Briefings Set for Return to the International Space Station

Kirsten Williams

Headquarters, Washington, DC

(Phone: 202/358-0243)

Eileen Hawley

Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

(Phone: 281/483-5111)

NOTE TO EDITORS: N00-10

A series of briefings will be held at NASA’s Johnson Space
Center, Houston, TX, on Monday, March 27, to preview the second
Shuttle mission of the year, marking the return to the
International Space Station.

Six astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut will conduct
maintenance work and transfer logistics items for use by future
occupants.

Veteran Astronaut Jim Halsell (Col., USAF) will command
Atlantis on mission STS-101, along with Pilot Scott Horowitz (Lt.
Col., USAF). They will be accompanied by Mission Specialists Mary
Ellen Weber (Ph.D.), Jeff Williams (Lt. Col., USA), Jim Voss
(Col., USA, ret.), Susan Helms (Col., USAF), and Yuri Usachev
(Russian Aviation and Space Agency), a veteran cosmonaut who has
spent 376 days in space on two previous flights on the Mir space
station. Atlantis is scheduled to be launched no earlier than
April 17 on its 21st flight and the 98th Shuttle mission in program
history.

The briefings will begin at 9 a.m. EST with an overview of
the International Space Station program, followed at 10 a.m. EST
by a mission overview briefing. A briefing on the space walk to be
conducted during the flight by Williams and Voss will be held at
11 a.m., followed by the Video File on NASA Television at 12 Noon
EST.

Following a break, a briefing will be conducted at 1 p.m. EST
on the technical upgrades made to Atlantis and future upgrades for
other Space Shuttles in the 21st century.

The briefings will conclude with the Crew News Conference at
2 p.m. EST. All of the briefings will be broadcast on NASA TV,
which is available on the GE-2 satellite, transponder 9C, located
at 85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarization, with a
frequency of 3880 MHz, and audio at 6.8 MHz.

After the crew news conference, limited round-robin interview
opportunities with the crew will take place for reporters at the
Johnson Space Center and for those reporters who make advance
arrangements to participate by telephone. Media wishing to
participate in the round-robin interviews must fax their requests
to the JSC newsroom by close of business on Thursday, March 23.
The fax number is 281/483-2000.

STS-101 PREFLIGHT BRIEFINGS

Monday, March 27, 2000

(all times shown are EST)

9 a.m.      International Space Station Overview (JSC)
            Tommy Holloway, International Space Station Program
            Manager, NASA Bob Cabana, International Space Station
            Manager for International Operations, NASA

10 a.m.     STS-101 Mission Overview (JSC)
            Phil Engelauf, STS-101 Lead Flight Director
            Paul Hill, Lead International Space Station Flight
            Director
            Sharon Castle, STS-101 Launch Package Manager

11 a.m.     STS-101 Extravehicular Activity Overview Briefing
            (JSC)
            Scott Bleisath, STS-101 Lead EVA Officer

12 p.m.     NASA TV Video File (HQ)

1 p.m.      Orbiter Upgrades Overview Briefings (JSC)
            Elric McHenry, Manager, Space Shuttle Program
            Development, NASA
            Andy Allen, Associate Program Manager, Space Shuttle
            Upgrades,
            United Space Alliance

2 p.m.      STS-101 Crew News Conference (JSC)
            Jim Halsell, Commander
            Scott Horowitz, Pilot
            Mary Ellen Weber, Mission Specialist 1
            Jeff Williams, Mission Specialist 2
            Jim Voss, Mission Specialist 3
            Susan Helms, Mission Specialist 4
            Yuri Usachev, Mission Specialist 5 (Russian Aviation
              and Space Agency)

3 p.m.      STS-101 Crew Round-Robin Interviews
            (these interviews will not be carried on NASA TV)

                                 -end-

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