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NASA News: NASA Joining Forces With Military Families For Education Programs



ORLANDO, Fla. -- NASA's Office of Education will kick off a new
campaign on Thursday, April 28, focused on reaching out to America's
military families and engaging them in agency activities to promote
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
This initiative supports the Joining Forces campaign announced by
First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe
Biden, earlier this month.

During the NASA Education Pre-Launch Summit at the Peabody Hotel in
Orlando, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Associate
Administrator for Education Leland Melvin will lay out the agency's
plan to share educational resources and programs with students of
military families.

Bolden will deliver the keynote luncheon address at 12:30 p.m. EDT and
join invited military families afterward for hands-on STEM education
activities. Military families also will attend the launch of space
shuttle Endeavour on Friday as NASA's guests.

Media interested in covering the keynote address and education
activities should contact Ann Marie Trotta by 3 p.m. Wednesday. All
activities will take place at the Peabody, located at 9801
International Drive in Orlando.

This outreach to military families is just one of many programs NASA
education offers using the excitement of exploration to engage the
nation's youth in STEM-related studies. The goal is to open the door
to exciting future career options.

For more information about NASA's education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education

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NASA Extends Johnson Safety And Mission Assurance Contract

HOUSTON -- NASA extended its contract with Science Applications
International Corp. of Houston to provide support for safety and
mission assurance activities at the Johnson Space Center. The
extension is for one year with two additional six-month options for a
total value of $73.8 million.

The Safety and Mission Assurance Support Services contract helps
ensure safety, reliability, maintainability and quality including the
International Space Station and Space Shuttle Programs and all other
programs and projects at Johnson.

This cost-plus-award-fee extension continues services from May 1,
2011, through April 30, 2012. Including this extension, the total
value of the contract is $356 million. The extension also outlines
two additional options for extending the contract through Oct. 31,
2012, and April 30, 2013. Work under the contract will be performed
at Johnson in Houston, Kennedy Space Center in Florida and White
Sands Test Facility in New Mexico.

Significant subcontractors include ARES Corp. of Houston; Engle
Technologies of Colorado Springs, Colo.; Florida International
University, Miami; Futron Corp. of Bethesda, Md.; GHG of Houston; J&P
Technologies of Houston; JES Tech of Houston, and Millennium
Engineering and Integration Co. of Arlington, Va.

For more information about NASA's Johnson Space Center, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/johnson

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NASA And USAID Pledge To Advance International Development With Science And Technology

WASHINGTON -- NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) have agreed to expand their joint efforts to overcome
international development challenges such as food security, climate
change, and energy and environmental management.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah
signed a five-year memorandum of understanding on Monday, April 25,
at NASA Headquarters. The agreement formalizes ongoing agency
collaborations that use Earth science data to address developmental
challenges, and to assist in disaster mitigation and humanitarian
responses. The agreement also encourages NASA and USAID to apply
geospatial technologies to solve development challenges affecting the
United States and developing countries.

"Technologies for NASA missions have long improved life here on Earth.
Together with USAID, we'll meet even more sustainable development
challenges here on the ground, solving problems for the world
community," Bolden said. "As we explore space, we'll also be
exploring solutions to important health, nutritional and safety
challenges in developing countries."

The agencies will continue collaborations to stimulate innovative
science and technology solutions to international development
challenges by using Earth science data, research results, computer
models, visualization applications and remote-sensing techniques.

USAID is the lead federal development agency implementing U.S.
development efforts through field-based programs and projects around
the world. NASA has broad experience with Earth science research,
development of Earth science information products, and technology applications.

"Through our partnership with NASA, we can apply the latest,
cutting-edge technology to deliver meaningful results for people in
developing countries in areas like health, food security and water,"
Shah said. "It's a prime example of our efforts to use the power of
science and technology to tackle today's pressing development challenges."

Since 2003, NASA and USAID have worked together building and expanding
the SERVIR program. The program allows people in developing regions
to use Earth observations for addressing challenges in agriculture,
biodiversity conservation, climate change, disaster response, weather
forecasting, and energy and health issues. SERVIR integrates
satellite observations, ground-based data and forecast models to
monitor and forecast environmental changes and improving response to
natural disasters in Central America, the Caribbean, East Africa and
the Himalayan region of Asia.

The agencies also collaborate on the LAUNCH program, which supports
science and technology innovators in the non-profit and private
sectors. The program's goal is improving innovations to achieve
greater impact on sustainability issues. NASA, USAID, the Department
of State and Nike formed LAUNCH to identify, showcase and support
innovative approaches to global challenges through a series of forums.

The agencies have agreed to explore how efforts promoting science,
technology, engineering and mathematics education can be advanced
through joint support of programs such as Global Learning and
Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE). GLOBE is a worldwide
primary and secondary school-based science and education program
funded by NASA and other U.S. agencies.

For more information about the SERVIR program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/servir

For more information about the LAUNCH program, visit:

http://www.launch.org

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

Source: NASA







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