Coverage Set for European Cargo Delivery to Space Station

HOUSTON -- NASA Television will broadcast live the flight of the
European Space Agency's third Automated Transfer Vehicle cargo ship
to the International Space Station. Coverage will begin with its
launch on Thursday.

The 13-ton "Edoardo Amaldi" spacecraft, named in honor of the
20th-century Italian physicist who is regarded as one of the fathers
of European spaceflight, will carry 7.2 tons of propellant, water and
supplies to the six crew members aboard the orbital laboratory.

An Ariane 5 rocket that will place the cargo ship into orbit is
scheduled to launch at 11:34 p.m. CDT on March 22 from the
Arianespace launch site in Kourou, French Guiana. NASA TV's coverage
of the launch will begin at 11 p.m.

Like two predecessors that flew to the station in 2008 and 2011, the
Edoardo Amaldi will conduct a slow, methodical trek to the complex
under the guidance of engineers at the Automated Transfer Vehicle
Control Center in Toulouse, France. It automatically will dock to the
aft port of the Russian Zvezda service module at 5:34 p.m. on March
28. NASA TV coverage of the docking will begin at 4:45 p.m.

Edoardo Amaldi is expected to remain at the outpost through early
September, when it will undock and be commanded to deorbit and burn
up upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

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

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

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