WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a news teleconference Thursday, June 12, at 4:30 p.m. EDT, to announce the selection of the contractor for the Constellation Program's spacesuit system.

The spacesuit system contract is for the design, development, test, evaluation, production, processing and sustaining engineering of extravehicular activity equipment to support astronauts aboard the Orion crew exploration vehicle and the Altair lunar lander. The Constellation Program is building spacecraft and systems to carry astronauts on trips to the International Space Station, and later, to the moon.

Teleconference participants are:

- Doug Cooke, deputy associate administrator, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington

- Jeff Hanley, Constellation program manager, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston

- Glenn Lutz, Extravehicular Activity Systems project manager, Johnson Space Center

Reporters should contact Stephanie Schierholz at 202-358-4997, or Grey Hautaluoma at 202-358-0668, by 11 a.m., Thursday, June 12, for dial-in information.

The spacesuit and support systems will provide protection against the launch and landing environment and spacecraft cabin leaks, and offer contingency spacewalk capability. For short trips to the moon, the suit design will support a week's worth of moon walks. Suits and support systems will be needed for as many as four astronauts on moon voyages, and for up to six space station travelers.

The teleconference will be broadcast live at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

Supporting materials for the teleconference will be posted online at 4:30 p.m. June 12 at:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation