NEW ORLEANS -
When the Space Shuttle Atlantis blasted off Monday, it was carrying a commemorative bell from the 2009 observance of Hurricane Katrina and a photographic representation of the One New Orleans city brand, and Mayor C. Ray Nagin was be present to watch.
NASA Astronaut Mission Specialist Dr. Robert L. Satcher personally invited Mayor Nagin to attend the launch and asked that he provide the items distinctive to the City of New Orleans to place on the shuttle. Dr. Satcher is one of the astronauts participating in the mission.
"I am honored to represent the City of New Orleans at the shuttle launch and am pleased to have New Orleans mementos on the Atlantis," said Mayor Nagin. "People from every continent are already familiar with New Orleans, and now we are extending the message of One New Orleans into space."
The invitation followed Mayor Nagin's attendance at the 2008 shuttle launch. Mayor Nagin received an official invitation from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Deputy Administrator Lori Garver.
Mayor Nagin also participated in a tour of the NASA operational facility on Sunday and attended a dinner reception for Dr. Satcher Sunday evening at the Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Atlantis launched on the STS-129 mission at 1:28 p.m. CT Monday. This mission focuses on storing space hardware on the exterior of the International Space Station. The 11-day flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms on the station's truss, or backbone.
The mission also will return station crew member Nicole Stott to Earth and is slated to be the final space shuttle crew rotation flight.
Mayor Nagin departed for Orlando, Florida on Sunday. He will return to New Orleans on Tuesday.
NASA Astronaut Mission Specialist Dr. Robert L. Satcher personally invited Mayor Nagin to attend the launch and asked that he provide the items distinctive to the City of New Orleans to place on the shuttle. Dr. Satcher is one of the astronauts participating in the mission.
"I am honored to represent the City of New Orleans at the shuttle launch and am pleased to have New Orleans mementos on the Atlantis," said Mayor Nagin. "People from every continent are already familiar with New Orleans, and now we are extending the message of One New Orleans into space."
The invitation followed Mayor Nagin's attendance at the 2008 shuttle launch. Mayor Nagin received an official invitation from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Deputy Administrator Lori Garver.
Mayor Nagin also participated in a tour of the NASA operational facility on Sunday and attended a dinner reception for Dr. Satcher Sunday evening at the Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Atlantis launched on the STS-129 mission at 1:28 p.m. CT Monday. This mission focuses on storing space hardware on the exterior of the International Space Station. The 11-day flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of two platforms on the station's truss, or backbone.
The mission also will return station crew member Nicole Stott to Earth and is slated to be the final space shuttle crew rotation flight.
Mayor Nagin departed for Orlando, Florida on Sunday. He will return to New Orleans on Tuesday.
