For Release: April 16, 1996

Dave Drachlis
Office of Media Services
(205) 544-0034
dave.drachlis@msfc.nasa.gov

RELEASE: 96-28

MARSHALL CENTER’S EXPENDITURES IN ALABAMA TOTAL $777 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 1995

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville contributed $777 million to Alabama's economy during the fiscal year 1995 that ended last September. This figure includes $217 million in salaries for civil service personnel and related costs, and travel. It also includes $560 million spent on locally procured services, prime and subcontractor support, local construction and reimbursable activities performed for other federal agencies, private industry, and foreign governments. In addition, approximately $62 million in retirement annuities were paid to 2,517 Marshall retirees residing in Alabama, with approximately $36 million of that going to 1,471 retirees living in Huntsville.

The $560 million in program funds Marshall Center spent in Alabama was more than its expenditures in any other state. Additional NASA funding (approximately $194 million) was spent locally for International Space Station hardware development done by Boeing/Huntsville. California received more than $550 million, almost $390 million was spent in Utah, more than

$330 million was spent in Louisiana and nearly $160 million was spent in Florida. Smaller sums were dispersed among other states.

During fiscal year 1995 the Marshall Center received more than 18 percent of NASA's total budget of $14 billion. Of Marshall's $2.53 billion allocation from NASA, $1.54 billion was spent for human space flight activities, $613 million went for science and technology, and the balance -- $379 million -- was spent on mission support at Marshall Center and other sites across the country.

Since it was established in 1960, the Marshall Center has had budget responsibility for a total of $55 billion. If these dollars are adjusted for inflation, this total is equivalent to more than $138 billion in 1995 money.

The Marshall Center has paid $4 billion in federal salaries during the past 35 years.

At the end of September 1995, the Marshall Center had a total of 3,184 Civil Service permanent and temporary employees, including employees at resident offices at prime contractors' facilities and at the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

Of Marshall's total Civil Service workforce last year, 2,521 were college graduates, with 1,854 holding baccalaureate degrees. There were 149 employees at the doctoral level and 518 with master's degrees in fields of engineering, science (predominantly mathematics and physics), and other disciplines, predominantly business administration.

During the past fiscal year, the center had approximately 3,219 direct mission support contractors and an estimated 1,267 institutional subcontractors, vendors and indirect contractors supporting center activities, and about 21,140 prime contractor employees (including subcontractors, vendors and indirect contractors), of which 2,793 work in Alabama. An additional 2,134 contractors were associated with International Space Station work being done by Boeing in Huntsville. It is estimated that an additional 685 jobs are in Huntsville as a result of other agency contracts not previously mentioned.

The Huntsville International Airport is supported in some measure by the Center. Marshall employees used the airport to make 5,525 business trips at a cost of approximately $1.89 million.

During fiscal year 1995, the Marshall Center purchased $10.2 million in electricity and spent $2.3 million for steam heat and burner fuel, $200,000 for water and $300,000 for sewage treatment. An additional $13.7 million was spent for tele-communication services.

In fiscal year 1995, 312,970 individuals toured the Marshall center including educators; civic, conference and symposia visitors; and news media. Of these visitors, 278,849 toured the center as part of the Space and Rocket Center's bus tour program.

In support of our nation's higher education institutions, the Marshall Center in the past fiscal year had active research grants and training activities valued at $19 million with eight universities and colleges in Alabama: Alabama A&M, Auburn, Tuskegee, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Oakwood, and the University of South Alabama.

Marshall supported the Graduate Student Researchers Program with 49 fellowships given to science and engineering students in fiscal year 1995. Fifteen of these fellowships were granted to participants from universities in Alabama.

The Marshall Center's Cooperative Education Program included 62 graduate and undergraduate students representing 29 colleges and universities in 15 states. Some 48 participants came from 11 different Alabama colleges and universities. Additionally, there were 12 students participating in the program from Alabama technical schools.

The center supported a Summer Faculty Program with 60 participants spending part of their summer performing research at many of Marshall's laboratories. Twenty-two of these participants represented nine Alabama universities.

The Alabama Space Grant Consortium continued in fiscal year 1995 with $400,000 in Center funding. Six Alabama universities participated in the year's activities.

In 1995, more than 200,000 students and 50,000 teachers and faculty were reached through the operation of Marshall's education programs. Marshall employees and retirees volunteered to participate in the NASA Project LASER (Learning About Science, Engineering and Research) Program, serving locally as speakers, tutors, consultants, and science fair judges. Through Project LASER, 346 instances were recorded of Marshall Center volunteers making presentations, holding workshops, serving as science fair judges, leading tours of center facilities, being "study buddies" and mentors for students with special needs or interests.

Marshall's employees pledged $444,279 to the Combined Federal Campaign in 1995, with $279,021 designated for agencies in northern Alabama. These figures do not include contributions from Marshall Center retirees or from any of the center's contractor employees who contributed directly to the United Way Campaign.

Marshall employees paid $6.4 million in Alabama state income taxes in fiscal year 1995.

In this last decade of the 20th Century, the center remains committed to excellence and continuous improvements in its wide range of current and future endeavors.

Marshall Center serves as NASA’s lead center for space transportation systems development, and is the agency’s center of excellence for space propulsion. It is also NASA’s lead center for microgravity research, specializing in materials science and biotechnology.

Through these roles and missions, Marshall is responsible for the production of the Space Shuttle main engines, solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank, and for managing the Inertial Upper Stage space transfer vehicle. Marshall is also NASA’s host center for the Reusable Launch Vehicle technology program.

The center manages Spacelab science research missions and other Shuttle payloads including the International Space Welding Experiment and space tethers.

A designated center of excellence for space optical systems, Marshall is managing the development of the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility and is doing selected astrophysics and space physics research.

Marshall also manages the Global Hydrology and Climate Center.

Additionally, the center is supporting development of the International Space Station, part of which is being built at the center. Marshall is responsible for payload utilization. And the center conducts space environmental effects research.

Throughout 1996 and well into the future, the Marshall Center will remain a vital contributor to America's future in space and to the economy of Huntsville and the state of Alabama.