Tony Antonelli, of Detroit, will make his second journey into orbit on space shuttle Atlantis’ next mission to the International Space Station. The STS-132 flight is targeted to launch May 14 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Antonelli is available for interviews about the upcoming mission on Monday, May 3.
The six astronauts for Atlantis’ STS-132 mission will deliver the Russian-built Mini Research Module, also known as Rassvet (which means “dawn” in Russian) to the space station. The flight also will deliver critical spare parts and cargo. During the 12-day mission, three spacewalks are planned to put the spare parts on the station. STS-132 is the final scheduled flight of Atlantis. Following STS-132, two more shuttle flights remain scheduled.
The STS-132 crew will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. EDT May 3, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA Television and the agency’s website will broadcast the briefings live. Reporters will be able to ask questions from participating NASA locations.
Antonelli also will be available for interviews at Johnson by phone or in person after the briefings. Reporters must contact Gayle Frere at 281-483-8645 by April 26 to reserve an interview opportunity. Reporters planning to attend the briefings in Houston must contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 6 p.m. April 26 for credentials.
To cover the STS-132 launch on-site, U.S. reporters must request credentials from Kennedy by May 2. Media representatives should submit requests online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/
Antonelli previously was the pilot on the STS-119 mission in 2009. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000. He is a commander in the U.S. Navy, has a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a master’s in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington. Antonelli has accumulated more than 3,200 hours in 41 different kinds of aircraft and has completed 273 carrier arrested landings. He is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.
For Antonelli’s complete biography, visit: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/antonelli-da.html
For the latest information about the STS-132 mission and crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
The public can learn how to view a shuttle launch or landing in Florida at: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/view