July 25, 2014
Space Station Astronauts Michael Hopkins and Richard Mastracchio to Visit NASA's Marshall Center on July 29; Media Invited
What & Who: Astronauts Michael Hopkins and Richard Mastracchio, who lived and worked for six months as flight engineers on the International Space Station, will visit NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, July 29. They will share highlights of their overlapping missions in space from September of 2013 through May 2014, covering Expeditions 37, 38 and 39, and their varying perspectives on spaceflight. The expedition was Hopkins' first spaceflight and Mastracchio's fourth. Hopkins used his time in orbit to assess the challenges of keeping physically fit in a microgravity environment. He enjoys many fitness-related hobbies including weight lifting, hockey and football. In fact, he was captain of the University of Illinois in Champaign football team while in college. Between intensive physical training to prepare for his mission and spending at least two hours a day exercising while on the space station, he used his dedication to fitness to investigate the health of space travelers and engage with and motivate young people and adults to stay fit with him. Hopkins encouraged others to join him and "Train Like An Astronaut" in social media, setting up a Facebook page where anyone could follow his progress: http://facebook.com/trainastronaut The two astronauts worked on hundreds of research experiments and science investigations that benefit future human spaceflight and people on Earth. During their time on the station, Hopkins and Mastracchio teamed up for a pair of spacewalks, conducted multiple protein crystal growth experiments, and helped trigger the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science, or OPALS investigation, testing the use of laser optics to transfer information to the ground. Both were also involved in the transfer of command of the International Space Station to Koichi Wakata, the first Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut to helm the orbiting laboratory. When & Where: Tuesday, July 29 12-12:30 p.m. CDT -- Astronauts Michael Hopkins and Richard Mastracchio will be available for a brief question-and-answer session with news media in the press room in Building 4200 at the Marshall Space Flight Center. 1-2 p.m. CDT -- Hopkins and Mastracchio will present mission highlights to the Marshall team in Building 4200, Morris Auditorium. To attend: News media interested in covering the event should contact the Marshall Public & Employee Communications Office at 256-544-0034 no later than 4 p.m., Monday, July 28. Media must report to the Redstone Arsenal Joint Visitor Control Center at Gate 9, Interstate 565 interchange at Rideout Road/Research Park Boulevard. Vehicles are subject to a security search at the gate. News media will need two photo identifications and proof of car insurance. Hopkins's biography and Twitter account are available at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/hopkins-ms.html https://twitter.com/AstroIllini Mastracchio's biography and Twitter account are available at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mastracc.html For more information on the space station, visit: Follow space station research on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ISS_Research For other supporting materials -- such as photographs, fact sheets, video and audio files and more -- please visit the NASA Marshall Center Newsroom website at: www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news Follow Marshall news and interact with the NASA Marshall community on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr: https://www.facebook.com/nasamarshallcenter Tracy McMahan NASA Marshall Space Flight Center news releases and other information are available automatically by sending an e-mail message with the subject line subscribe to msfc-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message with the subject line unsubscribe to msfc-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
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