefings are (all times Central):

8 a.m. -- Space Shuttle and Space Station Program Overview
9:30 a.m. -- STS-117 Mission Overview
11 a.m. -- NASA TV Video File
11:30 a.m. -- STS-117 Spacewalk Overview
1 p.m. -- STS-117 Crew News Conference

For NASA TV streaming video, schedules, and downlink information,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For the latest information about the STS-117 mission and its crew,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

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