International Partners Update Space Station Launch Manifest

WASHINGTON -- NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian
Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) agreed on Friday to update the
International Space Station launch schedule.

The target launch dates for the last planned space shuttle flight,
STS-134 on Endeavour, will be Feb. 27, 2011, and the Automated
Transfer Vehicle-2 (ATV-2) will be Feb. 15. Roscosmos will continue
to look at Soyuz launch and landing options to provide manifest robustness.

The agencies agreed to the changes during discussions at the
International Astronautical Conference in Prague. Arianespace, whose
Ariane 5 rocket will launch ATV-2 into orbit from French Guiana, has
confirmed its commitment to launch on Feb. 15.

The STS-134 flight will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS)
to the station. The AMS is a state-of-the-art cosmic ray particle
physics detector designed to examine fundamental issues about matter,
and the origin and structure of the universe. The flight will include
three spacewalks and the installation of the AMS to the exterior of
the space station using both the shuttle and station arms.

ATV-2, dubbed Johannes Kepler, is scheduled to dock on Feb. 26 to the
station. The cargo craft is designed to deliver more than seven tons
of experiments, fuel, water, food and other supplies to the space
station. While docked, ATV-2 will use its thrusters to periodically
boost the station's orbit, which decays with time. It also can be
used for emergency maneuvers, such as those required if a piece of
space debris is predicted to hit the station. This capability saves
critical attitude control propellant for the station.

After about 3.5 months, the ATV-2 will undock from the station and
burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere over an uninhabited area of the
Pacific Ocean. The first ATV, Jules Verne, was launched in March 2008
and reentered the atmosphere in September 2008.

The space station launch manifest is available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_manifest.html

For details about upcoming shuttle missions and crews, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information about ATV-2, visit ESA at:

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ATV

For more information about the Ariane 5 launch vehicle, visit:

http://www.arianespace.com/launch-services/launch-services-overview.asp

For more information about the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

Source: NASA

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