ASTRONAUT CREW TO VISIT MICHOUD FOR A LOOK AT THEIR EXTERNAL TANK
NEW ORLEANS, LA., 10-MAR-05 -- The astronauts slated to fly the third Return to Flight (RTF) mission, STS-115, will visit the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 14 to see the External Tank that will propel them to space.
Crewmembers often want to observe the progress of the work that is taking place on their flight hardware. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is retrofitting the third RTF External Tank, designated ET-119, in the Vertical Assembly Building at Michoud. This ET is scheduled for delivery to NASA on May 23, just days after the first scheduled RTF shuttle launch May 15.
Brent Jett will command STS-115, and Chris Ferguson will pilot the mission. Other visiting crewmembers include mission specialists Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank, Steve MacLean (Canada) and Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper.
Reporters and photographers who wish to cover the astronauts’ visit are invited to come to the lobby of Building 101 at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility at 10 a.m.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems -- Michoud Operations designs and builds the Space Shuttle External Tank and assembles large aluminum and composite structures for aerospace and other applications in New Orleans.
