California astronaut Megan McArthur will make her first journey into orbit on space shuttle Atlantis’ mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis is targeted to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Oct. 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT.

To cover the launch of Atlantis on-site, U.S. reporters must request credentials for Kennedy by Sept. 22 and foreign reporters by Sept. 12. Media should submit requests online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/

Mission Specialist McArthur is one of seven astronauts who will fly on the space shuttle’s fifth and final servicing mission to Hubble. The 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to make repairs and upgrades to the telescope, extending its life into the next decade.

She attended St. Francis High School, Mountain View, Calif., and received her Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of California – Los Angeles in 1989 and her doctorate degree in oceanography from the University of California – San Diego in 2002.

For McArthur’s complete biography, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mcarthur-km.html

For the latest information about the Hubble servicing mission and crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle