NASA Announces Prelaunch Events And Countdown Details For Final Shuttle Flight / NASA Sets Launch Date For Final Space Shuttle Mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- News conferences, events and operating hours
for the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., are set for
the final space shuttle launch.

Atlantis is scheduled to liftoff at 11:26 a.m. EDT on July 8, to begin
the STS-135 mission to the International Space Station.

A NASA blog will provide countdown updates beginning at 6:30 a.m. on
July 8. Originating from Kennedy's Launch Control Center, the blog is
the definitive Internet source for information leading up to lift off.

During the mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle website can read about
the crew's progress. As Atlantis' flight concludes, the NASA blog
will detail the spacecraft's return to Earth. For NASA's launch blog
and continuous mission updates, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

Detailed lists of countdown milestones, news briefing times and
participants, and hours of operation for Kennedy's news center and
media credentialing office are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news

The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the shuttle
launch countdown, mission and landing. To follow, visit:

http://www.twitter.com/nasa

Free wireless Internet access is provided at the Kennedy Press Site
news center and annex. Instructions for wireless access will be
available at the news center. Due to the volume of users,
accessibility may be limited. Reporters should bring a backup.

For NASA TV streaming video, scheduling and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

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NASA Sets Launch Date For Final Space Shuttle Mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis' Commander Chris
Ferguson and his three crewmates are scheduled to begin a 12-day
mission to the International Space Station with a launch at 11:26
a.m. EDT on July 8, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The
STS-135 mission is the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program.

The launch date was announced Tuesday at the conclusion of a flight
readiness review at Kennedy. During the meeting, senior NASA and
contractor managers assessed the risks associated with the mission
and determined the shuttle and station's equipment, support systems
and personnel are ready.

Atlantis' STS-135 mission will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose
logistics module filled with supplies and spare parts to sustain
space station operations after the shuttles are retired.

The mission also will fly the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM), an
experiment designed to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies
and techniques needed to robotically refuel satellites in space -
even satellites not designed to be serviced. The crew also will
return an ammonia pump that recently failed on the station. Engineers
want to understand why the pump failed and improve designs for future spacecraft.

The crew consists of Commander Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley, and
Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. They are scheduled
to arrive at Kennedy on Monday, July 4, for final launch preparations.

STS-135 is the 135th shuttle mission, Atlantis' 33rd flight and the
37th shuttle mission to the station.

For more information about the STS-135 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information about the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

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