What: On Sept. 17, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., will host a “Mentor-Protégé” signing agreement. The NASA agreement is between ATK Aerospace Systems, based in Promontory, Utah, and Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.

ATK Aerospace Systems supports many NASA programs, including the Space Launch System, Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and James Webb Space Telescope. Florida A&M University, founded in 1887, has an enrollment of about 11,000. It ranked among the top 10 on the U.S. News and World Report list of Best Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) in the nation and as one of the Best National Universities for 2014.

The NASA Mentor-Protégé Program provides incentives for NASA prime contractors to assist eligible small businesses in enhancing their capabilities to perform as prime and sub contractors. By becoming more viable suppliers, they’re able to establish long-term relationships, enhance technical capabilities and enable them to successfully compete for larger, more complex prime contract and subcontract awards.

NASA’s first Mentor-Protégé agreement with an HBCU was in February 2009 between Science Applications International Corp. and Oakwood University, both in Huntsville. The agreement between ATK Aerospace Systems and Florida A&M marks Marshall’s seventh Mentor-Protégé agreement — four of which involve historically black colleges and universities.

Who: Participants in the signing event will include Robin Henderson, associate director of the Marshall Center; Todd May, manager of the Space Launch System program; David Brock, Marshall Center small business specialist; Dave Grove, program manager, NASA Office of Small Business Programs; Bob Herman, Huntsville vice president and program manager for ATK Aerospace Systems; and Dr. Okenwa Okoli, dean of the Industrial Manufacturing Department at Florida A&M University.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 17, 1 p.m. CDT

Where: Marshall Space Flight Center, Building 4200, Room 900

To attend: News media interested in covering the event should contact Angela Storey in the Marshall Public & Employee Communications Office at 256-544-0034 no later than 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16. Media must report to the Redstone Arsenal Joint Visitor Control Center at Gate 9, Interstate 565 interchange at Rideout Road/Research Park Boulevard. Vehicles are subject to a security search at the gate. News media will need two photo identifications and proof of car insurance. Visitor parking is available in front of Building 4200 on the southwest side.

For more information about the NASA Mentor-Protégé Program, visit:
http://osbp.nasa.gov/mentor.html