OMSI has Front Row Seats for Nasa Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch

Oregon Astronaut Stanley Love of Eugene is on board.

Photo courtesy: worldproutassembly.org

(PORTLAND, Ore..) - OMSI will offer space exploration enthusiasts a front row seat to watch Stanley Love from Eugene, Oregon and NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-122 launch into space Thursday, February 7th at 11:00 AM.

The scheduled 11:45 AM PDT launch and flight to the International Space Station will be shown in OMSI's planetarium via satellite on NASA TV. Admission to the televised launch is free with paid museum admission. Space shuttle Atlantis' upcoming 11-day mission will deliver a key component to continue construction of the International Space Station.

During the first of three spacewalks, a laboratory module, known as Columbus, will be installed. The following day, astronauts will enter the European Space Agency's module for the first time, expanding the research facilities of the station and providing crew members and scientists around the world the ability to conduct a variety of life, physical and materials science experiments. The shuttle also will deliver a new crew member and bring back another astronaut after a nearly two-month mission.

Dr. Stanley Love was born June 8th 1965 in San Diego, California, but considers Eugene, Oregon to be his hometown. Dr. Love graduated from Winston Churchill High School, Eugene, Oregon, in 1983. Earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California, in 1987. Attended graduate school in Astronomy at the University of Washington in Seattle, receiving a Master of Science degree in 1989 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1993.

For more information about the STS-122 mission, including images and interviews with the crew, visit: nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/news/ Please note that the shuttle liftoff date and time is subject to change by NASA.

About the Harry C. Kendall Planetarium:
OMSI's Harry C. Kendall Planetarium, a 200-seat, 360-degree, 52-foot domed theater, is the largest and most technologically advanced public planetarium in the Pacific Northwest. This high-tech venue features state-of-the-art Sky Scan full dome video allowing the planetarium dome to be completely covered with real and computer-generated images to create one complete environment.