Media accreditation for activities surrounding space shuttle Discovery’s departure from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is open. Discovery will be transported atop a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), a modified 747 jet, to Dulles International Airport in Virginia on April 17.

Journalists can cover a number of operations related to the ferry flight, beginning when the SCA arrives at Kennedy’s Shuttle Landing Facility runway. That arrival currently is targeted for April 10. To accommodate processing times, international media representatives who want to cover the SCA arrival must apply for credentials by March 29. For U.S. journalists, the application deadline is April 6.

For international journalists who only want to cover Discovery’s departure on April 17, the deadline to apply for credentials is April 9. For U.S. journalists the application deadline is April 16.

All media accreditation requests must be submitted online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

A schedule of all media activities and events related to Discovery’s ferry flight will be announced in the coming weeks.

After arriving at Dulles, Discovery will be removed from the SCA and moved to the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center for permanent public display on April 19. For more information on the shuttle’s preparations for public display, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/transition