Credits: NASA
A pair of news conferences on Thursday, March 31, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will highlight the agency’s upcoming SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station. The mission will be NASA’s latest crew rotation flight involving a U.S. commercial spacecraft carrying astronauts.
The agency will hold a mission overview news conference at 10:30 a.m. EDT and a crew news conference at noon. Both news conferences will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. The mission’s crew also will be available for interviews after 3 p.m.
The Crew-4 mission will carry NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. The Falcon 9 rocket bearing the Crew Dragon capsule is scheduled to launch Tuesday, April 19, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This event will be the final media opportunity to speak to the Crew-4 astronauts before they travel to Kennedy for launch. Media wishing to participate in the briefings in person or seeking a remote interview with the crew must request credentials from the Johnson newsroom at: 281-483-5111 or [email protected] no later than noon Wednesday, March 30. Media interested in participating by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom by 9:45 a.m. Thursday, March 31. Those wishing to submit a question on social media may do so using #askNASA.
Briefing participants include:
10:30 a.m. Mission Overview News Conference
- Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, Johnson
- Joel Montalbano, manager, NASA International Space Station Program, Johnson
- Jessica Jensen, senior director, customer operations and integration, SpaceX
- Frank De Winne, manager, International Space Station Program, ESA
Noon Crew News Conference
- Kjell Lindgren, NASA astronaut, spacecraft commander
- Bob Hines, NASA astronaut, pilot
- Jessica Watkins, NASA astronaut, mission specialist
- Samantha Cristoforetti, ESA astronaut, mission specialist
2 p.m. Crew Interview Opportunities
- Crew-4 astronauts will be available for a limited number of interviews
This will be Lindgren’s second spaceflight since becoming an astronaut in 2009. As mission commander, he will be responsible for all phases of flight, from launch to re-entry. He will serve as an Expedition 67 flight engineer aboard the station.
The mission will be Hines’ first flight since his selection as an astronaut in 2017. As pilot, he will be responsible for spacecraft systems and performance. Aboard the station, he will serve as an Expedition 67 flight engineer.
Watkins will be making her first trip to space, and as a mission specialist she will work closely with the commander and pilot to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. Once aboard the station, she will become a flight engineer for Expedition 67.
Cristoforetti will be making her second trip to space, and will also serve as a mission specialist, working to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. She will be a flight engineer for Expedition 67.
Find details on NASA satellite information for remote interviews here.
Follow Lindgren, Hines, and Cristoforetti on Twitter. Follow, Lindgren, Hines and Watkins on Instagram.
Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
Source: NASA
Rod is a blogger, writer, filmmaker, photographer, daydreamer who likes to cook. Rod produces and directs the web series, CUPIC: Diary of an Investigator. He is also the editor, producer and administrator of STM Daily News, a part of the TNC Network.
