Astronaut Steve Swanson from Steamboat Springs, Colo., will make his second trip into orbit on space shuttle Discovery’s upcoming mission to the International Space Station. Discovery is targeted to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 12 at 7:28 a.m. EST.

To cover the launch at Kennedy, U.S. reporters must request credentials by Jan. 29, and foreign reporters must do so by Jan. 15. Journalists should submit requests online at:

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

To request an interview with Mission Specialist Swanson, news media representatives should contact the Johnson Space Center newsroom in Houston at 281-483-5111 by Jan. 6.

Swanson is one of seven astronauts who will fly on the 14-day space shuttle mission, which is designated STS-119. The shuttle will deliver the space station’s fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the station’s backbone, or truss. Swanson will be the lead spacewalker, conducting three of the mission’s four spacewalks to prepare for the installation of the truss’ final segment, deploy the solar arrays and prepare them for operation. The arrays will provide the electricity to power science experiments and increase the crew size to six in May. The shuttle also will deliver the first Japanese resident station crew member and bring back U.S. astronaut Sandra Magnus, who will have lived aboard the complex for more than three months.

Swanson graduated from Steamboat Springs High School in Steamboat Springs, Colo. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from the University of Colorado in 1983, a master’s degree in computer systems from Florida Atlantic University in 1986, and a doctorate in computer science from Texas A&M University in 1998.

For Swanson’s complete biography, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/swanson.html

For the latest information about the STS-119 mission and crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station