Washington, D.C.-area native and first-time space flier Lisa Nowak, a robotics operator on the next space shuttle flight, is available for satellite interviews from 5 to 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 26.
To participate, media should contact the Johnson Space Center newsroom at (281) 483-5111 or Stephanie Stoll at (281) 483-9071 or her pager (713) 508-0581 no later than 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, April 25.
Nowak will fly aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station on a mission targeted for launch in July. Aboard Discovery, she will operate both the shuttle and station robotic arms to support station assembly tasks and spacewalks. The mission, designated STS-121, also will continue an evaluation of new shuttle flight safety procedures, including in-flight inspection and repair techniques.
Nowak graduated from C.W. Woodward High School in Rockville, Md. She received a bachelor’s from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., and a master’s in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif. After receiving her Navy commission in 1985, Nowak was stationed briefly at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston, providing engineering support for the Shuttle Training Aircraft. In 1987, she earned her wings as a naval flight officer and flew in A-7, EA-7L and ERA-3B aircraft. She graduated from the Naval Test Pilot School in 1994.
Nowak was selected as an astronaut in 1996. Nowak will fly on Discovery with Commander Steve Lindsey, Pilot Mark Kelly and mission specialists Stephanie Wilson, Mike Fossum and Piers Sellers. European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter will launch on Discovery but remain on the station for several months. For more on the STS-121 mission and crew, including biographies, visit:
The interviews and b-roll of Nowak’s training will be carried live on the NASA TV analog satellite, AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 5C, 3800 MHz, vertical polarization, with audio at 6.8 MHz. The training b-roll will air from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT on April 26. For digital downlink information and links to streaming video, visit:
