Michael Curie
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
michael.curie@nasa.gov

Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
nicole.cloutier-1@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 11-015

NASA ANNOUNCES BACKUP COMMANDER FOR STS-134 MISSION

WASHINGTON -- NASA announced Thursday that astronaut Rick Sturckow
will serve as a backup commander for the STS-134 space shuttle
mission to facilitate continued training for the crew and support
teams during STS-134 Commander Mark Kelly's absence. Kelly's wife,
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was critically wounded in a
shooting on Jan. 8 in Tucson, Ariz.

Kelly remains commander of the mission, which is targeted for launch
on April 19 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"I recommended to my management that we take steps now to prepare to
complete the mission in my absence, if necessary," Kelly said. "I am
very hopeful that I will be in a position to rejoin my STS-134 crew
members to finish our training."

"Mark is still the commander of STS-134," said Peggy Whitson, chief of
the Astronaut Office. "He is facing many uncertainties now as he
supports Gabrielle, and our goal is to allow him to keep his
undistracted attention on his family while allowing preparations for
the mission to progress. Designating a backup allows the crew and
support team to continue training, and enables Mark to focus on his
wife's care."

Sturckow will begin training next week at NASA's Johnson Space Center
in Houston with the rest of the STS-134 crew, which includes Pilot
Greg H. Johnson, Michael Fincke, Roberto Vittori, Andrew Feustel and
Greg Chamitoff. The 14-day mission to the International Space Station
will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and spare parts that
include two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank,
additional spare parts for the Dextre robot and micrometeoroid debris
shields.

For more information on the STS-134 mission, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts134/index.html


For complete biographies of the STS-134 crew, visit:



http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/