NASA’s Space Shuttle Program managers will provide the status of preparations for the Return to Flight mission (STS-114) during a telephone news conference Friday, June 24. The teleconference is tentatively set to start no earlier than 4 p.m. EDT. It will follow Friday’s Debris Verification Review (DVR) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Fla. The exact start time of the conference depends on the meeting’s conclusion.

The DVR is an important milestone, as NASA looks to eliminate debris, including ice, from possibly damaging the Space Shuttle during liftoff.

To participate in the news conference, media must contact the KSC newsroom, at: 321/867-2468, by noon EDT, June 24. Teleconference participants:

— Bill Parsons, manager, Space Shuttle Program (SSP)

— John Muratore, manager, Systems Engineering and Integration for SSP

The teleconference will be audio-streamed live on the Web at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

For information about Space Shuttle Return to Flight on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight