MEDIA ADVISORY: 37-06

NASA OFFERS MEDIA VIEW OF NEW FIRING ROOM FOR STS-121 LAUNCH

Media are invited to view a newly renovated firing room in theKennedySpace Center Launch Control Center at 1 p.m. Friday. The STS-121launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on July 1 will mark the first useof Firing Room 4 (FR 4) for a space shuttle launch countdown.Now designated the primary firing room for all remaining shuttlelaunches, FR 4 will also be used daily to manage operations in theOrbiter Processing Facilities and for integrated processing for theshuttle.Ted Mosteller, NASA test director, will provide a briefing about FR4,which has been undergoing renovations for two years. The firing roomnow includes sound-suppressing walls and floors, new humiditycontrol, fire-suppression systems and consoles, support tables withcomputer stations, communication systems and laptop computer ports.FR 4 also has power and computer network connections and a newlyimproved Checkout, Control and Monitor Subsystem.The renovation is part of the Launch Processing System ExtendedSurvivability Project that began in 2003. United Space Alliance'sLaunch Processing System directorate managed the FR 4 project forNASA.A fully manned firing room can hold more than 200 people, includingthe NASA launch director, space shuttle program management staff,test conductors, shuttle launch engineers, support engineers, publicaffairs staff and others.Media should not wear shorts to the event, and flash photography isprohibited. Electronic devices, such as cell phones and pagers, arenot permitted in the Launch Control Center.Those who wish to attend should arrive at the KSC Press Site by noon.Permanently badged media interested in attending must contact the KSCPress Site at 321-867-2468 by close of business Thursday. STS-121mission badges will be honored for this event.

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