Booking a 30-minute flight to another continent, to a space hotel or to a nearby planet may be in our region’s not so distant future, but in the meantime space leaders have been booking appointments with regional officials to discuss common goals.

Brevard County Commission Chairman Truman Scarborough, Executive Committee member and Government Co-Chair for myregion.org, has launched an outreach initiative with NASA Kennedy Space Center’s (KSC) Government Relations Office, to visit each of their seven neighboring counties. The mission – to present KSC as an asset for the entire Central Florida region, not just Brevard County.

The meetings, with each County Commission Chairperson, highlighted the significant contributions that the space program makes to the region and explored future partnership opportunities.

The launch of Sputnik in the late 1950’s and the development of KSC forever changed the history of our region and our state. The space program has given us national recognition with the first man in space and the first landing on the moon. Where else in America can you stand in your front yard on a clear night to watch the shuttle take off like a stream of fire lighting up the sky?

The counties in our region have historically supported state and federal initiatives that promote Florida’s space industry. Each year the space program returns the favor. In 2001 alone, KSC blasted $1.061 billion into the Central Florida economy and provided 20,500 workers with $798 million in earnings.

While the Space Shuttle, Space Station and expendable launch vehicle programs are well known sources of regional pride, other space prospects are still emerging. Research, technology, education, transportation and tourism are among the many partnership opportunities that KSC offers. It’s not rocket science – regional communication fuels partnerships and partnerships will build Central Florida’s future just as it did in the past.

For more information about the Kennedy Space Center or any of the partnerships that they foster, please contact Celene Morgan, Local Legislative Liaison at 321.867.2512 or via email at celene.morgan_1@ksc.nasa.gov.