NASA Alumni League

Last updated

NASA Alumni League is a U.S. organization that supports people that have worked for or at NASA or its predecessor NACA, to stay connected, [1] and to "support the nation's space programs with technical expertise, educational outreach, and financial contributions to STEM organizations." [2] The organization operates across the nation, also with state chapters that allow patrons to network locally. [1] Three goals of NAL in the early 21st century were to "communicate with the NASA community", "to aid the NASA community with its comprehension of engineering and science, and "encourage members to participate in community service and in turn, encourage a dedication to the pursuit of scientific knowledge that benefits all humankind. " [1] NAL is not part of NASA or the U.S. government, it is a non-profit organization founded in 1986. [3]

Contents

The NASA Alumni League comprises groups of individuals who were former members of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA); or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Any former employee of another federal government agency, including military personnel, who served an extended detail assignment at NASA for one year or longer is also eligible for membership. Any other person who was employed by NASA as a "Special Employee" for the purpose of accomplishing a special focused assignment lasting one year or more is also eligible.

Guiding Principles

NASA Alumni League (NAL) chapters focus on supporting space and aeronautics programs by bringing members together in sessions to provide a broad base of information for members and the public, including:

NASA Center Chapters

The NAL consists of active chapters from two NASA centers: the Johnson Space Center chapter and the Kennedy Space Center chapter. Other NASA centers have alumni organizations that are not affiliate with the NAL. These are the Langley Research Center Alumni Association, the Goddard Space Flight Center Retirees and Alumni Association, and the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center Retirees Association.

NAL-Johnson Space Center (NAL-JSC) Chapter

The NAL-JSC chapter was formed by former JSC Center Director Jerry Griffin in 1989. The chapter consists of over 650 active members (as of 2023). Its purpose is to:

The all-volunteer governing board of the NAL-JSC consists of four officers--President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer--and ten Directors. All officers and directors are members in good standing elected by the active members for a two-year term of office beginning in October of even-numbered years. There is no limit on the number of consecutive terms that an individual may serve. Between-election vacancies are filled by appointment of the Board of Directors.

NAL-Kennedy Space Center (NAL-KSC) Chapter

Canaveral Council of Technical Societies and Space Congress).

There were big gatherings of aerospace and people called the Space Congress that started during the early days of the Space-age. [4] In the 20th century over 1000 aerospace professionals would gather to discuss space and present technical papers.

The Canaveral Council of Technical Societies (CCTS) was formed in 1959 to coordinate better communication and interface among the many technical societies in the Cape Canaveral area. This led to the establishment of an annual technical conference now known as Space Congress. CCTS' first technical symposium took place in Daytona Beach on October 26–28, 1962 and was called the Canaveral Council Fall Conference. The program consisted of a get-acquainted party on Friday; technical addresses and technical workshops, a luau, a conference summary, and family activities on Saturday; and a golf tournament and fashion show on Sunday.

Two years later, the CCTS held the first Space Congress in Cocoa Beach, Florida on April 20–22, 1964, with the theme, "Where Are We Going in Space?" Thirty-one papers were presented and three luncheon speakers, an opening speaker, and keynote speaker addressed the assemblage. Eighteen organizations from industry, NASA, and the U.S. Air Force contributed exhibits. The proceedings were published.

Since 1964, all CCTS Space Congresses have been held in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral, Florida. In 1965, the growing list of events included authors' breakfasts, a banquet, evening sessions, and an international session, an exhibitors' cocktail party, and launch area tours. By 1966, the Congress had grown to four days in length and was being held on an annual basis. The 1993 Space Congress was quite large and event feature included matched suits for the organizers and mugs with logos. [4] The motto for the 1993 Space Congress was Yesterday's vision is tomorrow's reality. [4] The last week-long Space Congress was held in 1994.

In 2012, CCTS sponsored a single-day Space Congress that featured technical briefings at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa, Florida. This event was well received and provided the necessary local interest for CCTS to begin planning for annual Space Congress events starting in 2014.

In 2015 the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies hosted a Space Congress. U.S. Representative Bill Posey sent a video message to the event. Also, former U.S. astronaut Winston Scott was there. [4]

SpaceTEC

A consortium of industry, academia, and government representatives known as the Community Colleges for Innovative Technology Transfer, a not-for-profit Florida corporation. was founded in 1994 to provide technician education for Geographic Information Systems. Community Colleges for Innovative Technology Transfer received one of the first National Science Foundation grants for two-year community and technical colleges. The founding partners were all located near NASA or Department of Defense locations, providing a consortium strongly linked to post-secondary education programs for the nation's technical workforce in aerospace and defense.

Community Colleges for Innovative Technology Transfer, was restructured in 2009 and renamed SpaceTEC Partners, Inc. (SPI) [5] to reflect a growing expansion of activities to technical education programs beyond aerospace. The mission of SPI is to create and implement an industry-driven, government-endorsed, technical education process that be shared with other educational venues.

SpaceTEC® is one of the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Centers [6] funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for developing partnerships between academic institutions and industry partners to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels. With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the ATE program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive the world's economies.

Located in Cape Canaveral, FL, SpaceTEC® supports the education and credentialing of aerospace technicians in six core areas and three advanced disciplines: (1) space vehicle processing activities (2) aerospace manufacturing; and (3) composite materials. A national consortium of community and technical colleges, universities, business and industry organizations, and government agencies promotes careers and educate candidates for technical employment. [7] SpaceTEC® was established in 2002 as an NSF National Center of Excellence funded in part by a three-year NSF Advanced Technological Education Program grant and renewed in 2005 for an additional four years. SpaceTEC® was awarded a four-year follow-on grant in 2009 as an NSF National Resource Center, and in April, 2013, it received a four-year renewal of its NSF grant. The Center is now expanding operations to Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM fields) technicians working in technical fields beyond aerospace through its CertTEC® commercial industry credentials.

SpaceTEC® has been accredited by the International Certification Accreditation Council [8] to ISO 17024 standards and offers performance-based examinations that result in industry-driven nationally recognized credentials that reflect the competencies employers demand. Successful candidates can qualify for college credits via transcripts provided by the American Council on Education. [9] The SpaceTEC® national credentialing program has earned a formal Safety Approval by the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennedy Space Center</span> United States space launch site in Florida

The John F. Kennedy Space Center, located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968, KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of human spaceflight, research, and technology. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). The management of the two entities work very closely together, share resources and operate facilities on each other's property.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Science Foundation</span> United States government agency

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health. With an annual budget of about $8.3 billion, the NSF funds approximately 25% of all federally supported basic research conducted by the United States' colleges and universities. In some fields, such as mathematics, computer science, economics, and the social sciences, the NSF is the major source of federal backing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnson Space Center</span> NASA field center for human spaceflight

The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas, where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late US president and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson, by an act of the United States Senate on February 19, 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew M. Allen</span> American astronaut (born 1955)

Andrew Michael "Andy" Allen is a retired American astronaut. A former Marine aviator and lieutenant colonel, he worked as a test pilot before joining NASA in 1987. He flew three Space Shuttle missions before retiring in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce E. Melnick</span> American astronaut (born 1949)

Bruce Edward Melnick is a retired American astronaut and United States Coast Guard officer. Following retirement from NASA and the Coast Guard, he entered the aerospace industry. He served as a vice president with the Boeing Co.'s Integrated Defense Systems group, in charge of Boeing's Florida operations at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Melnick retired in 2008 and currently resides on Merritt Island, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan D. O'Connor</span>

Bryan Daniel O'Connor is a retired United States Marine Corps Colonel and former NASA astronaut. He was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Institute of Technology</span> Private university in Melbourne, Florida

The Florida Institute of Technology is a private research university in Melbourne, Florida. The university comprises four academic colleges: Engineering & Science, Aeronautics, Psychology & Liberal Arts, and Business. Approximately half of FIT's students are enrolled in the College of Engineering & Science. The university's 130-acre primary residential campus is near the Melbourne Orlando International Airport and the Florida Tech Research Park. The campus is located 16 miles from Patrick Space Force Base.

Space Launch Complex 20 (SLC-20), previously designated Launch Complex 20 (LC-20), is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. SLC-20 is located at the northern terminus of ICBM Road, between Space Launch Complex 19 and Space Launch Complex 34.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald D. Griffin</span> American aerospace engineer and businessman

Gerald D. Griffin is an American aeronautical engineer and former NASA official, who served as a flight director during the Apollo program and director of Johnson Space Center, succeeding Chris Kraft in 1982.

The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) is the world's largest trade association serving the composites industry. Its mission is to provide education and information to the composites industry, lobby for the composites industry, and develop and expand markets for composite materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt H. Debus</span> Rocket engineer and scientist (1908–1983)

Kurt Heinrich Debus was a German-American rocket engineer and NASA director. Born in Germany, he was a member of the Schutzstaffel (SS) during World War II, where he served as a V-weapons flight test director. Following the war, he was brought to the United States via Operation Paperclip, and directed the design, development, construction and operation of NASA's Saturn launch facilities. He became the first director of NASA's Launch Operations Center, and, under him, NASA conducted 150 launches of military missiles and space vehicles, including 13 launches of the Saturn V rocket as part of the Apollo Moon landing program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space Florida</span> Aerospace economic development agency of the state of Florida

Space Florida is the aerospace economic development agency of the State of Florida. Founded in 2006, it later became the aerospace economic development agency of the state of Florida .The agency works with commercial space companies, governmental agencies, and academic institutions to develop space-related infrastructure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Beddingfield</span>

Samuel T. Beddingfield was an American test pilot and a pioneering aerospace engineer and who had a long career with NASA during its manned space programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceTEC National Resource Center for Aerospace Technical Education</span>

SpaceTEC® is one of the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Centers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for developing partnerships between academic institutions and industry partners to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels. With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the ATE program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive the world's economies. Located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, SpaceTEC® supports the education and credentialing of aerospace technicians in six core areas and three advanced disciplines: (1) space vehicle processing activities (2) aerospace manufacturing; and (3) composite materials. A national consortium of community and technical colleges, universities, business and industry organizations, and government agencies promotes careers and educates candidates for technical employment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Certification Accreditation Council</span>

The International Certification Accreditation Council (ICAC) is an alliance of organizations dedicated to assuring competency, professional management, and service to the public by encouraging and setting standards for licensing, certification, and credentialing programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aprille Ericsson-Jackson</span> African American mechanical engineer

Aprille J. Ericsson is an American aerospace engineer. Ericsson is the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Howard University and the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in engineering at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhagavatula Dattaguru</span> Indian engineer and academic

Professor Bhagavatula Dattaguru is an Indian engineer and academic. He has received several awards, including the Padma Shri Award, India's fourth highest civilian honour in 2005 in the field of science and engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adena Williams Loston</span>

Adena Williams Loston is the 14th president of St. Philip’s College. She was installed as the new president in ceremonies on March 1, 2007. St. Philip’s College, located in San Antonio, Texas, is the only historically Black college and Hispanic-serving institution in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camille Wardrop Alleyne</span> Trinidadian aerospace engineer (born 1966)

Camille Wardrop Alleyne is a Trinidadian aerospace engineer, space scientist, and science ambassador. She is the Associate Program Scientist for the international Space Station at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "JSC Features - NASA Alumni League maintains connection with retirees". www.jsc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  2. ↑ NAL Vision, NASA Alumni League, JSC Chapter
  3. ↑ "Welcome to the NASA Alumni League | Supporting our Nation's Civil Space Program". nalhq.com. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Dean, James (17 April 2015). "Space Congress returns to Cape Canaveral". USA Today. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  5. ↑ Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations. Detail by Entity Name: SpaceTEC Partners, Inc. 2013. http://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail/EntityName/domnp-n94000001319-95e2ddda-eaf9-4f1c-a29d-2952948ecffd/spacetec%20partners%20inc/Page1. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  6. ↑ NSF Advanced Technological Education Centers. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  7. ↑ Championing Tomorrow's U. S. Technical Workforce: A National Priority For Future Success, Spacetec, Feb. 2013. (archive version). Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  8. ↑ International Certification Accreditation Council. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  9. ↑ The National Guide to College Credit for Workforce Training, SpaceTEC® Certifications, American Council on Education College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT), 2007; 2011, http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=browse.getOrganizationDetail&FICE=1005013. Retrieved 2013-05-20.
  10. ↑ Active Safety Approvals, SA 11-003. SpaceTEC: Certified Aerospace Technician Credentialing. Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Commercial Space Transportation, 2010. SpaceTEC®, https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/launch_license/active_safety_approvals/media/SA_11-003_SpaceTech_Jun10.pdf. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.