RICHMOND – The day started with a look at education and finished with a NASA group standing in the aisle of the Virginia House of Delegates, accepting a resolution from John Cosgrove (R-Chesapeake) and enjoying a standing ovation from the members of the House.
"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, recognizing the work done in space travel, associated with the space shuttle program," said Cosgrove, introducing Lesa Roe, Langley's center director; Bill Wrobel, director of the Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore; and astronaut Dominic "Tony" Antonelli, a veteran of two trips to the International Space Station.
In between the events, a team of NASA Langley, academic and aerospace industry people fanned out among the offices in the General Assembly for Day II of Aerospace Days, speaking the language that the 100 delegates and 40 senators of the Commonwealth understand best: jobs and revenue.
"We came to Richmond on a mission," Roe said. "First and foremost, we are here to thank our elected officials for their continued support of NASA and of aerospace.
"NASA's two Virginia facilities contribute over a a billion dollars to Virginia’s economy and support more than 22,000 high-paying jobs."
Other officials were told of a $20 billion aerospace industry in Virginia. In both cases, the numbers made an impression.
The "mission" for Roe and others in the Langley and aerospace group was to garner continued and expanded support, primarily for NASA's education initiatives and also for the MARS facility at Wallops Island.
"(Science, technology, engineering and math) STEM education is a priority for Virginia, and it's critical for our pipeline for the future of aerospace," Roe said at every stop, including one during mid-morning at the office of William Howell (R-Fredericksburg), the speaker of the House.
Howell also was invited to an April launch of the space shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center.
"We were at Disney World, my family and I, and saw a sign to call this number for information about space launches," Howell told a group of five from NASA in his spacious corner office overlooking Richmond.
"I called, and we were told it was the next day at 2 o'clock and we needed to be there at 5 today," Howell said. "I remember thinking that was really early, but we did it, and it turned out the launch was at 2 in the morning.
"I remember the big flash of the launch, we were miles away, of course, and I remember the big 'boom' washing over us. It was incredible."
He added that he counted himself a support of NASA and the space program.
Roe also thanked the elected officials for their support of nearly 1,000 high school juniors statewide that have attended the Virginia Aerospace, Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) academies since their inception in 2008. The formation of the VASTS program was announced at Aerospace Days that year, and the Commonwealth has contributed some money to it.
It's being asked for more in a budget resolution patroned by Joe May (R-Leesburg), with several other signatories.
Letters to each legislator giving names of their constituents who are VASTS alumni were sent weeks earlier by Debbie Ross of the VASTS office, and people from the Langley contingent said that they had made an impression.
The NASA group also enlisted the support of June Scobee Rogers, founder of the Challenger Centers for Space Science Education.
Rogers is the widow of Dick Scobee, commander of the space shuttle Challenger.
The day also was marked by the announcement of a collaboration between the Virginia Manufacturers Association, the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority and NASA Langleuy on a leadership forum on December 8-9 in Charlottesville.
The theme of the forum will be "Advancing Tomorrow's Factory: Innovations from Aerospace," according to Brett Vassey, the VMA president and chief executive officer.
"It will be a great way to identify and advance opportunities of the Commonwealth's business environment for these globally competitive industries, such as aerospace, which contributes over $20 billion to Virginia’s economy," Cosgrove said, again speaking the language of the General Assembly and showing that the mission of Aerospace Days, again was accomplished.
The Researcher News NASA Langley Research Center Editor & Curator: Denise Lineberry Managing Editor: Jim Hodges Executive Editor & Responsible NASA Official: Keith Henry
