NASA Announces News Conference with Next Space Station Crew

HOUSTON — A NASA astronaut, Russian cosmonaut and the founder of Cirque du Soleil will hold a news conference at 8 a.m. CDT, Thursday, July 23 to discuss their upcoming flight to the International Space Station.

Jeff Williams, Maxim Suraev and spaceflight participant Guy Lalibert? of Canada are scheduled to launch on a Soyuz spacecraft Sept. 30 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They will arrive two days later and join the Expedition 20 crew Commander Gennady Padalka, NASA astronaut Mike Barratt, European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Bob Thirsk and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko.

The news conference from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will be broadcast live on NASA Television. The briefing will include questions from reporters located at participating NASA centers and international partner location.

Reporters interested in individual interviews with Williams and Suraev should contact the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than noon July 22. A photo opportunity with Williams, Suraev and Lalibert? will be held following the news conference.

On Oct. 11, Padalka and Barratt will return to Earth with Lalibert?, who will spend nine days on the station under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency.

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/station