SYRACUSE, NY, 28-APR-03 -- Lockheed Martin in Syracuse is sponsoring a variety of activities in conjunction with Space Day, which will be celebrated nationwide on May 1. Now in its seventh year, Space Day is an annual celebration of the extraordinary achievements and opportunities in the exploration and use of space. Its mission is to advance math, science and technology education by making these subjects exciting and exposing children to the wonders of space.

On May 1 at 11 a.m. at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology, Steve Karon, executive director of the MOST will welcome Mayor Matthew Driscoll and County Executive Nicholas Pirro who officially will proclaim the date to be Space Day in Syracuse and Onondaga County before nearly 100 students from Clary Math-Science Magnet Middle School in Syracuse. The students also will participate in various activities at the Museum of Science and Technology (MOST). They will see a live planetarium presentation and an IMAX movie, The Dream Is Alive; and will learn about how satellites help predict the weather from Dave Longley, meteorologist, WIXT-Newschannel 9.

Students at Clary Math-Science Magnet Middle School will participate in Space Stations from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. at the school on Amidon Drive in Syracuse. Lockheed Martin, in partnership with Syracuse University's College of Engineering and Computer Science and faculty at Clary, will conduct a series of hands-on activities, including film canister mini rockets and exercises while wearing space gloves. The students also will witness a rocket launch in the park behind the school, where S.U. students will launch model rockets up to 500 feet into the air.

Lockheed Martin is proud to sponsor Space Day for local students, said Michael Smith, president, NE&SS-Radar Systems. Space Day is a great way to heighten the awareness of all that space-related technology has meant to the world and it makes learning about science and technology a rewarding experience for our future leaders.

A leader in ground-based and airborne radar, surface vessel and submarine electronic warfare, anti-submarine warfare systems and sensors, minehunting systems and vessel traffic management, Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems (NE&SS) in Syracuse serves customers including all branches of the U.S. armed forces, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Transportation and State, and defense and transportation departments of countries on six continents. NE&SS employs approximately 2,300 people at its Syracuse, N.Y., facility and is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation.