INTERACTIVE WEBCAST BRINGS SHUTTLE MISSION STS-118 CLOSER TO HOME

[jacqmans]

04.13.07

Amber Philman
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

RELEASE: 13-07

INTERACTIVE WEBCAST BRINGS SHUTTLE MISSION STS-118 CLOSER TO HOME

Wouldn't it be great to be in 10 places at once? That's what Educator
Astronaut Joe Acaba will be doing April 19 and 20 - virtually, at
least.

NASA's Digital Learning Network and the agency's Explorer Schools
project are teaming up to host the "STS-118 Relay Rally," a virtual
tour of NASA's 10 field centers. Each day, several NASA centers,
along with an Explorer School from each of their regions, will
interact with Acaba, questioning him about astronaut training,
shuttle missions and whatever else piques their interest.

NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Pine Ridge Middle School, a
NASA Explorer School in Naples, Fla., will be featured on April 19.
All videoconference participants will be able to interact with the
other centers and Acaba.

Even though only the school participants will be able to ask questions
each day, the event will be webcast live, so students across the
nation will be able to watch and learn.

Each of NASA's 10 centers contributes different skills to every space
shuttle mission. The STS-118 Relay Rally will give participants and
viewers a better idea of this teamwork.

The centers featured during the April 19 event will be Johnson Space
Center in Houston; Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.; Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.; Glenn Research Center in
Cleveland; Kennedy Space Center; and Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala.

Featured April 20 will be Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis,
Miss.; Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif.; Ames
Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.; and the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Johnson Space Center will be included
both days, since Acaba will be participating from there.

Educator astronauts are classroom teachers who have completed training
to become mission specialist astronauts. Currently, there are four
educator astronauts.

After teaching math and science in a high school for one year and
middle school for four years, Acaba was selected an educator
astronaut in May 2004. In February 2006, he completed astronaut
candidate training that included scientific and technical briefings,
intensive instruction in shuttle and International Space Station
systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training and water and
wilderness survival training. Upon completion of his training, Acaba
was assigned to the Hardware Integration Team in the Space Station
Branch working technical issues with European Space Agency hardware.
He will serve in technical assignments until assigned to a
spaceflight.

Through the NASA Explorer Schools project, NASA enters partnerships
with selected schools to bring engaging science, technology,
engineering and mathematics lessons to educators, students and
families. A competitive application process and selection of new
Explorer Schools occur each spring. With this project, NASA continues
its tradition of investing in the nation's educational systems. The
project is directly tied to the agency's major education goal of
attracting and retaining students in science, technology, engineering
and math disciplines.

The STS-118 flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour will be the first flight
of Educator Astronaut and Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan and an
important step in the ongoing assembly of the International Space
Station. Commanding Morgan's STS-118 mission will be U.S. Navy
Commander Scott Kelly. The pilot for the mission is Marine Lt. Col.
Charlie Hobaugh. The flight's mission specialists are Morgan, Rick
Mastracchio, Tracy Caldwell, Clay Anderson and Dave Williams, a
Canadian Space Agency astronaut. The mission will take Anderson to
the International Space Station to begin a stay and return to Earth
the station's Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Suni Williams, now on the
orbiting laboratory.

For more information on the STS-118 Relay Rally or to watch this live
webcast, visit:

http://nasadln.nmsu.edu/dln