Harris Corporation Celebrates National Aerospace Week With Educational Initiatives and Employee Events

MELBOURNE, Fla., Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Highlights:

• Events and activities to be held in Florida, Colorado and Washington, DC.
• Each location is partnering with local schools to focus attention on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
• Harris has delivered innovative solutions for the aerospace industry for more than 50 years.

Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS), an international communications and information technology company, is paying tribute to the nation's aerospace industry this week with special educational activities at local schools and with activities designed to increase awareness among Harris employees and their families.  The events are part of National Aerospace Week — September 11-17 — which recognizes the aerospace industry's contributions to the nation's security, economy and workforce.

The aerospace and defense industry employs more than 800,000 workers across the nation, supporting more than two million middle-class jobs and 30,000 suppliers in all 50 states.  The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) reports that the industry tallied record sales of $214.5 billion in 2010 along with the largest positive trade balance of any manufacturing sector.  Harris, with more than 16,000 employees, has developed communications and IT solutions for the aerospace industry for more than 50 years.

"The aerospace industry is a vital economic engine on the Space Coast and across the nation," said Howard L. Lance, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Harris, and a member of the Board of Governors of AIA.  "This week's activities reinforce the value of our aerospace workforce and show students just how exciting and rewarding an aerospace career can be."

During National Aerospace Week Harris is hosting activities at elementary and middle schools in Brevard County, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and the metropolitan Washington, DC area — company locations that support Harris aerospace customers.  Activities will include interactive aerospace lessons, learning about science and math concepts related to satellite communications, as well as facility tours and a student photo/drawing competition for the children of Harris employees.

In Colorado Springs, for example, eighth-grade students at the Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy will be introduced to the basic principles of space science, including Newton's laws of motion and the orbits of satellites.  Harris employees will provide classroom instruction and students then will participate in hands-on demonstrations at the Discovery Institute's Space Education Lab in Colorado Springs.

Harris employees at the Colorado Springs location support one of the company's largest aerospace programs, the $410 million U.S. Air Force Network and Space Operations and Maintenance (NSOM) program.  Harris provides operations and maintenance support to the 50th Space Wing's Air Force Satellite Control Network.

In the greater Washington, DC area, Harris employees will be visiting the Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Waldorf, Maryland, teaching the use of GPS and illustrating the design process for engineering satellite communications systems.  Day two of the event will feature a live geocaching demonstration and competition between two teams of students.

On Florida's Space Coast, Harris employees will introduce students at Stone Middle School to aerospace concepts through discussions and an egg drop exercise designed to bring to life the concepts of gravity, air resistance and Newton's third law of motion.

Harris has supported major National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programs since the 1960s, including the Apollo, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station programs.  In fact, technology from Harris was onboard every space shuttle since the program began 30 years ago, either providing direct mission support via onboard computers and electronics, or as part of the spacecraft's payload.  In addition, Harris is a world leader in the architecture, design and development of highly specialized satellite antennas, structures, phased arrays and on-board processors for space applications.

For more on National Aerospace Week, visit www.NationalAerospaceWeek.org.

About Harris Corporation

Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries.  Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $6 billion of annual revenue and more than 16,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists.  Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and services.  Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.

SOURCE Harris Corporation