NASA's Shuttle Atlantis rollout to Launch Pad

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis' rollout to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been rescheduled to begin at 4 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, March 31, as preparations for the STS-125 mission move forward. Atlantis is targeted to lift off May 12 to service NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA Television's live coverage of the event will begin at 6:30 a.m. Video highlights will air on the NASA TV Video File.

Journalists are invited to a photo opportunity of the shuttle's move to the pad and an interview opportunity with Atlantis Flow Director Angie Brewer at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Dates and times of this event are subject to change. Updates are available by calling 321-867-2525.

Reporters must arrive at Kennedy's news center by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday for transportation to the viewing area. Media accreditation for this event has closed. Badges can be picked up through Tuesday at the Kennedy Badging Office on State Road 405. The badging office opens at 6 a.m.

The fully assembled space shuttle, consisting of the orbiter, external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters is mounted on a mobile launcher platform and will be delivered to the pad atop a crawler-transporter. The crawler will travel slower than 1 mph during the 3.4-mile journey. The process is expected to take approximately six hours.

During Atlantis' 11-day mission, the crew of seven astronauts will make the final shuttle flight to Hubble. During five spacewalks, they will install two new instruments, repair two inactive ones and replace components. The result will be six working, complementary science instruments with capabilities beyond what is now available, and an extended operational lifespan for the telescope through at least 2014.

Scott Altman will be the commander of Atlantis. Gregory C. Johnson will be the pilot. Mission specialists will be John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino, Megan McArthur, Andrew Feustel and Michael Good.

For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about the STS-125 mission and crew, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

NASA Continues to Advance International Polar Year Science form Space

WASHINGTON -- Although the International Polar Year officially came to a close in February, NASA is continuing to push the frontiers of polar science from space, the air and the surface of ice.

On Monday, NASA embarks on the first of two airborne field campaigns in the Arctic to take a closer look at Greenland and Iceland ice sheets and the region's sea ice and glaciers. From space, NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite, known as ICESat, is completing a seasonal survey of the world's ice sheets to gauge how and where they are changing. And later in 2009, NASA scientists will return to Antarctica to drill into the massive Pine Island Glacier.

The two-year International Polar Year focused science and education activities on Earth's remote polar regions and their connections to the rest of the Earth system. The event marked the 125th anniversary of the first polar year and the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year. Scientists from more than 60 nations participated, including researchers funded by NASA and other U.S. agencies.

The International Polar Year prompted many research projects and innovative public outreach programs. Examples of ongoing projects NASA and its partners sponsor are:

NASA SATELLITE AND PLANE FLY IN TANDEM OVER GREELAND ICE SHEET
NASA's P-3B aircraft takes off March 30 from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., to begin a month-long Arctic research mission. Its main objective is to map the changing thickness of the Greenland ice sheet in tandem with NASA's ICESat. Because the ICESat mission has surpassed its expected lifetime, NASA is ensuring it can maintain the continuity of this ice sheet data record by taking airborne measurements nearly simultaneously with measurements from the spacecraft. NASA's William Krabill from Wallops Flight Facility, an expert at Greenland airborne ice sheet mapping, is leading the effort, dubbed "Operation Ice Bridge." For 2009, the P-3B is outfitted with an expanded array of instruments.

NEW AIRBORNE RADAR TO PEER INSIDE ICE SHEETS AND GLACIERS
A team of NASA scientists begin an airborne campaign this spring to understand better how Arctic ice is changing and assess the impacts of climate change. During the seven-week Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar field campaign to Greenland and Iceland, scientists will use two new ice-penetrating radars flying aboard a modified NASA Gulfstream III aircraft. Data will provide new insights into our understanding of the flow of glaciers and ice streams while also serving as a test bed for future satellite missions. Scott Hensley of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., leads the campaign.

GLOBAL TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF ICE SHEETS BEGINS SIXTH YEAR
NASA's polar-orbiting ICESat spacecraft is wrapping up its latest month-long campaign to map Earth's changing ice sheets and polar sea ice. The new data from ICESat's laser-pulsing instrument adds another year to a detailed record of changes in the mass of ice sheets, the thickness of sea ice, and the speed of glacier motion at the ice sheet margins. Ron Kwok of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a team of researchers are using ICESat data to estimate how much Arctic sea ice has been lost in recent years.

RESEARCHERS POISED TO RETURN TO PINE ISLAND GLACIER
Robert Bindschadler of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., and colleagues have revised their plans to drill through Antarctica's isolated Pine Island Glacier and take the first-ever look underneath the glacier at how the ocean and the ice interact. The researchers were thwarted in their first attempt during the 2007-2008 field season because of concerns about the safety of landing aircraft on the remote glacier. The new plan calls for helicopter flights to establish a base camp later this year.

INTERNATIONAL TEAM WORKING TO CALCULATE ANTARCTIC DRAINAGE
For the first time, a group of researchers from seven countries are calculating exactly how much ice is flowing off the Antarctic Ice Sheet and into the ocean. This fundamental measurement -- how much ice is being lost at the edges of the ice sheet -- will help researchers improve our knowledge of the changing volume of ice on the continent. Using multiple satellite data sets, groups from seven countries are applying a new analysis method to data from three satellites to account for all ice loss. Robert Bindschadler of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is leading NASA's contribution to this international effort.

'FROZEN' OPENS ON SCIENCE ON A SPHERE THEATRES
NASA's newest production for the "Science on a Sphere" projection system debuted on March 27 at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Wallops Flight Facility. "Frozen," a 12-minute, narrated feature, explores Earth's changing ice and snow cover. Playing on nearly 30 screens around the world, "Frozen" will be coming soon to a museum near you.

For more information about NASA's International Polar Year projects, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ipy

NASA Updates Media Credentials Deadlines For Next Space Shuttle Flight

WASHINGTON -- NASA is updating its media accreditation deadlines for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, targeted to launch May 12. The 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to upgrade the telescope, leaving it better than ever and ready for at least another five years of research. This mission is the last visit to the telescope before the shuttle fleet's planned retirement in 2010.

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 legitimate, verifiable news-gathering organizations. Journalists may need to submit requests for credentials at multiple NASA facilities as early as April 11.

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, or countries which raise 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-125 launch is delayed, the deadline for domestic journalists may be extended on a day-by-day basis.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
Because of the length of time between target launch dates, STS-125 media credentials issued in 2008 are no longer valid. Reporters applying for credentials at NASA's Kennedy Space Center should submit requests via the Web at:
https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

Reporters must use work e-mail addresses, not personal accounts, when applying. Once accreditation is approved, applicants will receive confirmation via e-mail.

Accredited journalists with mission badges will have access to Kennedy from launch through the end of the mission. Application deadlines for mission badges are May 1 for U.S. journalists and April 19 for foreign reporters.

Media representatives with special logistic requests for the 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 May 1.

Work space in the News Center and the News Center Annex is provided on a first-come basis -- one space per organization. To set up temporary telephone, fax, ISDN or network lines, journalists 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. Media representatives must have a public affairs escort to any other Kennedy area 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-125 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 April 11 for non-U.S. reporters, regardless of citizenship, and May 7 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 May 7 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 April 14 for non-U.S. media, regardless of citizenship, and May 15 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 must provide their full name, date of birth, place of birth, media organization, their driver's license number and 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 their 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. Those 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-125 mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For information about the Hubble Space Telescope, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

NASA's Shuttle Discovery Glides Lands Home After Successful

Mission CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its crew landed at 3:14 p.m. EDT Saturday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, completing a 13-day journey of more than 5.3 million miles.

The STS-119 flight delivered the space station's fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the station's truss, or backbone. The additional electricity provided by the arrays will fully power science experiments and help support station operations.

During three spacewalks, astronauts installed the S6 truss segment to the starboard, or right, side of the station and accomplished important tasks to prepare the station for future upgrades and additions later this year.

The flight also replaced a failed unit for a system that converts urine to potable water. Samples from the station's Water Recovery System will be analyzed. It's expected to take about a month for the analysis to be completed and the water to be cleared for the station crew to drink.

STS-119 spacewalkers were unable to deploy a jammed external cargo carrier on the Port 3 truss segment. It was tied safely in place. Because the issue is not yet understood, Mission Control cancelled the installation of a similar payload attachment system on the starboard side. Engineers are evaluating the problem and will address it during a future spacewalk.

On March 24, the 10 shuttle and station crew members gathered in the station's Harmony module and spoke to President Barack Obama, members of Congress and school children from the Washington, D.C. area. From the White House's Roosevelt Room, the president and his guests congratulated the crew on the mission and asked about a range of topics including sleeping in weightlessness to the station's travelling speed.

Lee Archambault commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, John Phillips and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata remained aboard the station, replacing Flight Engineer Sandra Magnus, who returned to Earth on Discovery after more than four months on the station.

Acaba and Arnold are former science teachers who are now fully-trained NASA astronauts. They made their first journey into orbit and conducted critical spacewalking tasks on this flight. STS-119 was the 125th space shuttle mission, the 36th flight for Discovery and the 28th shuttle visit to the station.

Acaba and Arnold are former science teachers who are now fully-trained NASA astronauts. They made their first journey into orbit and conducted critical spacewalking tasks on this flight. STS-119 was the 125th space shuttle mission, the 36th flight for Discovery and the 28th shuttle visit to the station.

With Discovery and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of STS-125, targeted for May 12. Atlantis' mission will return the space shuttle to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope for one last visit before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. Over 11 days and five spacewalks, Atlantis' crew will upgrade the telescope, preparing it for at least another five years of research.

For information about the space station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station


For more about the STS-119 mission and the upcoming STS-125 flight, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

NASA Brings Orion Spacecraft To National Mall For Public Viewing

WASHINGTON -- NASA will showcase the next generation of spacecraft that will return humans to the moon in a day-long public event March 30 on the National Mall in Washington. The full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle will be parked on the Mall between 4th and 7th Streets, SW, in front of the National Air and Space Museum. Reporters are invited to attend a briefing by the vehicle at 10 a.m. EDT.

The spacecraft mockup is on its way from water testing at the Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock Division in Bethesda to open water testing in the Atlantic off the coast of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The goal of the operation, dubbed the Post-landing Orion Recovery Test, or PORT, is to determine what kind of motions the astronaut crew can expect after landing, as well as conditions outside for the recovery team.

NASA engineers and personnel will be available all day at the National Mall event to answer questions about the Orion crew module and the Constellation program.

Orion is targeted to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015 and to the moon in 2020. Along with the Ares I and Ares V rockets and the Altair lunar lander, it is part of the Constellation Program that is developing the country's next capability for human exploration of the moon and further destinations in the solar system.

For more information about the Orion crew capsule, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/orion


For information about the Constellation Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation

New Astronaut Crew Launches to ISS (International Space Station)

HOUSTON - The 19th crew to live and work aboard the International Space Station launched into orbit Thursday morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, and spaceflight participant and U.S. software engineer Charles Simonyi lifted off at 6:49 a.m. CDT.

They are scheduled to dock with the station at 8:14 a.m. Saturday, March 28. Padalka will serve as commander of Expeditions 19 and 20 aboard the station. Barratt will serve as a flight engineer for those two missions. Padalka and Barratt's other crewmate is Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. He arrived to the station March 17 on space shuttle Discovery.

Simonyi, flying to the station under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency, previously visited the complex in April 2007. He is the first spaceflight participant to make a second flight to the station and will spend 10 days aboard. Simonyi will return to Earth April 7 with Expedition 18 Commander Michael Fincke and Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov, who have been on the station since October 2008.

The Expedition 19 crew will continue science investigations and prepare for the arrival of the rest of the station's first six-person contingent. Roman Romanenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Frank De Winne of the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Bob Thirsk will launch from Baikonur on May 27, arriving at the station on May 29. After all the astronauts are aboard, Expedition 20 will begin, ushering in an era of six-person station crews. This mission also will be the first time the crew members represent all five International Space Station partners.

For more information about the space station and how to view it from Earth, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

NASA's Space Shuttle Mission Reports Now Available in Spanish

WASHINGTON - NASA has a variety of resources available for Language of Spanish-speaking media interested in covering the ongoing space shuttle mission. The shuttle crew includes Puerto Rican astronaut Joseph Acaba, a former teacher who is now a fully-trained spacewalker.

For Spanish versions of status reports about the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts119/news/spanish/Mission_Status-Spanish.html

For biographical information about current and former Hispanic astronauts, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/spacesuits/careercorner

Acaba recorded a Spanish message to students before launching on his mission to the station. To view the video, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/education/spacesuits

NASA is providing continuous television and Internet coverage of the STS-119 mission, which is the 125th shuttle flight. NASA Television features live mission events, daily mission status news conferences and 24-hour commentary. NASA TV is webcast at:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

The STS-128 mission, currently targeted to launch in August, will be the first to include two Hispanic astronauts, Jose Hernandez and Danny Olivas. To request interviews, contact Johnson Space Center at 281-483-5111.