December 17 will mark the start of a yearlong
celebration honoring the 100th anniversary of the Wright
brothers’ first powered flight and the century of aviation
milestones that followed. Four organizations have recently
signed memoranda of agreement with the U.S. Centennial of
Flight Commission to become a part of the national
“Centennial of Flight: Born of Dreams — Inspired by Freedom”
campaign. As a result of the agreements, the Commission will
provide outreach support to the Space Day Foundation,
Challenger Center for Space Science Education, Aviation
Foundation of America and Chicago Centennial of Flight
Commission, and the organizations will promote the national
commemoration.

The Space Day Foundation is dedicated to space-related
education and to motivating students to acquire math, science
and engineering technical skills. The organization’s core
activity is Space DaySM, the capstone of a massive grassroots
educational initiative reaching thousands of teachers and
millions of students in the United States, Canada and beyond.
In 2003, the Space Day theme, “Space Day 2003SM: Celebrating
the Future of Flight,” will complement the efforts of the
U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission by encouraging young
people’s enthusiasm for flight and innovation.
(www.spaceday.com/)

Challenger Center was founded in 1986 by the families of the
Challenger Space Shuttle Mission 51-L crew as a living
memorial to the spirit of exploration, the same spirit that
motivated the crewmembers of Space Shuttle Challenger in
their quest to learn. True to their legacy, Challenger Center
uses space as a theme to excite, inspire and encourage
students in the study of mathematics and science, and the
application of technology.

Challenger Center is in the process of developing the “Design
Challenges,” the main educational component of “Space Day
2003SM: Celebrating the Future of Flight.” Students in grades
four through eight will be challenged to design and build
models of aircraft using the ingenuity and creativity of the
Wrights as inspiration. (http://www.challenger.org/)

The Aviation Foundation of America, Inc., in celebration of
the centennial of flight, is sponsoring the re-creation of
the National Air Tours (originally held every year from 1925
through 1931). Envisioned to include approximately 25 vintage
aircraft and other aircraft representative of the progress of
aviation, the tour will fly the 1932 route that was planned
but never flown. Overall, the tour will fly more than 4,000
miles, visiting more than two dozen cities from Dearborn to
Wichita, across the South to Kitty Hawk, Dayton and back to
Dearborn. (http://www.nationalairtour.org/)

The Chicago Centennial of Flight Commission (CCFC) was
started in 2001 by a group of aviation industry organizations
in the Chicago area and Great Lakes region that were
interested in promoting aviation awareness through public
exhibits. Plans for centennial activities include the
“Chicago Centennial of Flight: 100 History Making Aircraft”
model exhibit at the Museum of Science & Industry, scheduled
from May 23, 2003, through Sept. 28, 2003, as well as events
and symposia throughout 2003. In addition to promoting
aviation awareness to the general public, the CCFC hopes to
promote aviation education for children in grades K-12.
(http://www.chicagocentennialofflight.org/)

The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission was created by
Congress to expand national and international interest in the
commemoration of the 100th anniversary of powered flight, and
will promote activities, such as those being planned by the
Space Day Foundation, Challenger Center for Space Science
Education, Aviation Foundation of America and Chicago
Centennial of Flight Commission, through a national awareness
campaign, “Centennial of Flight: Born of Dreams — Inspired
by Freedom.” More information about the Centennial of Flight
celebration and details about the events being planned may be
found online at: www.centennialofflight.gov/.

More information also is available from Christian Markow of
the Commission at 804/675-8153.