Dayton Region business and community
leaders are preparing to host the President’s Commission on Moon, Mars and
Beyond at the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB on March 3-4, as
Dayton becomes the next important step in the ongoing journey of space
exploration.

“Dayton has been at the forefront of technology and flight for over a
hundred years,” said JP Nauseef, COO of the Dayton Development Coalition. “It
is appropriate that our Region should host the group responsible for charting
a course for the future of aerospace and flight moving into the next century.”

Local academic, military, community and business leaders will be called
upon to provide testimony to the Commission, which has been tasked by the
President with recommending ways to implement the recently announced space
policy. The Commission’s hearings are open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. on
Wednesday, March 3rd and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 4th. Those
interested in learning more about the Space Commission can log on
to www.moontomars.org for more information.

“Leaders from academia, industry, the military and government in the
Dayton Region all have common goals for hosting the President’s Space
Commission,” said Bill Mercurio, CEO of Plastic Trim and Dayton Development
Coalition board chair. He stated that Dayton’s goal for the Commission’s
visit is to demonstrate to the Commission and to the American people that:

— Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton is a major science, technology &
aerospace center for the U.S.

— The Dayton Region as a whole is a technology-friendly place with a
great workforce and infrastructure.

— The Dayton community is supportive of — and excited about — science,
technology, and the Space mission.

“While Dayton and Wright-Patterson come to mind when people think of
flight and airplanes, the Dayton Region has been involved in space exploration
for decades as well,” said Dennis Rediker, President and CEO of Standard
Register, Inc and board chair of the National Composite Center. “Dayton
contributions to aerospace travel include J. Birden and K. Jordan’s invention
of Radioisotopic thermoelectric generators for spacecraft. Another Dayton-
space connection can be found in YSI Temperature, whose precision temperature
measurement devices are currently in use on Mars.”

Wright-Patterson is one of the largest Air Force bases in the world. In
addition to hosting the US Air Force Museum, WPAFB is also home to Air Force
Materiel Command headquarters, the Aeronautical Systems Center, headquarters
of the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the National Air and Space
Intelligence Center — all of which play a vital role in national security as
well as the technological advancement which enables space exploration.

“Dayton has just finished celebrating our rich legacy in the invention and
history of powered flight,” said Phillip L. Parker, President & CEO, Dayton
Area Chamber of Commerce. “All of us in the Dayton Region are pleased to
support and take an active role in the next major technological mission of the
human race — the journey back to the moon, and on to Mars and beyond.”

The Dayton Development Coalition and the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce,
along with WPAFB, business and community leaders, are partnering to lead the
Region’s efforts to support the President’s Commission on Moon, Mars & Beyond.
For more information about the Dayton Development Coalition, visit the
organization’s Web site at www.daytondevelopment.org . For more information
about the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, visit www.daytonchamber.org .