Lance Bass Brings excitement of Spaceflight to School Children in Los Angeles During World Space Week 2004

Entertainer and Certified Cosmonaut Launches Annual Space Celebration with Debut of Global Space Competition for Youth; Joins Prominent Space Advocacy Group

LOS ANGELES, September 29, 2004 – Spaceweek International Association today announced that *NSYNC member and World Space Week Youth Spokesman Lance Bass will visit public schools in and around Los Angeles during World Space Week 2004 (October 4 – 10), speaking with students about space exploration and why science and math are critical keys to their future.

Launching on the same day Scaled Composites hopes to clinch the $10 million Ansari X Prize, World Space Week will leverage the excitement of this new space race to spotlight the need for improved math and science education in our nation’s schools.

“When I talk with kids about space, they really understand that their generation is the next wave of explorers, and that’s really exciting to them,” said Bass, 25, whose love of music is only exceeded by his passion for space.  “World Space Week gives us the opportunity to fuel that excitement even more and show them the tools – especially math and science – that will get them there, and bring the rest of the world with them.”

Encouraging kids to dream big and study hard, Bass today unveiled the second annual World Space Week student competition, designed to get children thinking about space – and by extension, math and science – in new ways.  The competition: “Lance’s Lab,” challenges students (K-12 or equivalent) to design a module for the International Space Station in which Bass could live and work.  Contest winners will meet Bass at an awards ceremony next year.

World Space Week 2004 also marks Bass’ formal induction to the National Space Society’s Board of Governors. Serving in an advisory and public outreach capacity, this honorary group includes astronauts and prominent individuals who have made a lasting, positive impact on human space exploration, including actor Tom Hanks, journalist Hugh Downs and futurist Sir Arthur C. Clarke, among many others.

“It’s fitting that we recognize Lance’s contributions to space education with this honor during World Space Week,” said George Whitesides, NSS Executive Director.  “Lance’s unique partnership with Spaceweek International Association brought an energetic, credible new voice to the space industry and a renewed level of interest in space among young people.  His work continues to draw attention to the limitless opportunities space offers children around the world.”

Special World Space Week instructional materials are available to schools at no charge, featuring space-related math and science activities for teachers.  Materials are available in several languages with activities for all grade levels and require little or no teacher preparation.  By participating in World Space Week, teachers can excite students about learning and even receive cash grants.  For details, to download educational materials or learn more about Lance’s Lab, visit:
www.spaceweek.org/education.

With educational events and celebrations in nearly 50 nations worldwide, World Space Week shines the 2004 spotlight on Los Angeles , which will witness the historic Ansari X Prize competition launch during the first half of the week in nearby Mojave.  Home to NASA’s famed Jet Propulsion Laboratory (responsible for the Mars Rovers and Cassini Saturn probe), Los Angeles and the surrounding region boasts an impressive array of private space companies that are finding success while forging an entirely new space launch industry.

World Space Week events and celebrations around the globe include, but are not limited to:

Worldwide: Teachers around the world will use space in the classroom all week long to excite students about science and math

North America

• Long Beach , CA : The Space Frontier Foundation’s Annual Conference at the world-famous Queen Mary, focusing on new issues in the commercial space launch industry
• Vancouver, Canada: Global space leaders meet at the International Astronautical Congress and young adults discuss their visions for the future at the Space Generation Congress

South America

• Barranquilla , Colombia : Thirteen schools join the annual celebration with educational programs, along with planetarium shows and lectures on the 2004 sustainability theme
• Brazil: The Louis Cruls Astronomy Club will produce and distribute posters about World Space Week to schools, along with student competitions and TV programs
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Asia

• Dhaka , Bangladesh : The federal Minister of Science speaks at the opening ceremonies of World Space Week., followed by space-themed public lectures, art exhibits and competitions
• Bagalkot, Karnataka , India : The Planetary Society of Youth will host lectures on astronomy, space education, and on India ‘s planned mission to Moon, “Chandrayaan-1”
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Europe

• Bulgaria : Several planetarium shows, a student space-art contest, space lectures for teachers, a rocket launch demonstration by the Youth Club of Young Space Engineers, and much more
• Ireland: Public lectures on various astronomy and cosmology topics and a national space-themed crossword puzzle competition for primary and post-primary schools

Africa

• Sos.Village, Asiakwa Eastern Region , Ghana : World Space Week poster exhibition, film show, excursion to Accra Airport and live entertainment

For a complete listing of World Space Week activities around the world, or to post information about an event, please visit
www.spaceweek.org.

About World Space Week

From the United States to Bangladesh, from Columbia to China, World Space Week is celebrated annually in some 50 nations, on all seven continents.  The largest annual space event on Earth, it serves to celebrate the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition. 

Declared in 1999 by the UN General Assembly, World Space Week marks the anniversary of two great milestones of humanity’s expansion into space:

 
4 October 1957 — Date of the launch into outer space of the first human-made Earth satellite, SPUTNIK I, thus opening the way for space exploration;

10 October 1967 — Date of the entry into force of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies

About Spaceweek International Association

Founded in 1981, Spaceweek International Association (SIA) is non-profit organization that proudly supports the United Nations in the global coordination of World Space Week.  SIA works to strengthen the link between space and society through public education, participation, and dialogue on the future of space.

About the National Space Society

The National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, international, educational, grassroots nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the creation of a space-faring civilization.  The NSS has more than 22,000 members, and 75 chapters in the United States , Canada , Mexico , Australia , Germany , Ireland , and the United Kingdom .  The NSS, founded in 1974 by Wernher von Braun, is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen’s voice on space.