Candrea Thomas
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov
Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov
MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-247
NASA SETS MEDIA CREDENTIALS DEADLINES FOR NEXT SHUTTLE FLIGHT
WASHINGTON - NASA has set media accreditation deadlines for the next
space shuttle mission to the International Space Station. Shuttle
Discovery is targeted to launch Feb. 12 at 7:28 a.m. EST on the
STS-119 mission to the station. The seven-member crew will deliver
the final pair of power-generating solar arrays and the last segment
of the space station's backbone.
All U.S. and international journalists must apply for credentials to
attend the liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida or
cover the mission from other NASA centers. To be accredited,
reporters must work for legitimate, verifiable news-gathering
organizations. Media representatives may need to submit requests for
credentials at multiple NASA facilities.
Additional time may be required to process accreditation requests made
by journalists from certain designated countries. Designated
countries include those with which the United States has no
diplomatic relations, those on the State Department's list of state
sponsors of terrorism, those under U.S. sanction or embargo, or those
which raise proliferation concerns. Please contact the accrediting
NASA center for details. Journalists should confirm they have been
accredited before they travel.
No substitutions of credentials are allowed at any NASA facility. If
the STS-119 launch is delayed, the deadline for domestic media may be
extended on a day-by-day basis.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
Reporters applying for credentials at Kennedy should submit requests
via the Web at:
https://media.ksc.nasa.gov Media must use work e-mail addresses, not personal accounts, when
applying. After accreditation is approved, applicants will receive
confirmation via e-mail.
Accredited media representatives with mission badges will have access
to Kennedy from launch through the end of the mission. Application
deadlines for mission badges are Jan. 15 for foreign reporters and
Jan. 29 for U.S. journalists.
Access requests must be submitted separately for Discovery's rollout
to the launch pad, on Jan. 14, and the launch dress rehearsal
activities, known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, Jan.
19-21. For rollout, foreign journalists must apply by Dec. 19 to
allow time for processing, and U.S. media representatives must apply
by Jan. 12. For the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, foreign
media representatives must apply by Jan. 2, and U.S. reporters must
apply by Jan. 15.
Media with special logistic requests for NASA's Kennedy Space Center,
such as space for satellite trucks, trailers, electrical connections
or work space, must contact Laurel Lichtenberger at
laurel.a.lichtenberger@nasa.gov by Jan. 29.
Work space in the news center and the news center annex is provided on
a first-come basis, limited to one space per organization. To set up
temporary telephone, fax, ISDN or network lines, media
representatives must make arrangements with BellSouth at
800-213-4988. Reporters must have an assigned seat in the Kennedy
newsroom prior to setting up lines. To obtain an assigned seat,
contact Patricia Christian at patricia.christian-1@nasa.gov.
Journalists must have a public affairs escort to any other area of
Kennedy, except the Launch Complex 39 cafeteria.
JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
Reporters may obtain Johnson Space Center credentials by calling the
Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or presenting STS-119 mission
credentials from Kennedy. Media planning to cover the mission only
from Johnson need to apply for credentials only at Johnson. Deadlines
for submitting Johnson accreditation requests are Jan. 16 for
non-U.S. journalists, regardless of citizenship, and Feb. 4 for U.S.
journalists who are U.S. citizens.
Correspondents covering the mission from Johnson using Kennedy
credentials also must contact the Johnson newsroom by Feb. 4 to
arrange work space, phone lines and other logistics. Johnson will
arrange credentials for reporters if a shuttle landing at White Sands
Space Harbor, N.M., is imminent.
DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH CENTER
Notice for a space shuttle landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research
Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., could be short. Media
organizations should consider accrediting Los Angeles-based personnel
who could travel quickly to Dryden. Deadlines for submitting Dryden
Flight Research Center accreditation requests are Jan. 20 for
non-U.S. media, regardless of citizenship, and Feb. 18 for U.S. media
who are U.S. citizens or who have permanent residency status.
For Dryden media credentials, U.S. citizens and permanent resident
aliens representing domestic media must provide their full name, date
of birth, place of birth, media organization, the last six digits of
their social security number, and driver's license number, including
the name of the issuing state. Permanent resident aliens also must
provide their alien registration number and its expiration date.
In addition to the above requirements, foreign media representatives,
regardless of citizenship, must provide their citizenship, visa or
passport number and their expiration dates. Permanent resident aliens
representing foreign media must provide their alien registration
number and its expiration date.
Media representatives should e-mail requests for credentials as an
attachment on their company letterhead to DrydenPAO@nasa.gov or fax
requests to 661-276-3566. Requests must include a phone number and
business e-mail address for follow-up contact.
NASA PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS:
Kennedy Space Center: Candrea Thomas, 321-867-2468,
candrea.k.thomas@nasa.gov
Johnson Space Center: James Hartsfield, 281-483-5111,
james.a.hartsfield@nasa.gov
Dryden Flight Research Center: Leslie Williams, 661-276-3893,
leslie.a.williams@nasa.gov
For information about the STS-119 crew and mission, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle For information about the space station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
