[SatNews] SpaceX will participate in this year’s USA Science & Engineering Festival by taking a model of their Dragon spacecraft to display on the National Mall in Washington, DC, October 23-24. To help those attending remember the out-of-this-world experience, SpaceX will be taking and handing out pictures in front of green screen images of the Dragon spacecraft as it docks with the International Space Station or the Falcon 9 rocket launching into space from Cape Canaveral.

The goal of the USA Science & Engineering Festival is to recruit the next generation of scientists and engineers, in part by engaging K-12 students in how science is part of their daily lives. These growing fields need more Americans with the education and experience to work in them, and are vitally important to the future of our nation.

“Our nation’s talent is our most valuable resource,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and CTO.  “Inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in science and engineering is one of the best ways to ensure our country’s long-term economic strength.”

Hundreds of science and engineering companies, professional associations, colleges and universities, K-12 schools and other organizations are participating in two weeks of events at the festival.  The grand finale of the USA Science & Engineering Festival is a two-day expo on the National Mall.

At the SpaceX expo booth, families will have the chance to see and touch an engineering model of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft that NASA will use to haul cargo to and from the International Space Station after the Space Shuttle retires, and that will one day carry astronauts.  Dragon is set to make its inaugural flight this year.

Expo attendees will also be able to see videos of SpaceX rockets and spacecraft being built and tested. The SpaceX booth will be on the Mall at booth number 333, on 4th Street just north of Jefferson, not far from the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum

SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft that will increase reliability and performance of space transportation, while ultimately reducing costs by a factor of ten.  With the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets, SpaceX has a diverse manifest of launches to deliver commercial satellites to orbit.  Next year, the Falcon 9 and SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will start carrying cargo, including live plants and animals, to and from the International Space Station for NASA.  Dragon has been developed to accommodate crew.

Founded in 2002, SpaceX is a private company owned by management and employees, with minority investments from Founders Fund and Draper Fisher Jurvetson.  The company has over 1,100 employees in California, Texas and Florida.  For more information, and to watch the video of the first Falcon 9 launch, visit the SpaceX website at SpaceX.com. 

To learn more about the USA Science & Engineering Festival visit.