July 26, 2006 Grey Hautaluoma Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0668 James Hartsfield Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 MEDIA ADVISORY: M06-121 ATLANTIS ASTRONAUTS AVAILABLE TO DISCUSS NEXT SHUTTLE MISSION Astronauts who will fly on the space shuttle Atlantis in late August to resume construction of the International Space Station will be available for live television interviews Aug. 2 to 4. The mission, designated STS-115, will be the first shuttle mission to conduct a major expansion of the station since December 2002. Atlantis' astronauts available for interviews will be Commander Brent Jett, a Florida native; Pilot Chris Ferguson, a Pennsylvania native; Mission Specialist Daniel Burbank, a Connecticut native; Mission Specialist Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper, a Minnesota native; and Mission Specialist Steve MacLean, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut and native of Ontario. To participate in the interviews, media should contact NASA's Johnson Space Center newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 4 p.m. EDT, Monday, July 31. The schedule of available interviews includes: Wednesday, Aug. 2 -- Mission Specialist Daniel Burbank - 8 to 9 a.m. EDT -- Mission Specialist and CSA Astronaut Steve MacLean - 6 to 7 p.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 3 -- Mission Specialist Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper - 8 to 9 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 4 -- Pilot Chris Ferguson - 8 to 9 a.m. EDT -- Commander Brent Jett - 5 to 6 p.m. EDT During the mission Atlantis will deliver and install a 17.5-ton truss segment on the station, including a set of giant solar arrays and its associated batteries and electronics. The delivery sets the stage for additional science laboratories to be added to the complex. The mission will include three spacewalks conducted by two teams. Astronaut Joseph Tanner and Piper will perform the first and third spacewalks, with Burbank and MacLean conducting the second. For information about STS-115 on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle For schedule and digital downlink information about NASA Television, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv -end- To subscribe to the list, send a message to: hqnews-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To remove your address from the list, send a message to: hqnews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
