NEWS RELEASE:
ACTOR BRUCE BOXLEITNER APPOINTED TO NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY BOARD OF GOVERNORS
"Babylon 5" star joins international space advocacy group to promote benefits of space exploration and development

CONTACT:
Karen Rugg, National Space Society, 202-543-1900

(Washington, DC) -- June 2, 1998 -- The National Space Society (NSS) announces that actor Bruce Boxleitner has been appointed to the NSS Board of Governors. Mr. Boxleitner, who plays Captain John Sheridan in the TNT series "Babylon 5," accepted nomination by Board of Governors Chair Hugh Downs in March and was formally voted on to the Board in May at the NSS annual meeting.

"I am really pleased to be associated with this visionary group," said Boxleitner. "I have always been a space enthusiast. 'Babylon 5' and its fans -- many of them scientists and engineers -- have provided me with many new ways to explore that interest. I've seen shuttle launches with my family, spoken at NASA Centers, invited astronauts to the set. The real thing is just as exciting as what we do for TV and film which -- in its best moments -- can inspire and motivate. So I'm casting myself now in the role of a citizen who, through the National Space Society, will help spread the news about space exploration and build support for the space program."

Mr. Boxleitner joins a distinguished roster of NSS Governors including astronauts Jim Lovell, Frank Borman, Jack Schmitt, John Glenn, Alan Shepard and Michael Collins; artists Robert McCall and James Wyeth; actors Tom Hanks and Nichelle Nichols; and visionaries Arthur C. Clarke, Ben Bova, James Van Allen and Freeman Dyson.

Mr. Boxleitner is also known for his starring role in the popular series, "Scarecrow and Mrs. King." He co-starred on Danielle Steele's "Zoya," an NBC mini-series which also starred his real-life wife, Melissa Gilbert. Among his numerous telefilm credits are "Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone," "Gunsmoke V: One Man's Justice," "House of Secrets," "The Secret," "The Town Bully," "East of Eden," and "Double Jeopardy," in which he also served as executive producer. On the big screen, Boxleitner starred in the feature film "Tron," and co-starred in "The Babe" and "Kuffs."

The National Space Society, founded in 1974, is an independent, nonprofit space advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC. Its 23,000 members and 90 chapters around the world actively promote a spacefaring civilization. Information on NSS and space exploration is available at http://www.nss.org/.