GREENBELT, MD. – NASA will hold a series of news media briefings Sept. 8 – 9 to preview the space shuttle’s fifth and final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA Television and the agency’s Web site will provide live coverage of the briefings from the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md and Johnson Space Center, Houston. Questions also will be taken from other participating NASA locations.

Shuttle Atlantis’ 11-day flight, designated STS-125, is targeted for launch Oct. 8 and will include five spacewalks to refurbish and upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. Replacing failed hardware on Hubble will extend the telescope’s life into the next decade.

Media planning to attend the briefings at Goddard should contact either Susan Hendrix at (301) 286-7745 or Ed Campion at (301) 286-0697 before 12 noon on Sept. 5 to arrange for access to the center.

Scott Altman will command Atlantis’ crew, which includes Pilot Gregory C. Johnson, and Mission Specialists Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, John Grunsfeld, Megan McArthur and Mike Massimino. The spacewalkers are Good, Grunsfeld, Feustel and Massimino. McArthur is the flight engineer and lead for robotic arm operations.

The schedule (all times are EDT) includes:

Monday, Sept. 8

  • 8 a.m. – Video B-Roll Feed
  • 9 a.m. – NASA Overview Briefing (from Goddard)
  • 10 a.m. – Shuttle Program Overview Briefing (from Johnson)
  • 11 a.m. – HST/SM 4 Program Overview (from Goddard)
  • 12:30 p.m. – NASA TV Video File
  • 1 p.m. – HST/SM4 Science Overview (from Goddard)
  • 2:30 p.m. – HST Program and Science Round-Robins(from Goddard; not on NASA TV)

Tuesday, Sept. 9

  • 9 a.m. – Video B-Roll Feed
  • 10 a.m. – STS-125 Mission Overview (from Johnson)
  • 11:30 a.m. – STS-125 Spacewalk Overview (from Johnson)
  • 1 p.m. – NASA TV Video File
  • 2 p.m. – STS-125 Crew News Conference (from Johnson)

For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For the latest information about the STS-125 mission and its crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information about the Hubble Space Telescope, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/hubble