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Two Former Science Teachers to Fly on Next Space Shuttle Mission

Posted on: Friday, 19 December 2008, 11:19 CST

HOUSTON, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two former science teachers, who are now fully-trained NASA astronauts, will make their first journey into orbit on space shuttle Discovery's upcoming mission to the International Space Station. During the 14-day shuttle flight, Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold will step outside the station to conduct critical spacewalking tasks.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)

Discovery is targeted to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:28 a.m. EST on Feb. 12. To cover the launch at Kennedy, U.S. reporters must request credentials by Jan. 29, and foreign reporters must do so by Jan. 15. Media should submit requests online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

To request an interview with Mission Specialists Acaba or Arnold, news media should contact NASA's Johnson Space Center newsroom in Houston at 281-483-5111 by Jan. 6.

As a complement to the spacewalks planned for Acaba and Arnold, NASA has developed an educational website focused on spacesuits and spacewalks. The site includes: activity guides for kindergarten-12th grade teachers; a "clickable spacesuit" to learn about the parts and functions of the astronauts' personal spacecraft; and a "career corner," that features profiles on spacesuit designers and technicians. To access the resources designed to enhance classroom discussions and excite students, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education/spacesuits

During the mission, designated STS-119, shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew will deliver the space station's fourth and final set of solar array wings, completing the complex's backbone, or truss. The arrays will provide the electricity to power science experiments and increase the crew size to six in May. The shuttle also will deliver the first Japanese resident station crew member and bring back U.S. astronaut Sandra Magnus, who will have lived aboard the complex for more than three months.

Acaba taught at Melbourne High School and Dunnellon Middle School in Florida. Arnold taught science and mathematics at several schools in the U.S. and overseas, including John Hanson Middle School in Waldorf, Md.

For Acaba and Arnold's complete biographies, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/acaba-jm.html

and

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/arnold-rr.html

For the latest information about the STS-119 mission and crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

SOURCE NASA

Source: PR Newswire

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