WHAT IS SPACE GRANT?

Space Grant, a national program, promotes partnerships and cooperation among universities, federal, state, and local governments, and aerospace industries to encourage and facilitate the application of university resources to aerospace and related fields. Space Grant, created in 1988 by Congress and implemented in 1989 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was designed to promote institutional cooperation and to expand capabilities rather than to directly support technical research.

The Goals and Objectives of Space Grant are:

Goal:
Contribute to the nation’s scientific enterprise by funding education, research, and public service projects through a national network of university-based Space Grant consortia.

Objectives:

• Establish and maintain a national network of universities
• Encourage cooperative programs among universities, aerospace industry, and federal, state, and local governments
• Encourage interdisciplinary education, research, and publich service programs related to aerospace
• Recruit and train U. S. citizens, especially women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities
• Promote a strong science, mathematics, and technology education base from elementary through secondary levels

The members of the consortium are:

• Johns Hopkins University (Lead Institution)
• Hagerstown Community College
• Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
• Morgan State University
• Space Telescope Science Institute
• Towson University
• University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
• University of Maryland College Park
• University of Maryland Eastern Shore
• United State Naval Academy

"We live in a golden age of aerospace. When I was a child, I could only dream that someday I would know what was on the other side of the moon, or hidden beneath the clouds of Venus; or what it would be like to see humans walk on the surface of the rnoon. We know these things now! And today we hope to see all Americans become more active and knowledgeable participants in our exploration of the cosmos. This is what Space Grant is all about: to increase access of students and Marylanders to the fruits of these wonderful acrospace efforts. "
-Richard C. Henry, Director, Maryland Space Grant Consortium.