For information only - not an official document

UNIS/MA18
Vienna, 11 June 2013

Media Advisory

The media is invited to attend the press briefing on

The Next Steps in Space Exploration: NASA Asteroid Initiative

with Charles Bolden

on

Tuesday 18 June 2013

9.00 - 9.40 a.m.

at the Vienna International Centre (VIC), C- Building, Conference Room C4, 7th floor

NASA envisages the first-ever human mission to an asteroid. The asteroid initiative comprises  two distinct yet related activities: the mission to redirect an asteroid to an orbit closer to Earth so humans can travel to it, and an effort to improve the detection, characterization, and mitigation planning for potentially hazardous asteroids. NASA will pursue these two complementary activities simultaneously.

Charles Bolden has been the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) since 2009. After joining the office in 1980, he travelled to orbit four times aboard a space shuttle between 1986 and 1994, commanding two of the missions. His flights included deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and the first joint U.S.-Russian shuttle mission, which featured a cosmonaut as a member of his crew.

Speakers:

Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator

Mazlan Othman, Director, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Moderator: Janos Tisovszky, Director, United Nations Information Service

More information is available on www.unoosa.org

A VIC grounds pass is required. Please register by 14 June by writing to: press@unvienna.org

* *** *

For more information please contact:

Romana Kofler
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060-4962
Email: romana.kofler[at]unoosa.org

Regina Rohrbach
Public Information Officer
United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna
Tel: (+43-1) 26060 ext. 3898
E-Mail: regina.rohrbach[at]unvienna.org