Lockheed Martin today opened its doors in Huntsville and Courtland, Ala., to students, aged six to 18 years, for the company's annual Young Minds at Work Day. Approximately 150 students in Huntsville and approximately 30 students in Courtland participated.

A Lockheed Martin employee, contractor or customer sponsored each student. Each student "shadowed" his or her sponsor during part of the day and participated in hands-on activities and tours of the company.

In Huntsville, students searched for a hidden treasure with GPS devices, measured the density of micrometeorites, built and raced cereal box cars, and participated in a systems engineering project involving catapults. "This event is designed to spark interest in science and technology careers for these students of all ages, whether they will be entering the workforce in 2012 or 2020," said Bob Drolet, director, Lockheed Martin Huntsville Operations.

In Courtland, students built and launched a rocket, toured the facility and played an "Are You Smarter than a Rocket Scientist?" game. "This was an opportunity for these students to see that what they learn in the science classroom has real-world application and that they can be the next generation of scientists and engineers," said Bruce Thompson, director, Lockheed Martin Courtland Operations.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company annually hosts Young Minds at Work Day at company facilities across the country to motivate young people to pursue science and technology careers.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company employs more than 600 people in Alabama. The company's Huntsville Operations performs program management and engineering for key missile defense contracts and is the home of the corporation's Battle Management Center of Excellence. The company's Courtland Operations provides missile defense assembly, integration and test services.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2006 sales of $39.6 billion.

Media Contact: Lynn Fisher, 408-742-7606; lynn.m.fisher@lmco.com

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company