MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — News media and the public are invited to observe the live televised broadcast of STS-126 space shuttle Endeavour from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Friday, Nov. 14, in the Exploration Center at NASA Ames Research Center.
In addition to the broadcast, former NASA astronaut Karol “Bo” Bobko will narrate the launch; Alonso Vera, lead for the Ames Human-Computer Interaction Group, will present a demonstration of NASA Ames’ software contributions to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program; and Jack Boyd, senior advisor to the center director, will discuss NASA Ames’ contributions during NASA’s first 50 years.
Two new Ames-developed databases used by NASA engineers, mission managers and safety personnel during mission operations to better understand potential problems will debut with the STS-126 mission. The International Space Station will begin using an Ames-developed software called Items For Investigation (IFI) to help resolve in-flight irregularities during station mission operations. In addition, the space shuttle will begin testing Ames’ Problem Reporting Analysis and Corrective Action (PRACA) system to support STS-126 and future shuttle missions. The Human-Computer Interaction Group at Ames developed the new software using an open-source Bugzilla computing platform. Users of the new PRACA software systems will be able to diagnose current mission irregularities by sharing information, images, reports, and data from past missions.
Bobko became a NASA astronaut in 1969 and has logged a total of 386 hours in space. He was a pilot during his first spaceflight on STS-6 in April 1983. That mission was the first launch for space shuttle Challenger and saw the first spacewalk of the shuttle program. Bobko served as mission commander on both STS-51D space shuttle Discovery in April 1985 and mission STS-51J, the maiden voyage of shuttle Atlantis in Oct. 1985. Bobko is currently the program manager for three high-fidelity flight simulators at NASA Ames.
NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff, who is serving as a flight engineer and science officer for the station’s Expedition 18, has roots in San Jose, Calif. Chamitoff is about to complete a six-month tour of duty aboard the station and return to Earth aboard shuttle Endeavour. He flew to the station with the crew of STS-124 space shuttle Discovery on May 31, 2008. Chamitoff attended Boynton High School formerly known as Blackford High School, San Jose, Calif.; the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif.; and the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.
Chamitoff became interested in NASA’s space program by seeing astronauts at work, watching science fiction shows on television, and sharing his father’s enthusiasm for space. After studying aerospace engineering in college, he pursued his dream of becoming an astronaut.
“I wanted to do this my whole life,” Chamitoff recalled. “We went to Florida for a family vacation when I was six years old. We saw the launch of Apollo 11 by chance, and my dad was always very excited about the space program. I told him then that’s what I want to do, and kind of never gave up on that.”
Shuttle Endeavour’s 15-day flight will deliver supplies and equipment to prepare the station for six-person crews expected to begin next spring. The mission also will include four spacewalks to service the two Solar Array Rotary Joints that allow the arrays to track the sun. Endeavour’s crewmembers include Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Eric Boe, and Mission Specialists Donald Pettit, Steve Bowen, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, Shane Kimbrough, and Sandra Magnus.
WHAT: An opportunity to watch the live televised broadcast of the launch of STS-126 shuttle Endeavour from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. In addition to the broadcast, former NASA astronaut Karol “Bo” Bobko will narrate the launch; Alonso Vera, lead for the Ames Human-Computer Interaction Group, will present a demonstration of NASA Ames’ software contributions to NASA’s Space Shuttle Program; and Jack Boyd, senior advisor to the center director, will discuss NASA Ames’ contributions during NASA’s first 50 years.
WHEN: The pre-launch program will begin at 4 p.m. PST, Friday, Nov. 14, 2008. Launch is scheduled for 4:55 p.m. PST.
WHERE: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Exploration Center, located at the main gate, Moffett Field. To reach NASA Ames, take U.S. Highway 101 to the Moffett Field, NASA Parkway exit and drive east on Moffett Boulevard towards the main gate and bear right into the parking lot. The Exploration Center is located in the large white dome.
For information about Endeavour’s crew and mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
To watch Endeavour’s launch online, tune in to NASA Television, at:
