NASA has scheduled a news conference for approximately 6 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 29, to discuss the status of the next space shuttle launch. The news conference, originating from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will begin after the conclusion of the Flight Readiness Review. The review will assess preparations for shuttle Atlantis' STS-129 mission to the International Space Station.

The review is expected to include the selection of an official launch date. Atlantis currently is targeted to launch at 2:28 p.m. EST on Nov. 16.

The briefing participants are:

- Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations, NASA Headquarters, Washington

As space shuttle Discovery is checked out and processed following the STS-128 mission, NASA is preparing shuttle Atlantis for its next flight to the International Space Station.

The STS-129 mission will be commanded by Charlie Hobaugh and piloted by Barry Wilmore. Mission Specialists are Robert Satcher, Mike Foreman, Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. Wilmore, Satcher and Bresnik will be making their first trips to space.

Atlantis and its crew will deliver parts to the space station, including a spare gyroscope. The mission will feature three spacewalks.

Atlantis also will return station crew member Nicole Stott to Earth, as this is slated to be the final space shuttle crew rotation flight.

NASA will preview the next space shuttle mission during a series of news briefings on Friday, Oct. 16, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA Television and the agency's Web site will broadcast the briefings live. Reporters may ask questions from participating NASA locations.

Shuttle Atlantis' 11-day mission, designated STS-129, is targeted to launch Nov. 12. The flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms to the International Space Station's truss, or backbone. The platforms will hold spare hardware to sustain station operations after the shuttle is retired. Atlantis also will return NASA astronaut Nicole Stott after spending more than two months aboard the orbiting laboratory. This is slated to be the final time a station crew member will be returned home on a space shuttle flight.

EDWARDS, Calif. -- Space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven astronauts ended a 14-day journey of more than 5.7 million miles with an 5:53 p.m. PDT landing Friday at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The mission, designated STS-128, delivered two refrigerator-sized science racks to the International Space Station. One rack will be used to conduct experiments on materials such as metals, glasses and ceramics. The results from these experiments could lead to the development of better materials on Earth. The other rack will be used for fluid physics research. Understanding how fluids react in microgravity could lead to improved designs for fuel tanks, water systems and other fluid-based systems.

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:42:59 PM CDT

Mission Control has decided to target Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for today's landing since the weather at Kennedy is unstable. The deorbit burn is timelined to begin at 7:47 p.m. EDT for an 8:53 p.m. landing at Edwards. The burn lasts three to four minutes, slowing Discovery enough to begin its descent

Source http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:50:40 PM CDT

Space shuttle Discovery underwent the Flight Control System checkout and Reaction Control System hotfire using all the primary jets. A piece of debris jarred loose from the shuttle during the checkout, though it was determined not to be a piece of the thermal protection system. Late inspection results cleared Discovery's wing leading edge and nose cap and the shuttle is ready for landing.

Thursday's landing opportunities begin with a planned deorbit burn at 5:59 p.m. EDT and a daylight landing at 7:05 p.m. The next opportunity is one hour after sunset with the deorbit burn at 7:36 p.m. EDT and a landing at 8:42 p.m. EDT.

The space shuttle and International Space Station crews will turn their focus to the third and final spacewalk of the mission today. Inside the complex, transfer and maintenance continue.

Mission Specialist Jose Hernandez will assist crewmates Danny Olivas and Christer Fuglesang as they prepare for their second spacewalk together. Their extravehicular activity will include outfitting and maintenance of station modules.

The two will deploy a payload attachment system on the starboard truss. They will have a special tool with them in the event they encounter any problems with a detent pin that caused problems on similar tasks in previous missions.

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:24:17 AM CDT

The shuttle crew opened the hatch into the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module to begin several days of cargo transfer. Leonardo is carrying 7.5 tons of supplies including: two research racks (Fluid Integrated Rack and Materials Science Research Rack), a new station crew quarters, the Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI-2), the Air Revitalization System Rack and the COLBERT treadmill.
Flight Engineer Nicole Stott and Mission Specialist Danny Olivas are set to begin the first STS-128 spacewalk Tuesday at 5:49 p.m. EDT.

Source http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:18:13 PM CDT

With seven astronauts and a host of experiments and equipment on board, space shuttle Discovery completed a flawless ascent into orbit Friday night to begin a two-day chase of the International Space Station. With Commander Rick "C.J. " Sturckow at the controls, the shuttle lifted off on-time at 11:59 p.m. EDT from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will rendezvous and dock with the station Sunday and the crew will begin transferring equipment to the outpost during the 13-day mission.

After flying up on Discovery, Nicole Stott will trade places with station resident Tim Kopra, who went into space last month aboard Endeavour.

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:27:56 PM CDT

The Mission Management Team has concluded with the decision to target launch for Friday, Aug. 28 at 11:59 p.m. EDT instead of 12:22 a.m. Friday morning.

The additional time will allow teams to plan in case they see the same reading that happened with the liquid hydrogen fill and drain valve that caused Tuesday afternoon's launch scrub during tanking.

The MMT will meet again on Friday at noon.

A news conference will be held on NASA TV later this afternoon to discuss the decision.