Texas Astronaut to Fly on Next Space Shuttle Mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA astronaut Patrick Forrester, who was born in El Paso, Texas, will make his third journey into orbit on space shuttle Discovery’s next mission to the International Space Station.

Discovery is targeted to launch at 1:36 a.m. EDT, Aug. 25, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To cover the launch on-site, U.S. reporters must request Kennedy credentials online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

Forrester is one of seven astronauts who will fly on Discovery’s STS-128 mission. The 13-day flight will deliver science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert. The name Colbert received the most entries in NASA’s online poll to name the station’s Node 3. NASA named the node Tranquility.

Forrester graduated from West Springfield High School in Springfield, Va. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in applied sciences and engineering from the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., in 1979, and a Master of Science degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia in 1989.

For Forrester’s complete biography, visit: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/forreste.html

For the latest information about the STS-128 mission and crew, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle