Jan. 13, 2009 Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 katherine.trinidad@xxxxxxxx MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-006 SHUTTLE CREW TO VISIT NASA HEADQUARTERS, AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS WASHINGTON -- NASA Headquarters will welcome the astronauts of the STS-126 space shuttle mission on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 10 a.m. EST. The crew completed a 16-day flight on Nov. 30 and delivered equipment to the International Space Station that will allow the outpost to house up to six astronauts for long-duration stays. The astronauts will share the mission's highlights with NASA employees, their families and journalists at NASA Headquarters' James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium, 300 E. Street, S.W., in Washington. The crew's presentation will air live on NASA Television's public and education channels. The astronauts will be available for media interviews following the presentation. Interested reporters should call 202-358-1100 before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, to confirm an interview time. On Jan. 20, the crew will walk in the 56th Inaugural Parade. On Jan. 21, the astronauts will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and attend a reception at the Embassy of Ukraine. Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper is of Ukrainian descent. In addition to Stefanyshyn-Piper, the STS-126 crew members are Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Donald Pettit, Steve Bowen, Shane Kimbrough and Greg Chamitoff. As Expedition 18 flight engineer, Chamitoff spent more than five months living aboard the space station. Soon after leaving Washington, the astronauts will begin an overseas trip to visit U.S. troops in Qatar, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. This is the first such trip for U.S. astronauts. Five members of the STS-126 crew have military backgrounds, and the astronauts want to personally thank the troops for their service. For NASA TV schedule information and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about the STS-126 mission and the upcoming STS-119 mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle -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
