MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – NASA Ames Research Center will show the live televised broadcast of the landing of STS-117 space shuttle Atlantis on Thursday, June 21. The space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to complete a 13-day mission to the International Space Station with a landing in Florida at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
WHAT: An opportunity to watch the live televised broadcast of the landing of STS-117 space shuttle Atlantis. The STS-117 mission increased the station’s power capability and delivered a new station crew member. NASA flight directors will evaluate weather conditions at Kennedy Space Center before permitting Atlantis to return to Earth.
Thursday’s landing opportunities at Kennedy are at 10:54 a.m. and 12:29 p.m. PDT. The backup landing sites at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and White Sands Space Harbor, N.M., will not be considered on Thursday. For updated information about the landing, call 321-867-2525.
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.
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,Thursday, June 21. The public and news media are invited to observe the broadcast in the Exploration Center at NASA Ames.
Two hours after landing, NASA officials will hold a briefing to discuss the STS-117 mission. The participants are:
– NASA Associate Administrator Rex Geveden
– NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier
– NASA Space Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach.
After touchdown, the astronauts will undergo initial physical examinations and meet with their families. Some crew members are expected to hold a news conference six hours after returning to Earth.
If weather prevents a Kennedy landing Thursday, NASA will activate backup landing sites for Friday. NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., has limited facilities available to previously accredited journalists. For further information, call Dryden Public Affairs Office at 661-276-3449.
NASA TV is carried on the Web and on an MPEG-2 digital signal accessed via satellite AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, vertical polarization. It’s available in Alaska and Hawaii on AMC-7, at 137 degrees west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, horizontal polarization. A Digital Video Broadcast compliant Integrated Receiver Decoder is required for reception. For NASA TV information and schedules on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
For the latest information on the STS-117 mission, visit:
