The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) welcomes the decision by the U.S. Department of Labor to grant $15 million to the Brevard Workforce Development Board to provide space shuttle program employees with job training and career guidance to smooth their anticipated transition from the space shuttle program.

AIAA President Dr. Mark J. Lewis stated: "For almost thirty years, the space shuttle has served the nation and the world as the centerpiece of our nation's space program.

"The shuttle has made important contributions to our knowledge of how we can live and operate in space, and has been a significant tool in enabling scientific inquiry. But a program such as the space shuttle is about more than just the technology and science; it is also about the people who dreamed, designed, developed, managed, and flew those wondrous craft into space.

"To this end, we support efforts to ensure that the aerospace professionals who made this program possible will be able to continue contributing their hard-won experience to the nation's space endeavors."

Lewis continued: "The Labor Department's decision, in tandem with Rep. Suzanne Kosmas' (FL-24) recently introduced 'Space to Schools Act' - which encourages former space shuttle program workers with relevant aerospace experience to qualify as elementary, secondary, or vocational school teachers, by providing up to $10,000 per worker for required teacher training - represent concrete, first steps by the government to assist the transition of space shuttle professionals."