NASA will hold news briefings April 23 to update
reporters about the space shuttle’s fifth and final servicing mission
to the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA Television and the agency’s Web
site will provide live coverage of the briefings from NASA’s Johnson
Space Center in Houston and NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Shuttle Atlantis’ 11-day flight, designated STS-125, is targeted for
launch May 12 and will include five spacewalks to refurbish and
upgrade the telescope with state-of-the-art science instruments. As a
result, Hubble’s capabilities will be expanded and its operational
lifespan extended through at least 2014.

The schedule of activities includes (all times Eastern):

8 a.m. — Video B-roll feed from NASA’s Johnson Space Center

9 a.m. — Shuttle Program overview briefing from Johnson. Panelists
will be:
— LeRoy Cain, deputy manager, Space Shuttle Program
— Tony Ceccacci, lead flight director, STS-125
— Tomas Gonzales-Torres, lead spacewalk officer, STS-125

10:30 a.m. — Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission program and
science overview from NASA Headquarters. Panelists will be:
— Ed Weiler, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate,
NASA Headquarters
— David Leckrone, Hubble project scientist, NASA’s Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
— Preston Burch, Hubble project manager, Goddard
— Mike Kienlen, deputy project manager, Hubble Space Telescope,
Goddard

Reporters may ask questions from participating NASA locations,
including NASA Kennedy Space Center’s news center, or listen and ask
questions by phone. To reserve a phone line, journalists should send
an e-mail to j.d.harrington@nasa.gov with their name, media
affiliation, and telephone number.

Noon — NASA TV Video File

2 p.m. — STS-125 crew news conference from NASA’s Johnson Space
Center

Scott Altman will command Atlantis’ crew, which includes Pilot Gregory
C. Johnson and Mission Specialists Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, John
Grunsfeld, Megan McArthur and Mike Massimino. The spacewalkers are
Good, Grunsfeld, Feustel and Massimino. McArthur is the flight
engineer and lead for robotic arm operations.

Altman and Grunsfeld will be available from 5 to 7 p.m. for live
satellite interviews. To participate, contact the Johnson newsroom at
281-483-5111 no later than 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 22.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information,
visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For the latest information about the STS-125 mission and its crew,
visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information about the Hubble Space Telescope, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/hubble