South Dakota-Born Astronaut Flies on Next Shuttle Mission
Veteran space flier Mike Fossum, who was born in Sioux Falls, S.D., will fly aboard space shuttle Discovery during its upcoming STS-124 mission to the International Space Station. Discovery is targeted to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on May 31, at 5:02 p.m. EDT.
NASA is honoring all 50 states during the remaining flights of the space shuttle, which will be retired in 2010. During the STS-124 mission, South Dakota, New York and Minnesota will be honored.
Discovery’s flight will carry the heaviest payload to the space station. Fossum and his six shuttle crewmates will deliver the large pressurized module and the robotic arm system of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory. Fossum will serve as the mission’s lead spacewalker and will conduct three during the flight. He also will operate the shuttle’s robotic arm.
For Fossum’s biography, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/fossum.html
Mission news conferences and briefings will air on NASA Television. For NASA TV downlink, streaming video and scheduling information, visit:
For the latest information on the STS-124 mission and crew, visit:
