Rocketplane Press Release

Contact:
Public Relations
pr@rocketplane.com
405.488.1200

ROCKETPLANE DONATES TRIP OF A LIFETIME TO TEACHERS IN SPACE PROGRAM

Oklahoma City, OK - April 21, 2006 - Rocketplane® Limited, Inc. announced today that they will be donating the “ride of a lifetime” (valued at approximately $200,000) to the Space Frontier Foundation in support of the new Teacher in Space Program. In a Press Release from the SFF on Friday, Bill Boland (leader of the Teachers In Space program) said “These folks get it…They understand how the real-life experience of space flight can touch the classroom. These new American heroes are offering tickets, at a real financial cost to them, in the interest of supporting America’s future, its teachers and students.”

The Foundation’s Teachers In Space program was first announced several weeks ago at the National Science Teachers Association conference. Its goal is to eventually send hundreds of teachers per year into space. The group is seeking private and government support for “scholarships” that can be used by teachers to buy rides on any proven vehicle. Although commercial flights will not be available for more than a year (from any of the major donors), the Foundation is developing this program now, so once the firms are flying and capable, the first teachers will be selected.

Rocketplane Limited, Inc, has long been a proponent of space-related educational programs. Rocketplane works very closely with Space Explorers, Inc. (Green Bay, Wisconsin) to further educational opportunities toward the development of space flight. Space Explorers promotes discovery, inquiry, and analysis by offering standards-based curricula, mission simulations, and experiments that incorporate actual NASA data - all brought into classrooms worldwide. Through these Internet-based curriculum programs, the company strives to inspire a new generation of explorers to pursue careers in science, math and technology.

“We are honored to be able to offer the educational community the opportunity to inspire new generations of students” said George French, Rocketplane CEO. “and history shows that there is almost nothing that is more inspiring than participating in an actual space flight.”

Rocketplane also has a strong working history of Space Education through JPL, Ames, and Applied Physics Lab. Some project topics with these organizations have included: Mars, Moon & Asteroid Missions, and the three experiments on the International Space Station with NASA’s WCSAR program.

The XP spaceplane in which the first Teachers in Space will fly is being designed and built right now in Oklahoma, and will begin tests flights from Spaceport Oklahoma in 2007. The XP reaches a maximum altitude of 100 km and a top speed of mach 3.5, while providing spectacular views from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico and providing 3-4 minutes of weightlessness. The entire flight will be captured by the 7 camera on-board video system with a groundlink to the Mission Control Center. Through broadband internet feeds, the flight will be relayed back to the classrooms in the home district of the Teacher in Space, permitting thousands of students from home and around the world to experience the space flight in real time along with the selected Teacher.

The Space Frontier Foundation is now developing the details of the Teachers In Space program and forming an Advisory Board to assist in development of the selection criteria. As a first step, Teachers In Space is soliciting suggestions on its web site: www.teachersinspace.org.

Information on Rocketplane Ltd. and the XP spaceplane can be found at the web site: www.rocketplaneglobal.com

# # #

Back to Announcements