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| |  | | | | NASA to Help Launch National Federation of the Blind's New Research and Training Institute
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01.28.04
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Ed Campion
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
(Phone: 301/286-8955)
edward.s.campion@nasa.gov
Lorinda Riddle
National Federation of the Blind, Baltimore, MD
(Phone: 410/659-9314, ext 419
lriddle@nfb.org
NOTE TO EDITORS: 04-08
This Friday, January 30, 2004, the National Federation of the Blind
will open their new research and training facility located at the
organization's headquarters in Baltimore and NASA will be there to
help with the launch of this unique center. Located in south
Federal Hill at 1800 Johnson and Wells Streets, NFB's new facility
will achieve breakthroughs in education, rehabilitation, employment
opportunities, and research meaningful to the blind through an
understanding of the real problems of blindness.
For the grand opening event, NASA will provide several "hands on"
opportunities including a 12-foot long hybrid rocket similar to the
one to that will be launched at an NFB science camp for blind youth
at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility later this summer. There will
also be gloves and tools used by astronauts during spacewalks and
plastic terrain models generated using Mars data that show the shape
of the Gusev Crater on the red planet where the "Spirit" Mars
Exploration Rovers landed earlier this month.
Special guests attending the grand opening will include Honorary
Chairman Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.; Mayor Martin O'Malley;
Senator Paul S. Sarbanes and Congressman Benjamin L. Cardin. From
NASA will be Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Deputy Administrator
Frederick D. Gregory and Assistant Administrator for Equal
Opportunity Programs Dr. Dorothy Hayden-Watkins along with NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center Director Al Diaz. WBAL TV's Donna
Hamilton will serve as Master of Ceremonies.
Members of the news media who wish to attend the grand opening
should contact Lorinda Riddle at NFB Public Affairs, (410) 659-9314,
ext. 419 no later than 12 noon EST on Friday to arrange
accreditation and access to the event.
More information is available at: www.nfb.org
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