Area Teachers to Inspire Future Space Leaders With Space Florida Sponsored Microgravity Flight on February 24, 2008

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Feb. 21 /PRNewswire/ — Through Space Florida’s sponsorships, students in Middle and High School, college undergraduates, interns, researchers and teachers experience microgravity and its effects, and conduct live research. Space Florida’s first student-designed unattended microgravity research will be conducted on this flight! These inquiry-based and hands-on activities are just the beginning of opportunities that will make their unmistakable imprint — preparing the space leaders of tomorrow … today.

Space Florida offers students and teachers a range of innovative education programs and workshops that provide participants the opportunity to experience ‘real world’ science problems and solutions.

From the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, twenty (20) teachers will take their student-influenced science demonstrations onto a microgravity parabolic flight to demonstrate the effects of Lunar, Martian and microgravity in videotaped presentations for their students; and five teacher-student teams will send their small-scale research experiments along for Space Florida’s breakthrough Unattended Microgravity Research Program.

   When:  Sunday, February 24, 2008     8:00   Teacher/Media Check-In & Review       Astronaut Hall of Fame    8:15   Coach Meeting & Experiment Review     Astronaut Hall of Fame    8:45   Flight Safety Briefing                Astronaut Hall of Fame    9:40   Media Bus to Shuttle Landing Facility Astronaut Hall of Fame   11:00   Flight Takeoff                        KSC Shuttle Landing Facility   12:45   Fight Return (planeside interviews)   KSC Shuttle Landing Facility   13:15   News Conference                       Astronaut Hall of Fame   13:30   Interviews                            Astronaut Hall of Fame                All listed events open to pre-registered media   

MEDIA CHECK IN: To attend the events listed above, please email dspicer@spaceflorida.gov to receive instructions for access and security checks.

   Where:  Flight and media briefing at the Astronaut Hall of Fame, Kennedy           Space Center Visitor Complex.  Flight departure and return at KSC           Shuttle Landing Facility.  All media requiring access to the           Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) will be transported by bus or van           from the KSC Visitor Complex.    Who:    Space Florida and state representative participants; Twenty (20)           teachers from across Florida, including SEMAA teachers from           Miami-Dade County, and Florida’s Teacher of the Year, Richard           Ellenberg; University and High School students, as well as faculty           flying with unattended experiments.  Space Florida           representatives, along with teachers and program representatives,           are available in person for interviews on Sunday, February 24,           2008.  To arrange interviews prior to, or after, the flight date           please contact Deb Spicer at 321-730-5301 ext. 243 or email           dspicer@spaceflorida.gov.    What:   This Microgravity flight is sponsored by Space Florida in support           of STEM education. The flight-day media events will include           one-on-one interviews with flight participants who will eagerly           share the sights, sounds, and emotions of their microgravity           experience, the facts and debrief of their experiments in           microgravity, and include information about current and future           government and private partners.    

For press credentials and interview arrangements, please contact Deb Spicer at 321-730-5301 ext. 243 or email dspicer@spaceflorida.gov.

ABOUT SPACE FLORIDA

Space Florida was created by the Florida Legislature to sustain Florida’s position as the global leader in space exploration and commerce, and is the principal organization charged with promoting and developing Florida’s aerospace industry. Created as a unique special district, Space Florida serves as the single point of contact for aerospace with federal agencies, military, State agencies, universities, and the private sector. As part of its mission, Space Florida promotes aerospace economic development across Florida, and drives industry-related education and workforce development initiatives, expanded and upgraded spaceport operations, innovative research and development, and financing. If your future is in space, your next step is to contact Space Florida. For more information: http://www.spaceflorida.gov/.

Space Florida

CONTACT: Deb Spicer, Director, Marketing & Corporate Communications ofSpace Florida, +1-321-730-5301, ext. 243, cell, +1-321-848-3165,dspicer@spaceflorida.gov

Web site: http://www.spaceflorida.gov/