NASA assigns STS-122 crew

WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- NASA announced crew assignments Thursday for the STS-122 space shuttle mission, which is scheduled for October 2007.

Navy Cmdr. Stephen Frick will command the shuttle Discovery that will be delivering the European Space Agency's Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station.

Navy Cmdr. Alan Poindexter will serve as pilot, while the mission specialists will be Air Force Col. Rex Walheim, Stanley Love, Leland Melvin and ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel. Poindexter, Love and Melvin will be making their first spaceflight.

STS-122 will be Frick's second spaceflight; he served as pilot of shuttle mission STS-110. Walheim also flew on shuttle mission STS-110 in 2002 and is a veteran of two spacewalks.

Schlegel took part in shuttle mission STS-55 in 1993.