NASA Administrator Visits California Centers, Meets Media

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May 20, 2013, 02:37 ET

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will hold media availabilities at all three of the agency's centers in California this week, highlighting progress on the asteroid mission, commercial crew transportation and space technology development.

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Bolden will tour of Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space Systems' Dream Chaser spacecraft Wednesday, May 22 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base. SNC is preparing the vehicle for tow, captive-carry and free-flight tests later this year as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) initiatives to develop safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit.

Bolden, Dryden Center Director David McBride and Sierra Nevada's director of flight operations, former NASA space shuttle astronaut Steve Lindsey, will make remarks and take questions from the media next to the vehicle at 10 a.m. PDT.

Media representatives who want to participate in the Dream Chaser tour and briefings must request credentials from Dryden's public affairs office at [email protected] or 661-276-3449 by no later than 5 p.m., today, May 20. Journalists should plan to arrive at Dryden no later than 9:30 a.m. PDT May 22.

On Thursday, May 23, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Bolden will see a prototype ion thruster being tested for NASA's mission to capture and relocate an asteroid. JPL and NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland are developing the ion thruster jointly. The administrator, mission engineers and asteroid experts will make remarks and take questions from the media at 11 a.m.

Journalists who want to participate in the asteroid redirect briefing should contact DC Agle at 818-393-9011.

On Friday, May 24, at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Bolden, Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden and Rep. Mike Honda (17th congressional district) of California will visit Ames' Space Shop to see work being done on PhoneSat nanosatellite technology and additive manufacturing, also known as 3-D printing, which is a critical part of President Obama's push for building a strong American manufacturing sector. The PhoneSat program recently launched three small satellites built from off-the-shelf cellular phone technology. Bolden, Worden and Honda will make remarks and take questions at 10 a.m.

Media representatives who want to participate in the Ames media availability should contact Mike Mewhinney at 650-604-3937 by 4 p.m. May 23.

While at the three centers, Bolden also will speak with employees and be briefed on current programs, projects and operations.

For more information about NASA's programs and missions, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

SOURCE NASA