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United Nations Space Week Micah Knight Managing Editor

Photo Courtesy: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute prepares to relocate from Miami, Fla. to Daytona Beach, Fla. in 1965. The University is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Operation Bootstrap with a host of activities and events on Friday, Oct. 9.

Embry-Riddle to Celebrate 50 Years in Daytona Beach Michael Nisip Business Manager Back when gas was $0.31/gallon and The Beatles were on “pop” radio, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute filed a flight plan from Miami to Daytona Beach with Jack R. Hunt as PIC (President In Command). Codename - Operation Bootstrap, the mission was to relocate the entire institution to Daytona Beach. Fifty years after the original Operation Bootstrap, Embry-Riddle continues to throttle up its efforts to remain the premier aviation and aerospace university. Today, our undergraduate aerospace engineering program has been ranked No. 1 in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report for the past 16 years in a row, and our aeronautical science program is the largest in the nation – as large as the other top 10 U.S. collegiate flight programs combined. Today, we are limitless. Jack R. Hunt was a leader and visionary. His goals for ERAI included improvement of facilities, consolidation of resources (which were then spread among three different loca-

tions), and enrollment expansion. Hunt was considering accreditation for the school by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, something relatively rare for a technical institution. A clearly defined campus would most certainly be a prerequisite for attaining accreditation. Also during this time, Dade County Port Authority announced its decision to close Tamiami Airport, then home of Embry-Riddle’s flight operations. Coupling Hunt’s desire for accreditation with Tamiami’s imminent shutdown, the desire to relocate transformed into a necessity. As Hunt considered new locations, climate was a principal factor, and he was adamant to keep ERAI in Florida. After the Trustees met with representatives from five different cities deemed appropriate for relocation, they decided to move to the Daytona Beach area. Daytona Beach was selected because it was in the “Space Triangle of Daytona – Orlando – Cape Kennedy” as Hunt would refer to it. This “Space Triangle” was effectively a region of booming growth for aviation/aerospace industry and technology. The Trustees’ decision was solid-

ified through overwhelming community support for the relocation. Twenty-four hours after departing for Miami, a convoy of 31 trucks arrived in Daytona Beach with everything ERAI owned. The contents of these trucks would form the roots and framework of Embry-Riddle in the Daytona Beach area. This massive movement of man and machine would become known as “Operation Bootstrap.” Students, faculty, staff and alumni are all invited to Operation Bootstrap 2.0 – a celebration to propel the University forward and an opportunity to pay tribute to the visionaries who established the Daytona Beach Campus. Operation Bootstrap 2.0 will feature a variety of events, some of which include a largest-ever campus group photo, the Inaugural Riddle Run Around, and a fireworks show. The party starts at the Connolly Quad on Oct. 9, when ERAU closes early at 3 p.m., including classes! The Avion Newspaper thanks the University Communications Department for the use of their content, in contribution for this article.

Friday, Oct. 9 Events on the Connolly Quad All students, faculty, staff, alumni and families are invited. Activities include pull-a-plane, a zipline, oozeball, and a photo booth. Graduates are invited to stop by the alumni tent for hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

All University Operations Cancelled (including classes) 3:00 Pre-party 3:00 to 4:00 Largest-Ever Campus Group Photo 4:00 Raffle for Rides (University 1928 Waco Biplane & Matt Chapman’s new Extra 330 LX) 4:00 to 4:20 Activities, Games, Scavenger Hunt and Crafts 4:30 to 6:30 Concert 6:30 to 7:30 Fireworks 7:30

Oct. 4 through Oct. 10 is World Space Week! According to their website, World Space Week is “an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition.” WSW was established in 1999 at the United Nations General Assembly in an effort to highlight space around the globe. This effort has been quite successful, as World Space Week has grown each year, and is sponsored by many large companies that produce spacecraft such as Lockheed Martin, Airbus Space and Defense, and Orbital ATK. World Space Week had over 1,600 events in 72 nations last year, and this year is anticipated to have more. This year there are over 440 events in the United States, including one held on the ERAU campus on Wednesday, Oct. 7, sponsored by the Commercial Space Operations department. NASA is hosting a series of events including Rocket Garden Tours, an Astronaut Encounter, and an event celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The dates for World Space Week are in honor of the launch of Sputnik, the first man-made satellite to be launched, on Oct. 4, 1957, and the signing of the Outer Space Treaty (or in its entirety, the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies) on Oct. 10, 1967. The Outer Space Treaty bans any nation from placing weapons of mass destruction in space or from making claim to any land or area off of Earth, making space and the bodies therein free for anybody to explore. In honor of World Space Week, The Avion’s Industry & Technology section is entirely devoted to Space Content from various organizations and departments on campus. To find more information about World Space Week, an event near you, or if you want to sponsor an event of your own next year, visit www.worldspaceweek.org.