HUNTSVILLE, Ala., (June 21, 2007) – Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and MathMovesU have a contest to send a student to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., on July 20 to celebrate Mars Day!
To enter the contest, students 10 to 14 years of age should log into the MathMovesU webpage at http://www.mathmovesu.com. The contest ends Monday, June 25.
The contest mimics a spaceship traveling to Mars; to reach Mars, contestants must answer a series of space-themed math questions. Once on Mars, students are entered to win prizes, including the grand prize of a VIP trip for four to Washington, D.C., to visit the National Air and Space Museum on Mars Day! Other prizes include a Sony PS2 video game system, an acre of land on Mars for 10 runner-up contestants and telescopes.
Mars Day! is the National Air and Space Museum’s annual celebration of the red planet. Scientists and researchers from the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies will lead interactive demonstrations and fun activities about Mars. Visitors will also see a real Mars meteorite, view images from the Mars Odyssey mission and explore the planet with 3-D glasses.
“This MathMovesU event is perfect for young space pioneers in Huntsville to keep their math skills sharp during the summer vacation,” said Don McMonagle, former Space Shuttle astronaut and executive lead on the company’s pursuit for the Ares 1 Instrument Unit Avionics contract. “Math is a required skill to get a spacecraft safely to Mars, and this contest provides a perfect opportunity for a Huntsville student to win a trip to the National Air and Space Museum and celebrate Mars Day!”
Along with his career as a test pilot in the U.S. Air Force, McMonagle served as a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions and commanded the STS-66 Space Shuttle flight.
MathMovesU is a Raytheon initiative launched in late 2005 to help make math more relevant to middle-school students by making the connection between math and “cool” careers. More than 400,000 students and teachers have logged onto MathMovesU to date to play math games and win prizes, read about interesting careers and apply for scholarships and grants. More than $1 million in grant and scholarship money has been distributed through the MathMovesU program.
Raytheon Company, with 2006 sales of $20.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 85 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.
