Aug 24 2017
From The Space Library
MEDIA ADVISORY M17-096 Media Invited to Talk to Record-Breaking NASA Astronaut Before Landing
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson’s final news conference from the International Space Station will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website at 1 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Aug. 30.
The 30-minute news conference will take place just days before Whitson returns to Earth after spending more than nine months aboard the orbiting laboratory, and breaking a number of records in space. Media may ask questions from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston or Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as well as by phone.
To attend the briefing at Johnson, U.S. media must request credentials from the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29. To ask questions by phone, media must call the Johnson newsroom no later than 12:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30.
All media accreditation requests for Kennedy must be submitted by 2 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 28, online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/
To access Kennedy, all media representatives must present two forms of unexpired, government identification. One form must include a photo, such as a passport or driver’s license. Questions about accreditation should be directed to Jennifer Horner at jennifer.p.horner@nasa.gov or 321-867-6598.
Whitson launched to the space station Nov. 17, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is set to return Saturday, Sept. 2. She will land in Kazakhstan at 9:22 p.m. (7:22 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Sept. 3) along with NASA’s Jack Fischer and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos. Fischer and Yurchikhin have been Whitson’s crew mates since they arrived at the space station in April.
Whitson and Fischer will return to Houston’s Ellington Field on Sunday, Sept. 3.
After landing, Whitson will hold the U.S. record for cumulative time in space, with 665 days in space during three long-duration missions. She was originally scheduled to return to Earth in June, but her mission was extended in March, increasing the amount of valuable astronaut time available for hundreds of experiments she and her crewmates participated in. She is the woman who has spent the longest time in orbit during a single spaceflight (288 days). Whitson also holds the records for most spacewalks and time spent spacewalking by a female astronaut. During her second mission, she became the first woman to command the space station, and during this mission, she became the first woman to command the station twice – she was station commander from April 9 through June 1.
MEDIA ADVISORY M17-097 NASA Announces Cassini End-of-Mission Media Activities
On Sept. 15, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will complete its remarkable story of exploration with an intentional plunge into Saturn's atmosphere, ending its mission after nearly 20 years in space. News briefings, photo opportunities and other media events will be held at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.
NASA also will hold a media teleconference Tuesday, Aug. 29 to preview activities for Cassini during its final two weeks.
Launched in 1997, Cassini arrived in orbit around Saturn in 2004 on a mission to study the giant planet, its rings, moons and magnetosphere. In April of this year, Cassini began the final phase of its mission, called its Grand Finale -- a daring series of 22 weekly dives between the planet and its rings. On Sept. 15, Cassini will plunge into Saturn, sending new and unique science about the planet's upper atmosphere to the very end. After losing contact with Earth, the spacecraft will burn up like a meteor. This is the first time a spacecraft has explored this unique region of Saturn -- a dramatic conclusion to a mission that has revealed so much about the ringed planet.
Cassini flight controllers will monitor the spacecraft's final transmissions from JPL Mission Control. Interviews with mission engineers and scientists will be available for media.
Cassini Media Events and Schedule
(All media teleconferences and NASA TV news conferences will be available on the agency’s website, and times are subject to change)
Tuesday, Aug. 29
- 2 p.m. EDT -- Media teleconference about spacecraft science and operations activities for the final orbits leading up to the end of the mission will include:
- Curt Niebur, Cassini program scientist, Headquarters, Washington
- Earl Maize, Cassini project manager, JPL
- Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist, JPL
Visuals discussed during the telecon will be available at the start of the event at: https://www.nasa.gov/cassinitelecon
Wednesday, Sept. 13
- 1 p.m. EDT -- News conference from JPL with a detailed preview of final mission activities (also available on NASA TV and online)
- 11:15 a.m. PDT -- Media tours of Mission Control (each group tour will last about half an hour)
Thursday, Sept. 14
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m PDT -- NASA Social -- onsite gathering for 30 pre-selected social media followers (JPL-accredited media may also attend). Events will include a tour, and a speaker program that will be carried on NASA TV and online.
- After 2 p.m. PDT -- Media tours of Mission Control
- About 8 p.m. PDT -- Final downlink of images expected to begin (streamed online only)
Friday, Sept. 15: End of Mission
- 7 to 8:30 a.m. EDT -- Live commentary on NASA TV and online. In addition, an uninterrupted, clean feed of cameras from JPL Mission Control, with mission audio only, will be available during the commentary on the NASA TV Media Channel and on Ustream.
- About 8 a.m. EDT -- Expected time of last signal and science data from Cassini
- 9:30 a.m. EDT -- Post-mission news conference at JPL (on NASA TV and online)
To participate by phone in any of the three briefings, media must contact Andrew Good at andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov or 818-393-2433 by one hour before each of the briefings’ start time. To attend the Sept. 13 and Sept. 15 news conferences in person, media must have credentials arranged in advance. Media and the public also may ask questions during the events using #askNASA.
For online streaming, visit:
To watch the news conferences online, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/nasajpl/live
Accreditation To cover these events at JPL, media must have pre-arranged credentials issued via the JPL Media Relations Office. The deadlines to apply for credentials have passed.
Pre-arranged media credentials may be picked up at JPL Visitor Reception, located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, starting Sept. 13 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PDT. U.S. media must present a valid form of government-issued photo identification to obtain credentials. Non-U.S. citizens must present their valid passport and visa or permanent resident alien registration card.
Interview Opportunities For interviews with mission team members at JPL, media with JPL credentials may schedule interviews in the JPL newsroom or by calling 818-354-5011. Offsite media may schedule phone or Skype interviews by calling 818-354-5011.
JPL Tours On Sept. 13, tours of JPL mission control are available to media. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Media wishing to join a tour must have a JPL media credential and must make a reservation with the JPL Media Relations Office at 818-354-5011, or sign up in person at the JPL Newsroom.
Resources A Cassini press kit will be available beginning on Aug. 29 at: https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/grand-finale/for-media Video for the Cassini mission is available for download at: https://vimeo.com/album/4649677
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. JPL manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter.
