Veteran space flier John Grunsfeld, who was born in Chicago, will make his fifth journey into orbit on space shuttle Atlantis' mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Atlantis is targeted to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Oct. 8 at 1:34 a.m. EDT.

To cover the launch of Atlantis on-site, U.S. reporters must request credentials for Kennedy by Sept. 22 and foreign reporters by Sept. 12. Media should submit requests online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/

Mission Specialist Grunsfeld is making his fourth visit to Hubble. He is one of seven astronauts who will fly on the space shuttle's fifth and final servicing mission to the telescope. The 11-day flight will include five spacewalks to make repairs and upgrades that will extend the orbiting observatory's life into the next decade.

Grunsfeld attended Highland Park Heights High School in Highland Park, Ill., and received his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980, and his Master of Science degree and his doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago in 1984 and 1988, respectively.

For Grunsfeld's complete biography, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/grunsfel.html

For the latest information about the Hubble servicing mission and crew, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle