NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Marshall management supports Senior Day event at Alabama A&M University. Image Credit: NASA/MSFC
Marshall is an engine of opportunity for its community and the nation. A major economic development asset and technology magnet for the southeast, Marshall has drawn numerous private-sector technology companies to the area, creating thousands of high-paying jobs and attracting the talented people needed to fill them.


1. Marshall Statistics
2. Economic Impact
3. Marshall's Local Research & Technology Community
4. Educational Outreach
5. Innovation and Economic Competitiveness
6. Environmental Management
7. Giving Back to Our Community

1. Marshall Statistics (As of April 2008)

• Employees: More than 7,000
• Location: 1,841 acres on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala.
• 170 primary facilities and 62 support structures
• $2.6 billion budget (FY 2008)
• Part of NASA’s nearly $1 billion annual Alabama impact
• Marshall manages the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, La. -- a major space vehicle manufacturing and assembly facility. In addition to its current role of manufacturing the space shuttle external tank, the facility is preparing to assemble Ares I launch vehicle components. The Michoud employee and contractor team is made up of approximately 2,000 people and the facility includes 2.2 million square feet of manufacturing space on 832 acres.

2. Economic Impact

• Marshall Space Flight Center generated more than $1 billion in economic impact for Alabama in FY 2008. Marshall contributed $2.6 billion to the U.S. economy. Marshall’s highly skilled workforce is an indispensable technological asset for the country, employing more than 7,000 scientists, engineers, technicians, and business professionals. It is a multidisciplinary center engaged in space exploration, scientific discovery, and environmental programs.
• NASA provided more than $22 million in procurements and grants in FY 2008 to educational institutions and non-profit organizations in Alabama, enhancing economic growth and providing a highly educated workforce -- a valuable resource for businesses and the local community. Marshall invested more than $111 million in academic institutions and non-profit organizations across the United States in FY 2008.

3. Marshall's Local Research & Technology Community

• National Space Science & Technology Center -- The NSSTC is an exceptional research facility on the campus of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where many of Marshall's scientists and engineers perform cutting-edge research and development in Earth and space sciences. Work at the NSSTC is accomplished in collaboration with co-located university, private sector, and government researchers. This shared environment includes unique facilities and specialized laboratories that enable research ranging from insights on the structure and evolution of the universe to a more complete understanding of the Earth's global climate system.
• University of Alabama in Huntsville -- A research-intensive university, UAH serves as the anchor tenant in Cummings Research Park. With approximately 7,400 students, the university offers 61 degree programs, including 30 bachelor's degree programs, 18 master's degree programs, and 13 doctoral programs through its five colleges: Business Administration, Liberal Arts, Engineering, Nursing, and Science.
• Alabama A&M University -- Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, also known as AAMU, is an accredited public coeducational land grant college located in Huntsville. The university offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, and Engineering and Technology.
• Cummings Research Park -- Cummings is the second-largest research park in the United States and the world's fourth-largest science park. Cummings Research Park is home to more than 285 companies including Fortune 500 companies, local and international high-tech enterprises, U.S. space and defense agencies, and competitive higher-education institutions.
• Redstone Arsenal -- Marshall is located on the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal. For almost 50 years, Redstone has been the heart of the Army's rocket and missile programs. Today, Redstone is home to the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, the Space and Missile Defense Command, numerous program executive offices, and major components of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Missile Defense Agency.
• U.S. Space & Rocket Center -- The USSRC serves as the official visitor center for Marshall and welcomes more than 300,000 people a year. Home to U.S. Space Camp and one of the greatest collections of rockets and space memorabilia anywhere in the world, the Space & Rocket Center is Alabama's largest tourist attraction. The newest addition to the USSRC, the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, houses one of the world’s three remaining Saturn V rockets, dramatically suspended 10 feet above the floor.

4. Educational Outreach
Marshall Space Flight Center conducts education programs to inspire the next generation of explorers. These educational outreach initiatives enable students from elementary school through college to apply their learning to science and engineering projects. By sharing in these accomplishments, Marshall helps to motivate and encourage the students who will build a future better than our greatest expectations.

5. Innovation and Economic Competitiveness
NASA programs are an investment for the American people, providing a major payback to the taxpayer. Often, new technologies developed at NASA are needed to either enhance current capabilities or enable future ones. Engineering and science programs conducted at Marshall have resulted in numerous technologies that help to improve life on Earth. For example:

• Marshall Earth scientists are developing a hurricane imaging radiometer in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The instrument promises huge improvements in weather forecasting, which is critical for saving lives and property, in advance of the 2009 hurricane season.
• Marshall scientists have leveraged their expertise in the interest of the environment and foreign policy by creating the Mesoamerican Regional Visualization and Monitoring System, known by its Spanish acronym SERVIR, in Panama City, Panama. SERVIR has supported response to fires in Guatemala, floods in Panama, red tides and an erupting volcano in El Salvador, and hurricanes in Belize, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
• Marshall's expertise in robotic mobility systems benefits NASA with its applications to lunar exploration. Currently Marshall is developing integration technologies for optimal communication and navigation of networks of mobile robots, permitting efficient wide-area remote exploration of the lunar surface. This technology also has an innovative, immediate use by the U.S. military: through collaboration between NASA, the U.S. Army and other parties, this technology is being improved and rapidly adapted for application to battlefield deployment of mobile robots in Iraq for detection of improvised explosive devices -- the No. 1 threat to ground forces.
• In conjunction with Charles River Laboratories, Carnegie Mellon University, and Washington University, Marshall successfully tested a miniature biological laboratory, called Lab-On-A-Chip, onboard the space station. The mini-lab more quickly detects the presence of bacteria or fungi on the surfaces of a spacecraft, which is important on long space voyages of the future to check the health of astronauts and to monitor electronics and structural materials. Marshall's partners plan to commercialize the technology for other industrial applications.
• Marshall is also helping rebuild the New Orleans economy with employment opportunities offered at its Michoud Assembly Facility and its partnership with the state of Louisiana and the University of New Orleans in support of the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing. Additional information about doing business with Marshall’s Michoud Assembly Facility can be found at http://mafbusiness.msfc.nasa.gov/

Additional technologies developed at Marshall that have made their way into commercial applications, include:

• A high-strength aluminum alloy, enabling engine manufacturers to make more durable engines that produce more horsepower at lighter weights and emit fewer pollutants.
• An enhanced X-ray fluorescence scanner technology that allows for on-the-spot chemical analysis, setting carpet/rug-cleaning equipment performance standards for the entire carpet industry, leading to healthier home environments for all consumers.
• Manufacturing improvements to the Friction Stir Welding process, contributing to production advantages at NASA and within the automotive manufacturing, trucking, railroading, and shipbuilding industries.

6. Environmental Management
Marshall Center has an Environmental Management System (EMS) which is part of the Center's overall management system that integrates environmental concerns and issues into operational processes. The EMS offers a systemic approach to evaluating and managing all potential environmental ramifications of Marshall Center operations and assists in prioritizing issues and monitoring performance improvements.

The EMS consists of a continual cycle of environmental policy, planning, implementation, checking and corrective actions, and management review. The EMS allows the prediction of potential environmental problems early in the planning process, provides for the design of activities to minimize or avoid these problems, and allows for a continuous check or audit of environmental performance, making improvements where appropriate.

7. Giving Back to Our Community
Marshall exceeded its $600,000 goal in the 2008 Combined Federal Campaign, with center employees donating a total of $695,467 to local, state and national charitable organizations. In addition to national and state organizations, Huntsville and Tennessee Valley charities and non-profit organizations also significantly benefit from this year's campaign. For a complete list of local organizations and links to their Web sites, visit http://cfc.msfc.nasa.gov/agencies.html.

More than 350 Marshall volunteers gave their time and service to these organizations during Community Service Days in 2008. Marshall team members also supported a trio of early events hosted by the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and the Special Olympics. Marshall employees participate in scores of volunteer activities throughout the year on an individual basis, including youth scouting, sports, church leadership, civic groups, and charitable organizations.

Marshall employees also reach out to the local business community through organizations including the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber's Leadership Program, the National Space Club, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and many other professional organizations.