06.20.

07

James Hartsfield
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111

Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-3749

RELEASE: M07-070

NASA SETS BRIEFINGS IN JULY TO PREVIEW NEXT SHUTTLE MISSION

HOUSTON - NASA will discuss the next space shuttle mission, designated
STS-118, during a series of media briefings July 10-11 at NASA's
Johnson Space Center. The briefings will be broadcast live on NASA
Television. Questions also will be taken from participating NASA
centers.

The mission will feature the first flight of space shuttle Endeavour
since November 2002. STS-118 highlights include the addition of
another truss segment to the expanding station, the installation of a
new gyroscope on the complex and the addition of a spare parts
platform. The flight will have at least three spacewalks. It also
will debut a new system that enables docked shuttles to draw
electrical power from the station to extend visits to the outpost.

Veteran astronaut Scott Kelly will command the seven-person crew,

which includes Pilot Charles Hobaugh and mission specialists Tracy
Caldwell, Richard Mastracchio, Alvin Drew, Canadian Space Agency
astronaut Dave Williams, and Barbara Morgan, the first educator
selected as a mission specialist astronaut.

On the first day of briefings, managers and experts will provide

details of the mission. The second day of briefings will include an
interactive educational event featuring the STS-118 crew, the
Expedition 15 crew aboard the station and students and teachers at
Johnson. The second day also will include a press conference with
Endeavour's astronauts and a series of round-robin interviews with
individual crew members.

Media planning to participate in person or by phone in the round-robin

interviews must contact Gayle Frere in the Johnson newsroom at
281-483-5111 no later than 5 p.m. CDT Friday, July 6. Non-U.S. media
planning to attend the briefings, regardless of citizenship, must
contact the Johnson newsroom no later than 5 p.m. Friday, June 22, to
arrange credentials.

During the briefings, questions will be taken from media at Johnson

and other participating NASA sites. News media at the Canadian Space
Agency headquarters in St. Hubert, Quebec, Canada, also will
participate in the crew news conference.

The briefing schedule includes (all times CDT):

Tuesday, July 10:

8 a.m. -- Space Shuttle and Space Station Program overview briefing
9:30 a.m. -- Mission overview briefing
11 a.m. -- NASA TV Video File
1 p.m. -- Spacewalk overview briefing
2:30 p.m. -- NASA education briefing

Wednesday, July 11:

8 a.m. -- STS-118/Expedition 15 educational event (open to media)
1 p.m. -- STS-118 Crew news conference (photo opportunity follows)
2 p.m. -- Round-robin crew interviews (not on NASA TV)

For NASA Television downlink, schedule and streaming video

information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

-end-