NASA is planning the second annual summit of the Space Shuttle Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) Feb. 17-18 at the San Luis Resort in Galveston, Texas. Reporters are invited to attend meetings on both days of the summit, as well as a press conference at 8 a.m. CST on Feb. 19 at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston.

On Jan. 14 President Bush laid out the vision for the future of NASA's human space flight programs. He called for NASA to use the unique capabilities of the Space Shuttle to finish assembly of the International Space Station by 2010.

The President's vision alters the mission of SLEP, making it more important than ever. At the SLEP summit, representatives from government, industry, and academia will focus on prioritizing investments in the Shuttle to ensure the fleet can safely meet the President's goal. SLEP studies and projects may serve as a test bed for technologies to enable the next generation of space travel.

Media are responsible for their own transportation, accommodations, and meals. Reporters interested in attending SLEP should contact Melissa Mathews at NASA Headquarters (202/348-1272) by 4 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

For more information about the SLEP Summit on the Internet, including an agenda, visit:

www.slepsummit.com

text-only version of this release