Katherine K. Martin
Media Relations Office
216-433-2406
[email protected] August 23, 2006
MEDIA ADVISORY: 06-045
Public Invited to Watch Atlantis Launch
The public is invited to the Visitor Center Auditorium at NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, on Sunday, August 27, to view the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis. The mission, designated STS-115, will be the first shuttle mission to conduct a major expansion of the station since December 2002.
Doors of the Visitor Center will be open at 1:00 p.m. EDT, with the launch scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Four members of Glenn's Electric Power System Management Team, Thomas Kerslake, Jeff Hojnicki, Penni Dalton and Gregory Schmitz will be present to answer questions about the solar array segments that are the main payload onboard Atlantis. At 3:30 p.m., Kerslake will give a presentation on Glenn's role in designing, implementing and managing the International Space Station's electric power system.
The STS-115 astronauts and the station crew members will install the P3/P4 truss, a girder-like structure that includes the arrays. The P3/P4 segment will double the station's power capability. Atlantis' mission will also include all the safety features tested on the past two shuttle flights.
Admission to the Visitor Center is free and is wheelchair accessible. Access to the Glenn Visitor Center is limited to U.S. citizens. All adult visitors must present government-issued photo identification upon entering the center's main gate. All vehicles are subject to inspection.
For information about Glenn's Visitor Center, visit:
http://visit.grc.nasa.govFor more information about the launch of STS-115, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/events/shuttle_launch.html- end -
