WASHINGTON - NASA officials will hold a media teleconference Thursday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. EDT in advance of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland. More than 2,000 people, representing almost 200 nations, will gather at the conference to negotiate radio frequency spectrum use.

One of the key discussion topics at the conference of interest to NASA involves the protection of the radio spectrum, which is vital to studying Earth's environment, predicting weather and monitoring natural disasters.

The participants for Thursday's teleconference are:
- Scott Pace, associate administrator for Program Analysis and Evaluation, NASA Headquarters, Washington
- Badri Younes, deputy associate administrator for Space Communications and Navigation, NASA Headquarters

The conference is organized by the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union to review and make necessary revisions to the international treaty governing the use of the spectrum and satellite orbits. It is held every two to four years. The 2007 conference runs Oct. 22 through Nov. 16.

To participate in the teleconference, reporters must R.S.V.P. to Katherine Trinidad by 12 p.m. Thursday. NASA will stream live audio of the teleconference at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

For information about NASA's space communication program and the conference, visit:

https://www.spacecomm.nasa.gov