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SPACE SHUTTLE RETURNS TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

NEW ORLEANS, LA., April 8th, 2002 -- After a successful mission servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA once again turns its attention to expanding the International Space Station. To begin the next phase of construction, Space Shuttle Atlantis will lift off Monday, April 8, carrying the S-Zero Truss, a girder-like object with close to a half-million parts. The truss will be the centerpiece of the space station’s exterior framework, setting the stage for future expansion and research.

Atlantis will launch from Kennedy Space Center between 1 and 5 p.m. (CST). NASA has not released the exact time of the launch yet.

During four spacewalks, astronauts will also install the Mobile Transporter or “railcar,” which will later be attached to a base system that will allow the station’s robotic arm to ride along the truss performing assembly and maintenance work.

One other highlight – STS-110 astronaut Jerry Ross will be making his seventh trip into orbit. No one in history has flown that often in space.

Powering the shuttle into space will be the Lockheed Martin-produced Super Lightweight Tank that carries the liquid propellants used in the orbiter’s three main engines. The tank is built at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

Opportunities to view the Space Shuttle in orbit can be located at: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/index.html

NASA Television will carry the launch “live” on GE-2, Transponder 9C at 85 degrees west longitude, vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 Mhz, and audio of 6.8 Mhz. The launch will also be broadcast live on WLAE-TV, Channel 32 in New Orleans.

Marion LaNasa, (504) 257-1307 or pager at (800) 341-2162.