SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N1ORC - AMSAT A/C #31468

Feb. 1, 2007

John Yembrick Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0602

Tracy Young Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468

NASA TO HIGHLIGHT NEXT SPACE STATION COMPONENT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - On Tuesday, Feb 6, at 10:30 a.m. EST, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida will showcase the next element to be added to the International Space Station. The starboard 3/4 truss segment will launch aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-117, targeted for March 15.

The element will be added to the 11-segment integrated truss structure, the station's backbone. The integrated truss structure eventually will span more than 300 feet. The S3/S4 truss has two large solar arrays and will provide one-fourth of the total power generation for the completed station. The S3/S4 truss is expected to be loaded into a transportation canister on Wednesday, Feb. 7, in preparation for its targeted journey to the launch pad on Feb. 12.

NASA and Boeing mission managers involved in processing the element for flight will be available for a question-and-answer session during Tuesday's event.

For information on the STS-117 mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For information on the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station