Grammy award-winning The Manhattan Transfer and The Omaha Symphony to open Strategic Space and Defense 2006

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sep. 26, 2006) — The Space Foundation announced today that GRAMMY award-winning group The Manhattan Transfer will perform with The Omaha Symphony Tuesday, Oct. 10 at the opening ceremony of Strategic Space and Defense 2006. The opening ceremony begins at 6 p.m. at Omaha’s new Holland Performing Arts Center. The Space Foundation and Space News present the conference, which addresses both the space-related and strategic missions of the United States Strategic Command, Oct. 10-12, 2006, at the Qwest Center Omaha Convention Center and Arena. “This unique pairing continues a tradition of tremendous entertainment to open our Strategic Space and Defense conference,” said Elizabeth Wagner, senior vice president of Strategic Partnerships at the Space Foundation. “We’re thrilled that the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and Lockheed Martin have teamed to sponsor the performance of The Manhattan Transfer and The Omaha Symphony to showcase Omaha’s Holland Performing Arts Center and kick off this year’s event.” The Manhattan Transfer is known for its jazz, big band, and mix of other popular music styles. Since 1975, The Manhattan Transfer has released 24 albums, and group members Tim Hauser, Janice Siegel, Alan Paul, and Cheryl Bentyne have appeared as guest artists on dozens of recordings. The Manhattan Transfer won its first of eight GRAMMYs in 1980 and was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. The Manhattan Transfer will perform with The Omaha Symphony, led by conductor Thomas Wilkins. The Omaha Symphony presents a dynamic series of more than 50 concerts in the 2006-2007 season, drawing diverse audiences to its MasterWorks, Pops, Chamber, Family, Light Classics and Discovery Series performances. Strategic Space and Defense 2006 continues to expand the dialogue and foster relationships and understanding between the senior leadership of the Command, appropriate component and supported commands, the aerospace contractor community, federal officials, and other leaders. The conference includes two full days of featured speakers and panel sessions, a keynote luncheon, an exhibit center, and a closing reception. For secure online registration, a complete program agenda, and speaker, exhibitor, and sponsor lists, visit www.StratSpace.org. The opening ceremony and the reception are co-sponsored by Lockheed Martin Corporation and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. Other sponsors of Strategic Space and Defense 2006 are AirLaunch, Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI), ATK, the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, The Boeing Company, Booz Allen Hamilton, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), CSP Associates, Inc., Honeywell, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Company, and Sterling Computers, a Sun iForce partner. Featured speakers at Strategic Space and Defense 2006 are The Honorable Terry Everett, chairman, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, House Armed Services Committee, United States House of Representatives; Gen. James E. Cartwright, USMC, commander, United States Strategic Command; The Honorable Dr. Ronald M. Sega, under secretary of the Air Force; Mr. Wes Bush, president and chief financial officer, Northrop Grumman Corporation; Ms. Joanne Maguire, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Space Systems; Lt Gen Frank G. Klotz, USAF, vice commander, Air Force Space Command; Lt Gen. Robert Kehler, USAF, deputy commander, United States Strategic Command; LTG Larry J. Dodgen, USA, commander, United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command/ United States Army Forces Strategic Command and Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense; and Maj Gen William L. Shelton, USAF, commander, 14th Air Force. The Space Foundation is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Colorado Springs that advances civil, commercial, and national security space endeavors and inspires, enables, and propels tomorrow’s explorers. The Space Foundation has offices in Washington, D.C., and Cape Canaveral, Fla. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Space News is the premier business-to-business international news weekly dedicated entirely to the commercial and military space and satellite communications’ businesses. For more information, visit www.space.com/spacenews.