November 1 News Items

Space Florida Approves Workforce, Diversification Projects (Source: ERAU)
The Space Florida Board of Directors, during their public meeting in Jacksonville on Tuesday, approved the allocation of $250K from their budget to expand an ongoing scoping initiative by the Brevard Workforce Development Board (BWDB) in advance of the Space Shuttle's retirement in 2010. The board's endorsement of a statewide $18M workforce-focused request will be considered after near-term discussions with the state's workforce agency. The board endorsed a $20M Space Technology Research Diversification (STRD) initiative that will expand multi-university involvement in strategic space R&D focus areas. Also endorsed was a launch liability legislative initiative and the expansion of an existing financial incentive program to include space-related business. These items will be considered by Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Legislature during the 2008 Legislative Session.

Embry-Riddle and Zero-G Collaborate on Weightless Flights (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle and Zero-G will work together to integrate weightless flights and space science workshops for K-12 teachers, develop experiment programs for high school and college students, and expand microgravity, lunar gravity, and Mars gravity research opportunities aboard Zero-G's G-Force One aircraft. The collaboration will include Embry-Riddle's support for development of the Stephen Hawking Microgravity Education and Research Center. The Hawking Center is an initiative of Space Florida, conceived after the renowned astrophysicist flew aboard G-Force One earlier this year. Embry-Riddle's student researchers are frequent flyers on NASA's microgravity educational flights, making the university well qualified to work with Zero-G and Space Florida to develop Hawking Center research projects.

Embry-Riddle Agreement with SpaceTEC Supports Shuttle Workforce Transition (Source: ERAU)
As NASA's Space Shuttle program moves toward its last mission in 2010, an agreement between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and SpaceTEC will provide new education and training opportunities for workers who may be displaced during the space agency's transition to the new Ares family of launch vehicles. Under the new agreement, Embry-Riddle will provide up to 24 hours of college credit for workers who obtain a SpaceTEC core certification, giving them a head-start toward an undergraduate degree or other Embry-Riddle aviation/aerospace training.

The SpaceTEC certification is designed for the aerospace technical workforce and is similar in scope to the FAA's Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certification, which is required of workers who maintain and repair commercial aircraft systems. Technical workers who pass the SpaceTEC core certification exam will be eligible for the Embry-Riddle credits, regardless of their prior enrollment in a college or university.

Headquartered at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and hosted by Brevard Community College, SpaceTEC is an aerospace technical training and certification center sponsored by the National Science Foundation, with support from the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Air Force. Embry-Riddle is one of 11 postsecondary institutions, and the only four-year university, partnered with SpaceTEC.