[sci.space.shuttle] News conferences scheduled for STS-26 Flight Readiness Firing

yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee) (08/01/88)

Dick Young

KSC Release No. 57 - 88

NEWS CONFERENCES SCHEDULED FOR STS-26 FLIGHT READINESS FIRING


KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - The Flight Readiness Firing (FRF) of
the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery's three main engines in
preparation for the launch of the STS-26 mission will be preceded
and followed by news conferences.

     The FRF is now tentatively scheduled for no earlier than
7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 4, with the exact date contingent
upon the results of a review of the data from the Wet Countdown
Demonstration Test over this past weekend. 

     The pre-FRF news conference will be held at the KSC News
Center at 2 p.m. EDT on the day prior to the firing.  Journalists
are responsible for tracking with the News Center the exact date
and time of the FRF. Participants will be:

     Robert B. Sieck, launch director, Kennedy Space Center
     William R. Marshall, manager, Shuttle Projects, Marshall
        Space Flight Center
     Maj. Norman E. Buss, USAF, officer-in-charge, Cape Canaveral
        Forecast Facility

     The post-FRF news conference will be held at the KSC News
Center to discuss test results approximately four hours following
the engine firing.  The participants will include:

     Robert L. Crippen (Captain - USN), deputy director, NSTS
        Operations and chairman of the Mission Management Team
     Thomas E. Utsman, director, Shuttle Management and
        Operations and deputy director, Kennedy Space Center

     Both news conferences will be carried on NASA Select
Television (Satcom F2R, transponder 13, 72 degrees west
longitude) with two-way question and answer capability.