Contact:  Ian Murphy
Tel:  (310) 689-6397
Email:  ian.murphy@nss.org

National Space Society Kicks Off Space Ambassadors Program with Virgin Galactic

New NSS program designed to communicate benefits of space to local communities will fly one Space Ambassador on SpaceShipTwo

May 29, 2008, Washington DC: The National Space Society (NSS) and Virgin Galactic announced today the NSS Space Ambassadors Program, which for one person will lead to a trip to space on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.

Space Ambassadors will be trained to deliver an eye-opening new presentation designed to educate and inspire the public about the practical and humanitarian benefits of exploration and research in space.

As part of their job duties, one Space Ambassador will fly to space on a suborbital space flight aboard SpaceShipTwo, provided by Virgin Galactic.

George Whitesides, Executive Director of the National Space Society, stated, "The Space Ambassadors Program is a global grassroots effort to communicate how space research and exploration are essential to solving many of the greatest problems facing humanity."
 
The Space Ambassadors program is open to anyone with a passion for space and the ability to communicate that passion to other people. Interested parties are encouraged to sign up online at www.SpaceAmbassadors.com to receive more information.

Will Whitehorn, President of Virgin Galactic, stated, "We are very excited by the prospect of supporting the NSS Space Ambassadors program because we believe wholeheartedly in its aim of communicating a passion both for space exploration and for research into the huge benefits of using space to help solve practical problems here on Earth."

Whitehorn continued, "We hope that a seat on a Virgin Galactic flight will provide tangible encouragement for a generation of new space ambassadors to come forward and inspire the astronauts, space scientists and extraterrestrial entrepreneurs of the future."

Full details of the NSS Space Ambassadors Program, including the selection process, will be released later in 2008.

About the National Space Society
The National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, grassroots organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Founded in 1974, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen's voice on space. NSS counts thousands of members and more than 50 chapters in the United States and around the world. The society also publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space. http://www.nss.org/.

About Virgin Galactic
For more information about Virgin Galactic, please visit:
http://www.virgingalactic.com