NASA officials will lobby legislators for more science education

NASA and aerospace industry officials plan to meet Wednesday in Richmond with state legislators to highlight the industry’s economic contributions and stress the need to beef up science and technology education in Virginia’s public schools.

In 2006, some 300 aerospace companies in Virginia employed more than 24,000 people, while NASA facilities statewide attracted around $1.2 billion in federal spending and generated 12,000 jobs, according to NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton.

There’s concern, however, that a graying work force – about a quarter of the nation’s aerospace workers are eligible to retire this year – will create a skills drain that could hurt the nation’s competitive edge, said Marny Skora, a NASA Langley spokeswoman.

One event scheduled Wednesday, which is Virginia AeroSpace Day, is a videoconference involving state Sen. Yvonne Miller, D-Norfolk, and three Norfolk schools that are part of NASA’s Explorer School program.