Media Opportunities with STS-102 Crew for Next Week’s Countdown
The crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-102, the 103rd mission in the
history of Shuttle flight, will be at Kennedy Space Center next week for the
Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). The flight crew will arrive
in two waves at KSC. No photo opportunity is being made available Monday.
However, when the Expedition Two crew arrives the next day, media will be
permitted to attend.
The following events are available to media during the STS-102 TCDT.
Tuesday, Feb. 13 – To cover the arrival of
the Expedition Two crew, media must be at the KSC Press Site by 11 a.m. for
transport to the Shuttle Landing Facility. The astronauts are scheduled to
arrive at noon.
Wednesday, Feb. 14 — Media representatives
have an opportunity to speak informally with and photograph the entire
STS-102 crew at Launch Pad 39B. Media interested in participating in this
question and answer session should be at the KSC Press Site by 12:30 p.m.
for transport to the pad. This is a local media event only. No live NASA TV
coverage is planned. The session, however, will be replayed on NASA TV at 6
p.m., immediately following the STS-98 Mission Status Briefing.
Thursday, Feb. 15 – Media are invited to the
crew walkout which occurs as the crew depart their quarters and are driven
to the launch pad. Media must be at the KSC press site by 6:45 a.m. for the
walkout which is scheduled for 7:45 a.m.
The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight,
providing crews an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown
activities. The TCDT ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a
simulated main engine cut-off. The astronauts also spend time undergoing
emergency egress training exercises at the pad and have opportunities to
view and inspect the payloads in the orbiter’s payload bay.
On Thursday, the crew will enter the orbiter Discovery fully suited for the
final hours of the practice countdown, including the simulated Shuttle main
engine ignition and cut-off.
Following TCDT activities Thursday, the crew will depart KSC for final
mission preparations in Houston, TX.
Mission STS-102 is targeted for launch from Kennedy Space Center March 8.
The flight is scheduled to last 11 days and will feature Discovery docking
with the International Space Station (ISS). In Discovery’s payload bay will
be the Leonardo Multi-purpose Logistics Module.
Crew members for mission STS-102 are: Commander James Wetherbee;
Pilot James M. Kelly; and Mission Specialists Andy Thomas (MS1) and Paul
Richards (MS2). The Expedition Two members being flown to the International
Space Station are: James Voss (MS3), Susan Helms (MS4) and Yury Usachev
(MS5).
