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 170 students in Huntsville and 35 students in Courtland are participating.

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

Student activities in Huntsville include: testing aerodynamic principles by building and flying paper airplanes; peering inside computers to see how they work; and studying propulsion and pressurization techniques by launching water bottle rockets. Students in Courtland also are launching water bottle rockets and studying environmental remediation by learning how to clean up oil spills.

"This is a great opportunity for the next generation of engineers and scientists to see and experience practical applications of our business," said Maj. Gen. (ret.) John W. Holly, vice president of Missile Defense Systems, Lockheed Martin Space Systems.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems employs approximately 800 people in Huntsville and Courtland in the company's Missile Defense Systems operating unit. The company performs program management and engineering for key missile defense contracts in Huntsville and missile defense assembly, integration and test services in Courtland.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems, a major operating unit of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, designs, develops, tests, manufactures and operates a full spectrum of advanced-technology systems for national security, civil and commercial customers. Chief products include human space flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation, meteorological and communications satellites and instruments; space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft; laser radar; fleet ballistic missiles; and missile defense systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 136,000 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 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.

  Media Contacts:
  Lynn Fisher, 408-742-7606; lynn.m.fisher@lmco.com
  David Carney, 256-217-6311; david.r.carney@lmco.com

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin