July 16, 2009 Candrea Thomas Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-132 NASA SETS MEDIA CREDENTIALS DEADLINES FOR NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE FLIGHT WASHINGTON -- NASA has set media accreditation deadlines for the next space shuttle flight to the International Space Station. Shuttle Discovery is targeted to launch Aug. 18 to begin its mission, designated STS-128. Discovery's seven-member crew will deliver 33,000 pounds of equipment including science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, and the COLBERT treadmill. The 13-day mission will feature three spacewalks. Journalists must apply for credentials to attend the liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida or cover the mission from other NASA centers. To be accredited, reporters must work for verifiable news-gathering organizations. Journalists may need to submit requests for credentials at multiple NASA facilities as early as July 24. Additional time may be required to process accreditation requests by journalists from certain designated countries. Designated countries include those with which the United States has no diplomatic relations, countries on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism, those under U.S. sanction or embargo, and countries associated with proliferation concerns. Please contact the accrediting NASA center for details. Journalists should confirm they have been accredited before they travel. No substitutions of credentials are allowed at any NASA facility. If the STS-128 launch is delayed, the deadline for domestic journalists may be extended on a day-by-day basis. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Reporters applying for credentials at Kennedy should submit requests via the Web at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov Reporters must use work e-mail addresses, not personal accounts, when applying. After accreditation is approved, applicants will receive confirmation via e-mail. Kennedy now will allow international journalists unescorted access to the press site with an additional security step. Details will be e-mailed to those journalists after they apply online. Accredited media representatives with mission badges will have access to Kennedy from launch through the end of the mission. Application deadlines for mission badges are July 31 for international reporters and Aug. 7 for U.S. journalists. Access requests must be submitted for Discovery's move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A targeted for July 28. Credentialing for international journalists is closed. U.S. media representatives must apply by July 24. Media badges will be valid for both events. Reporters with special logistic requests for NASA's Kennedy Space Center, such as space for satellite trucks, trailers, electrical connections or work space, must contact Laurel Lichtenberger at laurel.a.lichtenberger@nasa.gov by Aug. 7. The free wireless Internet access provided at Kennedy's news center is no longer available. Work space in the news center and the news center annex is provided on a first-come basis, limited to one space per organization. To set up temporary telephone, fax, ISDN or network lines, media representatives must make arrangements with BellSouth at 800-213-4988. Reporters must have an assigned seat in the Kennedy newsroom prior to setting up lines. To obtain an assigned seat, contact Patricia Christian at patricia.christian-1@nasa.gov. Journalists must have a public affairs escort to all other areas of Kennedy except the Launch Complex 39 cafeteria. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER Reporters may obtain credentials for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston by calling the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or by presenting STS-128 mission credentials from Kennedy. Media representatives planning to cover the mission only from Johnson need to apply for credentials only at Johnson. Deadlines for submitting Johnson accreditation requests are Aug. 7 for non-U.S. reporters, regardless of citizenship, and Aug. 14 for U.S. reporters who are U.S. citizens. Journalists covering the mission from Johnson using Kennedy credentials also must contact the Johnson newsroom by Aug. 14 to arrange workspace, phone lines and other logistics. Johnson is responsible for credentialing media if the shuttle lands at NASA's White Sands Space Harbor, N.M. If a landing is imminent at White Sands, Johnson will arrange credentials. DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER Notice for a space shuttle landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California could be short. Domestic media outlets should consider accrediting Los Angeles-based personnel who could travel quickly to Dryden. Deadlines for submitting Dryden accreditation requests are July 24 for non-U.S. media, regardless of citizenship, and Aug. 21 for U.S. media who are U.S. citizens or who have permanent residency status. For Dryden media credentials, U.S. citizens representing domestic media outlets must provide their full name, date of birth, place of birth, media organization, driver's license number with the name of the issuing state, and the last six digits of their social security number. In addition to the above requirements, foreign media representatives, regardless of citizenship, must provide data including their citizenship, visa or passport number and its expiration date. Foreign nationals representing either domestic or foreign media who have permanent residency status must provide their alien registration number and expiration date. Journalists should fax requests for credentials on company letterhead to 661-276-3566. E-mailed requests to Alan Brown at alan.brown@nasa.gov are acceptable for reporters who have been accredited at Dryden within the past year. Requests must include a phone number and business e-mail address for follow-up contact. Journalists who previously requested credentials will not have to do so again. NASA PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS: Kennedy Space Center: Candrea Thomas, 321-867-2468, candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov Johnson Space Center: James Hartsfield, 281-483-5111, james.a.hartsfield@nasa.gov Dryden Flight Research Center: Leslie Williams, 661-276-3893, leslie.a.williams@nasa.gov For information about the STS-128 mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station -end- To subscribe to the list, send a message to: ksc-subscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov To remove your address from the list, send a message to: ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters.nasa.gov
