Jan 13, 2009

Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 katherine trinidad@nasa gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-006

SHUTTLE CREW TO VISIT NASA HEADQUARTERS, AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS

WASHINGTON -- NASA Headquarters will welcome the astronauts of the STS-126 space shuttle mission on Thursday, Jan 22, at 10 a m EST The crew completed a 16-day flight on Nov 30 and delivered equipment to the International Space Station that will allow the outpost to house up to six astronauts for long-duration stays

The astronauts will share the mission's highlights with NASA employees, their families and journalists at NASA Headquarters' James E Webb Memorial Auditorium, 300 E Street, S W , in Washington The crew's presentation will air live on NASA Television's public and education channels The astronauts will be available for media interviews following the presentation Interested reporters should call 202-358-1100 before 5 p m on Tuesday, Jan 20, to confirm an interview time

On Jan 20, the crew will walk in the 56th Inaugural Parade On Jan 21, the astronauts will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and attend a reception at the Embassy of Ukraine Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper is of Ukrainian descent

In addition to Stefanyshyn-Piper, the STS-126 crew members are Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Donald Pettit, Steve Bowen, Shane Kimbrough and Greg Chamitoff As Expedition 18 flight engineer, Chamitoff spent more than five months living aboard the space station

Soon after leaving Washington, the astronauts will begin an overseas trip to visit U S troops in Qatar, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany This is the first such trip for U S astronauts Five members of the STS-126 crew have military backgrounds, and the astronauts want to personally thank the troops for their service

For NASA TV schedule information and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www nasa gov/ntv

For more information about the STS-126 mission and the upcoming STS-119 mission, visit:

http://www nasa gov/shuttle

-end-

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