WASHINGTON — NASA has set media accreditation deadlines for the next space shuttle mission to the International Space Station. Shuttle Discovery is targeted to launch Feb. 12 at 7:28 a.m. EST on the STS-119 mission to the station. The seven-member crew will deliver the final pair of power-generating solar arrays and the last segment of the space station’s backbone.
All U.S. and international journalists must apply for credentials to attend the liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida or cover the mission from other NASA centers. To be accredited, reporters must work for legitimate, verifiable news-gathering organizations. Media representatives may need to submit requests for credentials at multiple NASA facilities.
Additional time may be required to process accreditation requests made by journalists from certain designated countries. Designated countries include those with which the United States has no diplomatic relations, those on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, those under U.S. sanction or embargo, or those which raise proliferation concerns. Please contact the accrediting NASA center for details. Journalists should confirm they have been accredited before they travel.
No substitutions of credentials are allowed at any NASA facility. If the STS-119 launch is delayed, the deadline for domestic media may be extended on a day-by-day basis.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
Reporters applying for credentials at Kennedy should submit requests via the Web at:
Media must use work e-mail addresses, not personal accounts, when applying. After accreditation is approved, applicants will receive confirmation via e-mail.
Accredited media representatives with mission badges will have access to Kennedy from launch through the end of the mission. Application deadlines for mission badges are Jan. 15 for foreign reporters and Jan. 29 for U.S. journalists.
Access requests must be submitted separately for Discovery’s rollout to the launch pad, on Jan. 14, and the launch dress rehearsal activities, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, Jan. 19-21. For rollout, foreign journalists must apply by Dec. 19 to allow time for processing, and U.S. media representatives must apply by Jan. 12. For the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, foreign media representatives must apply by Jan. 2, and U.S. reporters must apply by Jan. 15.
Media with special logistic requests for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, such as space for satellite trucks, trailers, electrical connections or work space, must contact Laurel Lichtenberger at laurel.a.lichtenberger@nasa.gov by Jan. 29.
Work space in the news center and the news center annex is provided on a first-come basis, limited to one space per organization. To set up temporary telephone, fax, ISDN or network lines, media representatives must make arrangements with BellSouth at 800-213-4988. Reporters must have an assigned seat in the Kennedy newsroom prior to setting up lines. To obtain an assigned seat, contact Patricia Christian at patricia.christian-1@nasa.gov. Journalists must have a public affairs escort to any other area of Kennedy, except the Launch Complex 39 cafeteria.
JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
Reporters may obtain Johnson Space Center credentials by calling the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or presenting STS-119 mission credentials from Kennedy. Media planning to cover the mission only from Johnson need to apply for credentials only at Johnson. Deadlines for submitting Johnson accreditation requests are Jan. 16 for non-U.S. journalists, regardless of citizenship, and Feb. 4 for U.S. journalists who are U.S. citizens.
Correspondents covering the mission from Johnson using Kennedy credentials also must contact the Johnson newsroom by Feb. 4 to arrange work space, phone lines and other logistics. Johnson will arrange credentials for reporters if a shuttle landing at White Sands Space Harbor, N.M., is imminent.
DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER
Notice for a space shuttle landing at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., could be short. Media organizations should consider accrediting Los Angeles-based personnel who could travel quickly to Dryden. Deadlines for submitting Dryden Flight Research Center accreditation requests are Jan. 20 for non-U.S. media, regardless of citizenship, and Feb. 18 for U.S. media who are U.S. citizens or who have permanent residency status.
For Dryden media credentials, U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens representing domestic media must provide their full name, date of birth, place of birth, media organization, the last six digits of their social security number, and driver’s license number, including the name of the issuing state. Permanent resident aliens also must provide their alien registration number and its expiration date.
In addition to the above requirements, foreign media representatives, regardless of citizenship, must provide their citizenship, visa or passport number and their expiration dates. Permanent resident aliens representing foreign media must provide their alien registration number and its expiration date.
Media representatives should e-mail requests for credentials as an attachment on their company letterhead to DrydenPAO@nasa.gov or fax requests to 661-276-3566. Requests must include a phone number and business e-mail address for follow-up contact.
NASA PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS:
Kennedy Space Center: Candrea Thomas, 321-867-2468, candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov
Johnson Space Center: James Hartsfield, 281-483-5111, james.a.hartsfield@nasa.gov
Dryden Flight Research Center: Leslie Williams, 661-276-3893, leslie.a.williams@nasa.gov
For information about the STS-119 crew and mission, visit:
For information about the space station, visit:
