Last Chance to Buy Original Challenger License Plate

18 May 1999

Last Chance to Buy Original Challenger License Plate

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--May 18, 1999--Hurry to your local tag office because this is your last chance to buy the original Challenger license plate! On June 25, the newly redesigned plate will replace the original tag that was the nation's first specialty license tag more than 12 years ago.
    There is a limited supply of the original tags left for those who want this collectible item. More than 600,000 people have bought the Challenger license plate since its introduction in 1986. These sales have generated funds for space education programs within the State of Florida.
    Proceeds benefit The Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF), a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) designated educational organization and the Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA).
    The Astronauts Memorial Foundation honors the 17 U.S. astronauts who have lost their lives while on missions or in training. The AMF built and maintains the "Space Mirror" national monument to those astronauts. It also operates the Center for Space Education, a 44,000 square foot facility, at the Kennedy Space Center. The AMF provides training to educators to effectively integrate technology into their schools, classrooms and curricula. Educators from all of Florida's school districts, as well as districts throughout the United States and numerous foreign countries have participated in AMF's courses.
    The Technological Research and Development Authority is a State of Florida organization that offers cost-effective transfer of cutting edge technologies to schools and small businesses throughout the state. Through strategic alliances with NASA, the federal government, the aerospace industry and state partners -- including the Department of Education, Enterprise Florida and the Department of Community Affairs -- TRDA is creating jobs and helping teachers inspire the next generation of Floridians.