NASA announces STS-127 activities

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 9 (UPI) -- A pre-launch webcast will be one highlight of the U.S. space agency's Web coverage of space shuttle Endeavour's flight to the International Space Station.

Endeavour is to lift off Saturday at 7:17 a.m. EDT from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

A Wednesday webcast at 10 a.m. EDT will start the in-depth online coverage of the mission, NASA said. Host Damon Talley of the space agency's Digital Learning Network will preview the flight, and payload mission manager Scott Higginbotham will describe the Japanese Kibo laboratory complex and the elements to be installed during Endeavour's mission.

"A blog will provide launch countdown updates beginning at 2 a.m. on June 13," officials said in a statement. "Originating from the Launch Control Center at Kennedy, the blog is the definitive Internet source for information leading up to launch."

During the STS-127 mission, visitors to NASA's shuttle Web site can read about the astronauts' progress and watch their five spacewalks live. Also, updates will be provided to the NASA News Twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/nasa.

As Endeavour's flight wraps up, NASA will update the blog detailing the spacecraft's return to Earth.