At 2 p.m. EDT, Monday, Aug. 22, NASA managers will provide reporters the latest status of engineering teams looking into why a large piece of External Tank insulating foam broke off during Space Shuttle Discovery’s liftoff.

To participate in the telecon, media should contact Juan Linares by Noon EDT, Aug. 22 at: 202/358-2282. Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live on the Internet at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

The briefers are:

– Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for Space Operations

– Dr. Richard Gilbrech, External Tank ‘Tiger Team’ lead

For additional background about External Tank engineering troubleshooting and for the latest information about NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html