GEORGE T. WHITESIDES NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF THE NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY

For immediate release; March 18, 2004

NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY
Phone: 202-429-1600

WASHINGTON, DC - The National Space Society announced today that George T. Whitesides has been appointed the organization's Executive Director.

"Whitesides' background makes him perfectly suited to lead NSS in the new era of space," said Gregory H. Allison, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. "We're excited to have him bring his skills, energy and contacts to NSS."

Whitesides is moving to Washington, D.C. from Los Angeles, where he founded Permission to Dream, a global space education project, and co-founded Yuri's Night, a world celebration of space. He is currently a director of the Space Generation Foundation, and recently served as Vice President of Marketing for Zero Gravity Corporation, a private space tourism company.

"George has the experience and enthusiasm to make things happen," said Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut, former NSS Chairman, and longtime NSS member. " We are looking forward to the projects he will bring to the membership."

Whitesides, a former Fulbright Scholar, is a graduate of Princeton and Cambridge Universities. He has served on Princeton's Board of Trustees, and has been featured on MTV and other networks for his efforts to engage new audiences with space. He began his career in Washington, D.C., at Orbital Sciences Corporation and the National Geographic Society.

"NSS and its members are well positioned to play a key role in the new era of space," said Whitesides. "Between space tourism, the NASA exploration vision, Mars rovers and the X Prize, we are now beginning the most exciting period of space development since Apollo."

The National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, international, educational, grassroots nonprofit and non-partisan organization dedicated to the creation of a free spacefaring civilization. It supports the exploration, development and utilization of space for the benefit of mankind. The NSS has more than 22,000 members, and 50 chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The NSS, founded in 1974, is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen's voice on space.

For More Information:
Frank Braun, VP for Public Affairs
Phone: (310) 739-4402