NASA Sets Briefing About Shuttle's Readiness to Service Hubble

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA managers have scheduled a news conference on Thursday, April 30 to discuss the status of the next space shuttle launch. The briefing, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is set to begin no earlier than 6 p.m. EDT. It will start after the conclusion of the Flight Readiness Review, a meeting to assess preparations for shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.

Live status updates will be added periodically to the NASA News Twitter feed during the meeting. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit:

http://www.twitter.com/nasa

Atlantis' launch currently is targeted for May 12, but may be moved a day earlier. The readiness review is expected to include the selection of the official launch date.



The briefing participants are:

• Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations, NASA Headquarters, Washington
• John Shannon, Space Shuttle Program manager, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston
• Mike Leinbach, Space Shuttle launch director, NASA's Kennedy Space Center
• Michael Luther, Science Mission Directorate associate administrator for Programs, NASA Headquarters

NASA Television and the agency's Web site will broadcast the news briefing live. Journalists may ask questions from participating NASA locations. Reporters should contact their preferred NASA center to confirm its participation.

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

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For STS-125 crew and mission information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle