Sarah Keegan
Headquarters, Washington    September 17, 2002
(Phone: 202/358-1902)

RELEASE: 02-176

U.S. CENTENNIAL OF FLIGHT COMMISSION ANNOUNCES FOUR NEW 
ALLIANCES

     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.
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