NASA Names Crew for New Space Shuttle Mission STS-121

Four NASA astronauts have been chosen to fly on the newly created Space Shuttle mission, STS-121. It is the mission following the Space Shuttle's Return to Flight.

Veteran astronaut Steven W. Lindsey (Col., USAF) is the commander of STS-121. Mark E. Kelly (Cmdr., USN) is the pilot; Carlos I. Noriega (Lt. Col., USMC, Ret.) and Michael E. Fossum are the mission specialists. Other crewmembers will be named later.

STS-121 was added to the flight schedule to help accommodate the growing list of requirements originally assigned to the Return to Flight mission. The crew will re-supply the International Space Station with equipment and consumables. They will also continue the testing and development of new hardware and procedures designed to make Space Shuttle flight safer.

The crew recently began their pre-mission training together at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. Initial activities focus on general procedural training on Shuttle and Station systems, preliminary spacewalk development and robotics training.

Lindsey is a three-time Shuttle astronaut, including commanding the STS-104 mission in 2001. Kelly has flown in space once, and Noriega twice. Fossum is making his first trip.

For crew biographies visit: www.jsc.nasa.gov...

For information about NASA and the human space flight program on the Internet, visit:

www.nasa.gov...

cool !

I'm supposed to go see a launch in 2004 !

My gals cousin is an astronaut.

Brent Jett - he's commander on sts-115 ( I think )
It's scheduled for a 2004 launch, details still being planned.

wow lucky you!! i have always wanted to se a launch
take pics when you go!!

If I do get to go, I will have tons of pics. and you better believe they'll find their way to ATS..

Launches are FABULOUS! We saw one of the night launches of Atlantis (won the trip, in fact, and got to do the VIP stuff.)

I do wish they'd hurry up with the redesign of the shuttle or roll out a new one. The age of the craft worries me.

I have been reading alot of people want the Shuttle to be retired, just too OLD. I believe the OLD GIRL still has alot of life in her (Battlestar coming up) and with a little change perhaps stay around alot longer.

home.earthlink.net...

Michael