posted 04-17-2008 02:43 PM               

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Public Invited to Meet Space Shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 Crew

The astronauts who journeyed to orbit last month aboard the space shuttle Endeavour will give a firsthand account of their flight in a 6:30 p.m. presentation on Wednesday, April 30, in the Northrop Grumman Theater at Space Center Houston.

The public is invited to the session. It will include a video documenting the 16-day flight, photos and an opportunity to ask the astronauts questions. Afterward, crew members will meet and greet guests in the exhibits area. Autographs will be signed as requested.

Endeavour landed March 26, completing the STS-123 mission, the 25th shuttle flight to the International Space Station. A veteran space flier, retired Navy Capt. Dominic L. Gorie, commanded the mission which delivered the Japanese Kibo Logistics Module and the Canadian Dextre robotics system to the station. U.S. Air Force Col. Gregory H. Johnson served as pilot. Mission specialists included Air Force Maj. Robert L. Behnken, Navy Capt. Mike Foreman, Dr. Rick Linnehan and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takao Doi. STS-123 was the first spaceflight for Johnson, Behnken and Foreman.

The mission delivered NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman to the station and returned European Space Agency astronaut Léopold Eyharts to Earth.

Admission to the presentation is free. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the 580-seat theater fills, guests will be seated in an adjacent area to watch the program on closed-circuit television.

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