posted 06-23-2006 08:18 PM               

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NASA Television and the agency's home on the Internet, http://www.nasa.gov, will provide extensive pre-launch and launch day coverage of the space shuttle Discovery's mission STS-121 to the International Space Station, currently scheduled for a July 1 launch.

A pre-launch webcast is scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT Friday, June 30, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center's Internet broadcasting network, known as NASA Direct. It will feature a mission overview hosted by Discovery Flow Manager Stephanie Stilson. Highlights will include an interview with NASA astronaut and STS-116 crew member William Oefelein, who will discuss the STS-121 mission and astronaut training.

Live countdown coverage from NASA's Launch Blog begins at 10 a.m., July 1. Coverage features real-time updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff.

A panel of experts has answered questions about NASA's preparation for the STS-121 mission. Those responses are available online and in Podcasts.

To access these interactive features and more, go to NASA's Space Shuttle main page at http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle and follow the links provided in the right column under the "Mission Information" section. For more information about mission STS-121 online events, contact Dennis Armstrong at 321-867-4493.

On launch day, NASA TV will begin broadcasting at 5:30 a.m. and mission commentary begins at 10 a.m. For detailed television scheduling information, visit the web at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

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posted 06-30-2006 07:22 AM               

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If the space shuttle Discovery lifts off from its Florida launch pad at 3:49 p.m. EDT Saturday, all but one of the major networks will cover it live.

Only CBS has opted not to cover the launch live, though most of the other networks aren't devoting the same kind of resources and airtime to this launch as they did in July when the shuttle program returned to flight after the February 2003 Columbia disaster.

The longest coverage will be on the cable channels, with Fox, CNN and MSNBC -- and their Web sites -- devoting significant resources. But NBC and ABC have positioned anchors, correspondents and space experts in New York, Cape Canaveral and Houston and will interrupt regular programming. Fox won't because its network isn't on air at that time.

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