So what does a very smart and driverless Toyota Prius have to do with outer space? Area middle school students and employees' children are about to find out when Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories provides a glimpse into tomorrow during its Space Day and Bring Your Child to Work day observances. The events occur May 4, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

While it's a stretch to compare an autonomous automobile to a spacecraft, it's easy to grasp that clever, creative and imaginative technologies make these kinds of achievements possible. Reinforcing the technical leadership that makes such breakthroughs possible begins with America's youth. Sparking young students' interest in the sciences and encouraging them to break intellectual and creative boundaries are the reasons why Lockheed Martin sponsors Space Day and observes Take Your Child to Work day.

ATL will host employee children and students from Carusi Middle School, Cherry Hill, NJ, and Friends School of Mullica Hill, Mullica Hill, NJ, for a tour of the autonomous Toyota, called Ben, demonstrations of sonar and network technologies, and a model rocket launch. For each event, Lockheed Martin engineers will describe the various technologies and scientific principles at work. The launch window for the model rocket is 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Ben is a product of The Ben Franklin Racing Team, a group of engineers and engineering students from Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories, University of Pennsylvania, and Lehigh University. The team is developing Ben as part of a government-sponsored initiative called Urban Challenge. The goal is to develop an autonomous vehicle that can safely and lawfully navigate the streets of an urban environment, such as Philadelphia. Outfitted with advanced sensors, Ben recently drove unassisted through a controlled course and was able to avoid a parked object.

Space Day is an annual Lockheed Martin-sponsored event that uses space- related activities to build skills and enthusiasm in math, science, engineering and technology. More about Space Day can be found at http://www.spaceday.com/. Take Your Child to Work is also an annual event that typically occurs one week prior to Space Day.

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.

For additional information on Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit our website: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin