Following a detailed, integrated assessment, NASA selected target launch dates for the remaining eight space shuttle missions on the current manifest in 2009 and 2010. The manifest includes one flight to the Hubble Space Telescope, seven assembly flights to the International Space Station, and two station contingency flights, planned to be completed before the end of fiscal year 2010. The agency previously selected Oct. 8 and Nov. 10 as launch dates for Atlantis' STS-125 mission to service Hubble and Endeavour's STS-126 / ULF-2 mission to supply the space station and service both Solar Alpha Rotary Joints on the port and starboard end of its truss backbone that supports equipment and solar arrays.

NASA will hold a media briefing Wednesday, July 30, at 1 p.m. CDT, with the next resident crew of the International Space Station and an American spaceflight participant.

The briefing will originate from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and will be broadcast live on NASA Television. Questions will be taken from news media at participating NASA sites.

The briefing participants include:
- Expedition 18 Commander and NASA astronaut Michael Fincke
- Expedition 18 Flight Engineer and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov
- Expedition 18 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus
- Expedition 18 Flight Engineer and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata

Astronauts Joe Acaba, KE5DAR, and Ricky Arnold, KE5DAU, participated in an ARISS basic operations training session on Thursday, June 26 at JSC. Both crew members are assigned to the STS-119 mission, which will bring Koichi Wakata to the ISS and return Sandy Magnus.

Nicole Stott, KE5GJN, Sandy Magnus, KE5FYE, and JAXA astronauts Koichi Wakata, KC5ZTA, and Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP, received training on the ARISS ham radio equipment. Photos of the Energia training session are available on the following Web site:
http://www.energia.ru/eng/news/news-2008/photo_06-20.html

ARISS delegate Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, was recognized at the Ham Fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany for his many contributions to amateur radio including his ARISS work, his efforts on the Columbus antennas, and his selection for the CQ Hall of Fame. Ham Fair is the largest amateur radio convention in Europe and was held over the weekend of June 27-29.

http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/news/