Debra J. Rahn

Headquarters, Washington, DC

(Phone: 202/358-1638)

Carlos Fontanot

Moscow, Russia

(Phone: 256/961-6226 or 7 095 586-7560)

NOTE TO EDITORS: N00-46

The first resident, or Expedition, crew will be launched in a Soyuz capsule
to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome,
Kazakhstan, no earlier than Oct. 30, 2000, to become the first permanent
residents of the new research facility.

Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight
Engineer Sergei Krikalev will arrive at the ISS two days later for docking and
the start of non-stop human habitation of the outpost.

The Russian Aviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos) and RSC Energia are
arranging a news media trip to Baikonur from Oct. 27 to 30 to cover the crew’s
pre-flight and launch activities. News media wishing to cover the launch must
request press accreditation no later than Sept. 29 as follows.

U.S. news media representatives should send a fax to:

Ms. Debra Rahn

PAO for International Relations

NASA Headquarters

Washington, DC 20546

Fax: 202/358-4329

e-mail: debra.rahn@hq.nasa.gov

The fax must be on the organization’s letterhead with the media representative’s
full name, title, organization, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone and
fax numbers, passport number with issuance and expiration dates, date and place
of birth, citizenship and city where the visa will be issued, and the list of
equipment with the cost and weight of each item for customs. All media
representatives also must fax a copy of the first page of his or her passport
along with this information.

Canadian, European and Japanese news media representatives should contact their
nations’ space agency public affairs offices to request press accreditation as
follows.

Canadian Space Agency:

Anna Kapiniari

Manager, Public and Media Relations

St. Hubert, Quebec, Canada

Tel: 450/926-4350

Fax: 450/926-4352

e-mail: Kapiniari@space.gc.ca

European Space Agency:

Mr. Franco Bonacina

Media Relations

Paris, France

Tel: 33 1 5369 7713

Fax: 33 1 5369 7690

e-mail: fbonacin@hq.esa.fr

National Space Development Agency of Japan:

Keiichi Yamada

Public Relations Office

Tokyo, Japan

Tel:81-3-3438-6104

Fax:81-3-5402-6513

e-mail: yamada.keiichi@nasda.go.jp

Each space agency will submit a list of its news media to RSC Energia and the
Russian Aviation and Space Agency. A dual-entry visa is required for anyone
traveling to Baikonur. RSC Energia will provide letters of invitation for news
media requiring visas.

Russian visa forms are available in newsrooms at NASA’s Johnson Space Center,
Houston, TX; Kennedy Space Center, FL; and Headquarters, Washington, DC.

Additional details follow.

Cost: $ 2,200 U.S. dollars per person. This includes round-trip bus
transportation from the Russian Aviation and Space Agency to Vnukovo 3 airport,
round-trip air transportation from Moscow to Baikonur, hotel accommodations,
local transportation, and meals. Upon receipt of the press accreditation request,
RSC Energia will send individual invoices confirming the cost of the trip and the
bank information for transferring the money. Payment must be transferred by Oct.
16, 2000.

Tour of Baikonur: Arrangements have been made for the news media to cover the
rollout of the Soyuz-TM to the launch pad and its pad preparations; a tour of
Energia and Buran facilities; and a crew news conference the day before launch
and launch day activities involving the crew.

Communication Equipment: Satellite phones are prohibited at the Soyuz launch
site and may be confiscated by authorities. GSM 900 telephones are approved for
use at Baikonur. GSM 900 can be purchased or leased in Moscow.

Baikonur Communication Center: Located in the Soyuz Integration Building
(Building 254). There are international telephones, data lines and fax machines
available.

-end-