On January 16, 2008 the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee in Florida will host the National Research Council’s panel and lecture Forging the Future of Space Science: The Next 50 Years. A program of the Space Studies Board of The National Research Council, the National Academies’ seminar series takes advantage of the 50th Anniversary of the International Geophysical Year to engage with the public and the scientific community about the advances that have been achieved over the past 50 years in space science, and the discoveries that await us in the next 50 years.

The panel includes professors from Case Western Reserve University, Florida State University, Florida A&M University and retired NASA astronaut Dr. Norman Thagard, MD, Associate Dean for College Relations & Professor, College of Engineering of Florida State University, and Co-founder and Executive Director of the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee. Col. Carl Walz (ret.) will present the evening lecture, Leaving the Planet – Science and Technology Development Results on the International Space Station. Col. Walz is Director for the Advanced Capabilities Division in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, a veteran of four space flights, and has logged a total of 231 days in space.

The Space Studies Board (SSB) was established in 1958 to serve as the focus of the interests and responsibilities in space research for the National Academies. The SSB provides an independent, authoritative forum for information and advice on all aspects of space science and applications. The Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee opened in 2003 and brings the excitement of space science to thousands of children and adults each year through its diverse educational programs.

To learn more about the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee, please visit www.challengertlh.com

For more information about the SSB event, please visit www7.nationalacademies.org/ssb/

For more information about Challenger Center for Space Science Education and its’ network of 50 Challenger Learning Centers across the country, please visit www.challenger.org

Challenger Center for Space Science Education was founded in 1986 by the families of the astronauts of the space shuttle Challenger 51-L mission. It is dedicated to the educational spirit of that mission.

Challenger Center for Space Science Education
1250 North Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

Shannon Rush, Development Associate
888-683-9740; srush@challenger.org

Jessie Eason, Marketing & Sales Manager
850-645-7772; jeason@challengertlh.fsu.edu