Press Release

NASA Invites Media to Arrival of Last Shuttle Booster Segments

By SpaceRef Editor
May 26, 2010
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Media will have the opportunity on May 27 to cover the final train of space shuttle solid rocket booster segments arriving at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The six railroad cars will be delivered by Florida East Coast Railway to the interchange with the NASA Railroad located north of Titusville.

Reporters will be able to cover the arrival of the train, as well as interview program officials and the astronauts aboard. The event will occur at NASA’s “Jay Jay” railroad yard. Because this is an industrial location with uneven terrain and heavy equipment, media should wear flat shoes that fully cover the feet and long pants.

Journalists should plan to arrive at Kennedy’s Press Site at 11 a.m. EDT on May 27 for transportation to the location of the train’s arrival. The date and schedule of the train are subject to change and are being planned not to conflict with the landing of space shuttle Atlantis on its current STS-132 mission.

Media should call the Press Site for recorded updates at 321-867-2525, particularly on the day of the arrival, or call the news center main number at 321-867-2468.

Badging for international journalists is closed. U.S. journalists without permanent Kennedy credentials should submit their requests online by 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

The segment cars will have travelled across the country, starting their trip at the ATK solid rocket booster plant in Promontory, Utah. NASA and ATK senior managers will board the train in Jacksonville, Fla., for the final leg of the trip to Kennedy. The solid rocket booster segments will be used for shuttle Atlantis for what is currently being planned as the “launch on need” or potential rescue flight for the final shuttle mission, Endeavour’s STS-134, which is targeted to launch no earlier than mid-November.

Video B-roll of the flight hardware arrival will be available on NASA Television’s Video File. For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the Space Shuttle Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

SpaceRef staff editor.