May 30, 2011 Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 jbuck@xxxxxxxx Candrea Thomas Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 candrea.k.thomas@xxxxxxxx MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-107 SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR RETURNS TO EARTH FOR FINAL TIME WEDNESDAY CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to return to Earth for the final time on Wednesday, June 1, completing a 16-day mission to outfit the International Space Station. If Endeavour lands Wednesday, it will have spent 299 days in space and traveled more than 122.8 million miles during its 25 flights. It launched on its first mission on May 7, 1992. Wednesday's landing opportunities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are at 2:35 a.m. and 4:11 a.m. EDT. Endeavour's entry flight control team led by Tony Ceccacci will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy before permitting Endeavour to land. If the shuttle is unable to return Wednesday, additional opportunities are available on Thursday at Kennedy and at backup landing site Edwards Air Force Base in California. For recorded updates about landing, call 321-867-2525. Approximately two hours after Endeavour lands, NASA officials will hold a briefing to discuss the mission. The participants will be: - Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations - Mike Moses, space shuttle launch integration manager - Mike Leinbach, space shuttle launch director After touchdown, the astronauts will undergo routine physical examinations and meet with their families. The crew is expected to participate in a post-landing news conference about six hours after landing. Availability is subject to change due to real time circumstances. The news events will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's website. The Kennedy Press Site will be open for shuttle Atlantis' rollout to Launch Pad 39A scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday and will remain open until 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. News media representatives who have been approved for STS-134 mission badges but have not picked them up yet may do so at NASA's Pass and Identification Building on State Road 3 on May 31 from 4 - 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on June 1. The last bus will depart from the news center for the Shuttle Landing Facility one hour before landing. If the shuttle landing is diverted to Edwards after Wednesday, reporters should call the public affairs office at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at 661-276-3449. Dryden has limited facilities available for previously accredited journalists. The NASA News Twitter feed is updated throughout the shuttle mission and landing. To follow, visit: http://www.twitter.com/nasa For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For the latest information about the STS-134 mission and accomplishments, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle For more information about the space station and its crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station -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
