Information Form and Sample Letter

Please take a moment and fill out the information form.

If your browser does not support forms, you can send your responses to Lila Engle at engle@bohr.phy.nau.edu. Please do so by February 10, 1998. This information is needed so we can gauge alumni participation in and response to the campaign.

There are three MSFC administrators that have influence over the MSFC NASA Academy program. It is these people that we want to target. Either send separate letters addressed individually to the three administrators below or send a single letter addressed to Mrs. Carolyn Griner and cc the other two. This ensures that all three adminstration heads get your letter one way or another. If possible, we ask that you send one letter to each person to ensure each one reads it. Don't worry about sending the same letter to all three officials, as this is not unusual.

The addresses for the MSFC administrators are listed below.

We are asking that you mail the letters during the weeks of February 15th and February 28th. By sending them out in a two week period, the magnitude of our dedication and appreciation of the Academy will be loud and obvious.

Dear Mr. or Ms. _____

It has recently come to my attention that the Marshall Space Flight Center has placed a moratorium on its NASA Academy program. I am writing to urge you to reinstate this decidedly unique opportunity for undergraduates across the country. There are several reasons for keeping the MSFC program alive. Chief among these is the opportunity for Marshall to groom the next generation of leaders for America's space program. The only way that the United States can retain its position as the most advanced space faring nation on earth is to school young minds in all of the disciplines of space flight. While other programs (including the NASA Academies at other centers) teach students about various aspects of the space program, none of them focus on the engineering aspect as much as Marshall. No other program that I know of so successfully blends space policy and space science with the engineering needed to make those policies and scientific goals realities. Speaking as an aerospace engineer, I can think of no better place to have honed my engineering and problem solving skills than at Marshall.

At the same time that the students receive world class training and experience in disciplines related to space flight, Marshall also has the opportunity to recruit some of the best minds available. The NASA Academy selection process guarantees that only the brightest and most well rounded students take part in the program. By offering these students a fascinating look at the workings of the space program, it is very likely that they will want to stay on and continue similar work if a job offer was made to them. The program is a no-lose situation for everyone involved.

In addition to the mutually beneficial relationship that NASA Academy establishes between the center and students, it is also an opportunity for Marshall to improve its position financially. Unfortunately for space enthusiasts like myself, NASA's budget is controlled by Congress. The majority of people in both the House and the Senate lack the technical training to allow them to see the benefit of space exploration as well as NASA's other aerospace projects. By attracting top notch students and giving them the summer of a lifetime, Marshall creates a base of supporters who can go back to their own states and Congressional districts and make some noise about the woefully low budget NASA is faced with in today's economy. I personally write or email my Senators and Congressperson each time an important aerospace bill is on the floor. While I realize that is naive to expect everybody to do the same, the more students who pass through the Marshall Academy increases the number of people willing to speak out. After all, who can deny the importance of the work at Marshall after learning about the extensive technology transfer initiatives in place at the center? I know can not. Eventually, the number of vocal people will be large enough to demand the attention of Congress.

In closing I would like to reiterate my request that the NASA Academy program at Marshall be reinstated for the summer of 1998. I have tried to outline some of the most basic reasons why such a reinstatement is beneficial to all who take part. The truth is that I could write several more pages on how my summer at in Huntsville influenced me. There is no doubt that I am working in the aerospace industry today because of my experiences with the Academy. Speaking to other alumni, I know that many of them feel the same way. It is not right nor does it make sense to deny future leaders of the space program the opportunity to experience the same things.

Sincerely,

Douglas K. Nelson
MSFC NASA Academy - 1996