NASA will join with Accomack County, Virginia, and the Marine Science Consortium, a nonprofit educational institution comprised of 14 State of Pennsylvania colleges and universities, to officially recognize the establishment of the Wallops Research Park during a ceremony at 10 a.m., May 6, at the Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center, Wallops Island, Va.

The 200-acre park, located just outside the Wallops Flight Facility main base gate, will serve as a location where state and local government, academia, and commercial businesses can work together to advance the Nation’s science and technology goals focused on commercial aerospace, Earth and Space science, and educational offerings.

“We are looking forward to the establishment of the Wallops Research Park and the potential it provides for businesses and the collaboration of a wide variety of organizations supporting NASA research,” said Dr. John Campbell, director of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.

Caroline Massey, assistant director for management operations at Wallops, said, “The Wallops area offers unique opportunities and capabilities to organizations interested in aerospace and Earth and Space science research. We are looking forward to the development of the Research Park and working with organizations pursuing these opportunities.”

NASA is providing a long term lease of 66 acres outside the Wallops main base as part of the research park. This area is designated for aerospace business activities locating in the park that may have unique requirements for access to NASA payload processing facilities, launch range, and research airport runways which are up to 8,750 feet long.

In addition to providing opportunities to businesses, the park is envisioned as a regional hub for technical workforce development and to bring additional educational opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math particularly in aerospace and Earth science research.

NASA Wallops has joined forces with the Consortium to forge additional collaborative educational and research opportunities, broadening the Consortium’s base of scientific endeavors beyond that of marine science, into the physical sciences and other technical fields of study.

For more information on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, visit the Internet at:
http://www.nasa.gov/wallops