For Release: Sept. 21, 1998

Dave Drachlis
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
(256) 544-0034
dave.drachlis@msfc.nasa.gov

NTE: 98-188

The spacecraft has undergone refurbishment at Palmdale, Calif., and is being returned to the Kennedy Space Center to rejoin the active Shuttle fleet.

Although we understand that Fort Campbell will not be open to the general public, news media are invited to cover the arrival and departure of Atlantis. Departure is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24. According to Army

officials, Fort Campbell is making arrangements to host groups of students from area schools to visit the Space Shuttle. Media are invited to cover those visits as well.

Fort Campbell is one of several way points designated by NASA as a stopover location when moving Space Shuttle orbiters between the West and East coasts. This would mark the first time for Fort Campbell to host a Space Shuttle.

Atlantis -- a veteran of 20 U.S. spaceflights -- became the first U.S. spacecraft to dock with the Russian space station Mir during a 1995 mission. Its last flight was in September 1997.

For more information, please contact Dave Drachlis of the Media Relations Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., at (256) 544-6538; or by pager at (800) 539-4058. Or contact Steve Roy of the Media Relations Office, pager (800) 821-9641. To arrange for access to Fort Campbell, media should contact Lt. Col. Billy Buckner at (502) 798-3025.

For additional information, visit the Marshall Center's new virtual News Center at: /centers/msfc/NEWSROOM/