CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A prelaunch webcast, live blogs, podcasts, pictures and videos highlight NASA’s Web coverage of space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-118 mission to the International Space Station. NASA will provide ongoing updates online at:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

A live webcast featuring astronaut Joan Higginbotham, who flew aboard space shuttle Discovery in December 2006, will start the in-depth coverage of the mission at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Aug. 7.

A blog will update the countdown continuously, beginning about six hours before Endeavour is scheduled to lift off on Aug. 8 at 6:36 p.m. Originating from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch.

During the 11-day mission, Endeavour’s crew of seven astronauts will conduct at least three spacewalks. They will install new station components, replace one of the outpost’s attitude control gyroscopes, deliver 5,000 pounds of supplies and add a segment to the right side of the station’s backbone, or truss. Visitors to NASA’s shuttle Web site can read about the crew’s progress and watch the spacewalks, which will be broadcast live from the space station. The NASA blog also will detail Endeavour’s landing at the conclusion of the mission.