International Space Station Science, New Crew Mission highlighted in Back-to-Back NASA TV Programs

News provided by

May 14, 2014, 06:20 ET

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scientific research to prepare astronauts to venture farther into the solar system than ever before and provide real benefits to life on Earth happens every day aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Starting at 3:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, May 21, join NASA, the current space station commander and a panel of experts as they discuss current and future research aboard this one-of-a-kind orbiting laboratory.

The discussion, entitled "Destination Station: ISS Science Forum," will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The dialogue is open to members of the research and science community, the media, students and social media followers. This will be the first in a new series of public discussions dedicated to science aboard the station.

The forum's panelists include:

-- Elizabeth R. Cantwell, co-chair of the National Research Council's decadal study, "Recapturing a Future for Space Exploration"
-- Julie Robinson, chief program scientist for the International Space Station
-- Marshall Porterfield, director of the Space Life and Physical Sciences, NASA Headquarters
-- Duane Ratliff, Chief Operating Officer, Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS)

The forum also will include a live, interactive conversation with NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, who currently is serving as commander for the space station's Expedition 40 crew, orbiting 260 miles above Earth.

Preceding the ISS Science Forum, Johnson Space Center will host a news conference on NASA TV at 2 p.m. to preview the upcoming Expedition 40/41 mission aboard the space station.

The International Space Station Program Overview briefing will cover mission priorities and objectives. The two expeditions will involve increasing research on the orbital laboratory; up to five spacewalks -- three U.S. and two Russian -- arrival of the final European cargo ship; and the flights of two U.S. commercial resupply spacecraft: Orbital Sciences' Cygnus and SpaceX's Dragon.

The Expedition 40/41 overview briefing participants are:

-- Dan Hartman, deputy International Space Station Program manager
-- Greg Whitney, Expedition 40 lead flight director

Reid Wiseman of NASA, Oleg Artemyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency are scheduled to launch to the space station at 3:57 p.m. EDT May 28 on a Soyuz spacecraft from Kazakhstan. They will join Expedition 40 crewmates Swanson, Maxim Suraev and Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, who have been aboard the station since late March.

Anyone who wants to attend either event must call the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than noon May 20. Media unable to attend either event can participate through a phone bridge by contacting the newsroom no later than 1:45 p.m. for the news briefing and 3:15 p.m. for the forum. Anyone unable to attend the events in person may ask questions via Twitter using the hashtag #asknasa.

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

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more information on the International Space Station and its crews, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

For video and other media resources, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews

Joshua Buck
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
[email protected]

Dan Huot
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO

SOURCE NASA