02.06.12

Marny Skora
NASA Langley Research Center
757-864-6121/344-6111
marny.skora@nasa.gov

Keith Koehler
NASA Wallops Flight Facility
757-824-1579/894-4152
keith.a.koehler@nasa.govMEDIA ADVISORY: 12-011

NASA, INDUSTRY JOIN FORCES FOR VIRGINIA AEROSPACE DAY

RICHMOND, Va. ­-- Aerospace is a high-tech engine propelling 
Virginia's economy and creating high-paying jobs.

NASA leaders from Langley Research Center in Hampton and Wallops 
Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore will join aerospace industry 
representatives statewide to bring this message to Virginia General 
Assembly members on AeroSpace Days 2012, Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 
8-9, in Richmond.

Concluding the two-day event, media are invited to a news conference 
at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, in the General Assembly 4 West 
Conference Room.

Events earlier that day include:

<div style="margin-left:18px"> An education showcase will present 
student programs and how they are contributing to the Commonwealth's 
future aerospace workforce. The showcase, from 7 to 8:30 a.m. in 
Senate Room 3, Capitol Building, is co-sponsored by the chairs of the 
House and Senate Education Committees.

Following the showcase, Astronaut Anna Fisher will speak with Senate 
and House pages. Dr. Fisher flew as a mission specialist on STS-51A 
that launched November 8, 1984. With the completion of her flight, 
Dr. Fisher logged a total of 192 hours in space and was the first 
mother ever to fly in space. </div> 
Over 300 aerospace firms in the Commonwealth contribute $7.6 billion 
to the Virginia economy and create more than 28,000 jobs with an 
average annual salary of nearly $100,000. NASA's two Virginia 
facilities bring in $1.2 billion and support nearly 11,000 jobs. 
Virginia's newest aerospace asset, the Mid-Atlantic Regional 
Spaceport (MARS), is one of only four commercial spaceports licensed 
by the FAA to send rockets into orbit.

For more information on NASA's Langley Research Center, visit:
www.nasa.gov/langley

For more information on NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, visit:
www.nasa.gov/wallops

For more information on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, visit:
www.marsspaceport.com

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