Sculptures Will Pay Tribute to Former Space Foundation Chairman

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Mar. 7, 2002) -- Artists Joy Day and B.E. Johnson have created both a massive sculpture and a smaller individual award to honor the recipients of the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award, named for the late Space Foundation Chairman. Both awards will be unveiled April 11 in Colorado Springs during the Space Technology Hall of Fame Dinner at the 18th National Space Symposium.

"We [B.E. and I] have been driven by the love of space flight and astronomy all of our lives," said Ms. Day. "To be a part of honoring those who are making space flight history is truly a delight. We wished to create a display that would show the award winners, and the world, how much their contributions are truly appreciated. We strived to capture the awe, the excitement and the glory of space travel, as well as the history of the journey, in an inspiring work of sculpture," added Ms. Day.

The sculpture is a 7' x 2' (approx.) colorful glass statue with an embedded galaxy and other space memorabilia, including a tile from John Glenn's return to space; Capton; Aerogel; Sojourner model; glass Challenger; Chandra mission bayliner; Discovery tile; Moondust; Explorer 1 piece of gantry; metal from Apollo 11; Mercury capsule replica; and a glass Apollo replica. The individual award is a green glass globe.

Ms. Day's background ranges from computer programming, astronomy and aeronautical engineering to performance and visual arts. Her award winning creations are collected internationally, often employing her engineering background to achieve a mix of practices that give birth to new creations deemed not possible. She is most widely known for her reverse painted glass.

Mr. Johnson has worked in graphic and industrial design, engineering, astronomy/astrophysics, computer programming, and large format photography, in addition to being an artist. His projects include designing/constructing a 46 foot racing trimaran; illustrating the cover for James A. Michener's "Space;" documenting four Space Shuttle missions on paintings that reside in the NASA/Smithsonian collection; and designing, fabricating and fielding high speed racing vehicles that produced a slew of wins, including the Indianapolis 500.

Norman R. Augustine, Chairman Emeritus of Lockheed Martin and Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University, will receive the first Space Foundation General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award. He will take with him the individual award, while the sculpture will be housed at Space Foundation headquarters in Colorado Springs.

The symposium, which gathers top space leaders from industry, the military and government, is hosted by the Space Foundation and takes place April 8-11 at the Broadmoor Hotel. Symposium program information and on-line registration are available at www.spacesymposium.org or by calling the Space Foundation at 1-800-691-4000.

The Space Foundation is a national non-profit organization advancing space awareness and education. In addition to the National Space Symposium, the Foundation conducts the International Space Symposium, scheduled to take place in Toulouse, France on September 10-13, 2002.