2010 Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery Program Kicks Off Its Fifth Anniversary Year in McAllen, Texas with 29 Educators Defying Gravity for STEM Education

MCALLEN, Texas, May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) Foundation sent 29 educators representing various school districts throughout Texas into weightlessness last Friday on the first stop of the 2010 Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery program. The program is designed to inspire the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers by first inspiring their teachers.

A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/

The program provides educators with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prepare for and participate in micro- and zero-gravity flights during which they test Newton's Laws of Motion with a variety of planned experiments. The experience and experiment results are captured through photos and videos that the teachers will then take into their classrooms to share with their students in order to demonstrate how exciting and cool careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can be. On the McAllen flight, teachers used such materials as hula hoops, tennis balls, scales, water balloons, bicycle tires, and a robot launcher to execute their experiments which tested inertia, and the effects of microgravity on everyday items.

This year, the Weightless Flights of Discovery program will mark its fifth anniversary with visits to Gulfport, Miss., Memphis, Tenn.; Cincinnati; Salt Lake City; and Honolulu, later this year. Seats are still available for teachers to participate in these upcoming flights. Teachers and students studying to become teachers can apply online and get more information at http://www.northropgrumman.com/goweightless.

To date more than 1,100 educators have flown bringing this one-of-a-kind experience to an estimated 450,000 students nationwide. In 2010, the program will give 180 teachers and future teachers the opportunity to participate in this unique teacher development program.

The United States is experiencing a shortage of college graduates in the STEM disciplines, a negative trend that bodes ill for the nation's industries that depend on talented scientists and mathematicians. Because studies have indicated most children make the decision to pursue math and science education and careers during middle-school, Northrop Grumman developed the Weightless Flights of Discovery to engage teachers, and key influencers in the lives of students during these crucial years.

The Northrop Grumman Foundation supports diverse and sustainable programs for students and teachers. These programs create innovative education experiences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

SOURCE Northrop Grumman Foundation