Aerospace Education Foundation is selected for Space Foundation's Education Achievement Award

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 26, 2005) — The Space Foundation will present its Education Achievement Award to the Aerospace Education Foundation on April 4, 2005, for its enduring commitment to provide public awareness programs, education, and financial assistance to further America’s aerospace excellence. The award will be presented during the opening ceremony of the 21st National Space Symposium.

“The Aerospace Education Foundation for years has stimulated and challenged our nation’s youth with programs focused on the excitement of air and space exploration,” said Space Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Elliot G. Pulham. “The Space Foundation is pleased to honor the Aerospace Education Foundation for its outstanding efforts in educating kids about science, technology and space.”

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 Space Center Houston, The Astronauts Memorial Foundation, the Civil Air Patrol, and Lockheed Martin’s Space Day Program.

The Aerospace Education Foundation (AEF) is the educational affiliate of the Air Force Association. The AEF is dedicated to ensuring America’s aerospace excellence through education, scholarships, grants, awards and public awareness programs. The AEF also publishes a series of studies and forums on aerospace and national security. The Eaker Institute is the public policy and research arm of the AEF.

The AEF works through a network of thousands of Air Force Association members and chapters to distribute educational materials to schools and concerned citizens. An example of this includes “Visions of Exploration,” an AEF/USA Today multi-disciplinary science, math and social studies program. For more information about the AEF, visit www.aef.org.

More than 6,500 registrants, guests, speakers, exhibitors, and media are expected to attend the 21st National Space Symposium, to be held April 4-7, 2005, at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Hosted by the Space Foundation, the symposium is the premier annual space industry conference anywhere in the world.

The symposium kicks off on Monday, April 4, with a spectacular opening ceremony, co-sponsored by The Boeing Company; opening night reception, co-sponsored by ITT Industries; and opening night dessert reception and fireworks, co-sponsored by General Dynamics. Sponsorship highlights include: the 34,000-square-foot exhibit center, co-sponsored by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.; media center, co-sponsored by Lockheed Martin; corporate partnership dinner, co-sponsored by Raytheon Company; corporate partnership reception, co-sponsored by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce; the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award luncheon, co-sponsored by the Colorado Space Coalition; and the Space Technology Hall of Fame Awards dinner, co-sponsored by Northrop Grumman.

Additional co-sponsors include: Analytical Graphics, Inc., ATK Thiokol, Cisco Systems, Computer Sciences Corp., EcoQuest International, Florida Space Authority, Harris Corporation, Honeywell Aerospace, Infinite Links, Inmarsat, SPACE.com, Space News, Space Systems/Loral, SpaceVest, Stellar Solutions, and Swales Aerospace.

For complete conference details and online registration, visit www.spacesymposium.org or call the Space Foundation toll-free in the United States and Canada at (800) 691-4000.

About the Space Foundation

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., the Space Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that vigorously advances civil, commercial, and national security space endeavors and educational excellence. The Space Foundation has offices in Washington, D.C., and Cape Canaveral, Fla. In addition to the National Space Symposium, the Space Foundation annually conducts, along with its partnering organizations, Space at the Crossroads, set for May 18, 2005, in Washington, D.C., and Strategic Space 2005, scheduled Oct. 4-6, 2005, in Omaha, Neb.

This year the Space Foundation will host the third annual Space Career Fair at the 21st National Space Symposium. The Space Foundation manages an onsite NASA Educational Resource Center; offers two distinct master’s degrees in space studies 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 about the Space Foundation, visit www.spacefoundation.org.