The International Space Station partners have approved
criteria for crewmembers visiting the orbiting space
laboratory and NASA managers are available tomorrow to discuss
the certification process.

The space station partnership approved the “Principles
Regarding Processes and Criteria for Selection, Assignment,
Training and Certification of ISS (Expedition and Visiting)
Crewmembers” and the space station’s Multilateral Coordination
Board adopted the proposal earlier this month.

W. Michael Hawes, Deputy Associate Administrator for Space
Station, and Charles J. Precourt, Chief, Astronaut Office,
will be available by telephone Jan. 31 from 3:30 p.m. to
4:30 p.m. EST to answer questions regarding the space station
crew criteria.

Reporters who would like to participate in the teleconference
should contact Dwayne Brown at 202/358-1726, Debra Rahn at
202/358-1638 or the NASA Headquarters Newsroom at 202/358-1600
by 4:30 p.m. EST today to make arrangements.

The document citing the crew selection, assignment, training
and certification criteria for the International Space Station
will be available Thursday at 10 a.m. EST on the Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov/hqpao/isscrewcriteria.pdf