Media representatives are invited to attend an event marking the arrival of NASA's first space-bound Orion spacecraft at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The event will take place at 10 a.m. EDT, Monday, July 2, at Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building and be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

The Orion spacecraft will carry astronauts farther into the solar system than ever before. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel and provide safe re-entry from deep space.

Speakers include:

-- Sen. Bill Nelson -- NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver -- NASA Orion Program Manager Mark Geyer -- NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Dan Dumbacher -- NASA Space Launch System Spacecraft and Payload Integration Manager David Beaman -- NASA Ground Systems Development and Operations Program Manager Pepper Phillips

NASA participants will discuss progress made to-date on final assembly and integration of the spacecraft, which will launch on Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014. This test will see Orion travel farther into space than any human spacecraft has gone in more than 40 years. In advance of its launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., the Orion production team will apply heat shielding thermal protection systems, avionics and other subsystems to the spacecraft.

Additionally, NASA will host an interactive session from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with agency leaders and Orion Program managers to answer questions from followers of NASA's social media accounts. Followers on Twitter can ask a question during the event using the hashtag #askNASA. On NASA Facebook and Google+, a comment thread will open for questions the morning of the event.

Journalists must arrive at Kennedy's Press Site by 8:30 a.m., Monday, July 2, for transportation to the Operations and Checkout Building for a tour and the ceremony. Badges for the event can be picked up at the Kennedy Space Center Badging Office on State Road 405.

International journalists must apply for credentials by 5 p.m., Sunday, June 24, to cover the event. For U.S. journalists, the deadline to apply is 5 p.m., Thursday, June 28. All media accreditation requests must be submitted online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

In 2017, Orion will be launched by NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), a heavy-lift rocket that will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft for crew and cargo missions, SLS will enable new missions of exploration and expand human presence across the solar system.

Likewise, NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, managed at Kennedy, is preparing to process and launch the next-generation vehicles and spacecraft designed to achieve NASA's goals for space exploration.

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NASA Invites Media To Orion Crew Module Arrival At Kennedy