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PRESIDENT OBAMA JOINS 50 NATIONS IN CELEBRATING SPACE AND
ASTRONOMY DURING WORLD SPACE WEEK FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Houston, October 4) -- World Space Week began Sunday with celebrations in
over 50 nations and an announcement that President Obama will host a “Star
Party” on the White House lawn Wednesday evening. The White House event for middle-school students will “highlight the
President's commitment to science, engineering and math education as the
foundation of this nation's global technological and economic leadership,”
according to a White House statement. “The event will include 20 telescopes on the White House lawn focused on
Jupiter, the Moon and select stars; interactive dome presentations; and
hands-on activities including scale models of the Solar System,” the White
House said. UN-declared World Space Week, October 4-10, is the largest annual space
event on Earth, according to World Space Week Association. “This is the 10th anniversary of World Space Week, declared by the UN
General Assembly in 1999,” said Association Volunteer President Dennis Stone. "The theme this year is Space for
Education. Teachers can inspire students by using the
excitement of space. It's a powerful
tool to fuel their motivation to learn,“ Stone said. Other Highlights of World Space Week 2009 include: · Events globally celebrating the International Year of Astronomy · Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté broadcasts from space · Students observe the Moon to win prizes · Many events in Turkey, Romania, India, Czech Republic, and the United States · The Great World Wide Star Count begins · Space Festival and International Astronautical Congress in Republic of Korea · Week-long space celebration across the Hawaiian islands · Public and students send messages into space via SentForever · NASA's LCROSS mission impacts the Moon October 9 · Teachers globally inspire students using the excitement of space The complete calendar of World Space Week 2009 is at www.worldspaceweek.org/calendar. Participants include government agencies, aerospace companies, schools, planetaria, astronomy clubs, and museums. Last year, World Space Week was celebrated with over 500 events in 63 nations, according to the Association. “We expect to break that record this year,” Stone said. World Space Week Association is supported by Hamilton Sundstrand, Turksat, Secure World Foundation, UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, Astrium, ATK Launch Systems, Orbital Sciences Corporation, and SAIC. MEDIA CONTACTS WORLD SPACE WEEK ASSOCIATION North America: Jeremy Pyle, jpyle@worldspaceweek.org, 415.713.6272 Global: Alexandra Ruths, aruths@worldspaceweek.org |
Copyright ©2000-2009 World Space Week Association. All rights reserved.