Space Center Houston selected for Space Foundation’s Education Achievement Award

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 12, 2004) — The Space Foundation’s Education Achievement Award will be presented on Monday, March 29, 2004, to Space Center Houston (SCH) during the opening ceremony of the 20th National Space Symposium. Richard Allen, the Center’s President and Chief Executive Officer, will accept the award.

The Space Foundation’s Education Achievement Award is presented to Space Center Houston for its enduring commitment to inspiring students, teachers and the public through world-class museum programs and sound academic programs using the excitement of human space exploration to spark improved learning in mathematics, engineering and the sciences.

“The Education Achievement Award pays tribute to those organizations demonstrating extraordinary involvement in education,” said Space Foundation president and chief executive officer Elliot G. Pulham. “The Space Foundation is pleased to honor Space Center Houston for its extraordinary involvement in getting our nation’s children involved in space,” Pulham said.

“Space Center Houston is honored to be recognized for its achievements in aerospace education. This award is not only for the efforts of our SCH team but also for the many visitors and contributors who support our organization year round,” said Allen.

Space Center Houston is the official visitors center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. It is a place where people can experience space – from its dramatic history and exciting present to its compelling future. The center’s unparalleled exhibits, attractions, special presentations and hands-on activities tell the story of NASA’s manned space flight program. For more information visit www.spacecenter.org.

The National Space Symposium takes place at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs March 29 – April 1. It is the premier annual space industry conference anywhere in the world. More than 5,000 space professionals are expected to participate this year. On-line registration and conference details can be found at www.spacesymposium.org.

The Space Foundation annually presents the Education Achievement Award to organizations that demonstrate involvement in exemplary education initiatives for the purpose of motivating young people to excel in space-based education. Previous recipients include The Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Civil Air Patrol, Lockheed Martin’s Space Day Program, Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Challenger Center, and Lowell Observatory.

The 20th National Space Symposium’s Opening Ceremony is co-sponsored by Lockheed Martin Corporation; the Opening Night Reception is co-sponsored by Eastman Kodak Company; the Opening Night Fireworks and Dessert Reception is co-sponsored by Inmarsat; the Corporate Partnership Reception is co-sponsored by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce; the Corporate Partnership Dinner is co-sponsored by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.; the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award Luncheon is co-sponsored by Spectrum Astro; the Space Technology Hall of Fame Reception is co-sponsored by Computer Sciences Corporation; the Space Technology Hall of Fame Dinner is co-sponsored by The Boeing Company; the exhibit center is sponsored by Northrop Grumman; and the cyberspace center is sponsored by Hewlett Packard and Oracle Corporation. Additional sponsors include Air Force Research Laboratory, Analytical Graphics, Inc., BAE Systems, CSP Associates, Inc., Harris Corporation, Honeywell Space Systems, Infinite Links, Inmarsat, ITT Industries, Penwal Industries, Raytheon Company, SPACE.com, Space News, Space Systems Loral, SpaceVest, and Stellar Solutions.

About the Space Foundation

The Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Space Foundation is a national non-profit organization, which vigorously advances civil, commercial, and national security space endeavors and educational excellence. In addition to the National Space Symposium, the Space Foundation annually conducts, along with its partnering organizations, Space at the Crossroads, scheduled Feb. 18, 2004, in Washington, D.C.; and Strategic Space 2004, scheduled Oct. 5-7, 2004, in Omaha, Neb.

This year the Foundation will host the second annual Space Career Fair for College Students at the 20th National Space Symposium; and recently created a Web site just for kids with fun space activities. The Foundation also manages an on-site NASA Educational Resource Center; offers two distinct Master’s in Space Studies Degrees in conjunction with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and Regis University; and has trained more than 30,000 teachers since 1986 on Teaching With Space through Space Discovery graduate courses and national conferences. For more information, visit www.spacefoundation.org.