PR: Astronaut Artifacts and Experiences Silent Auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2004

ASTRONAUTS DONATE ARTIFACTS, THEMSELVES FOR CHARITY AUCTION
Astronaut Scholarship Foundation and collectSPACE.com Announce Silent
Auction to benefit science and engineering college students

Burbank, Calif -- The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF), in
cooperation with collectSPACE, began accepting online bids today for
its second annual silent auction of astronaut-donated artifacts and
experiences http://www.collectspace.com/auction.

Internet bidding will come to a close during the UACC Convention and
Show, a Burbank, California, autograph expo at which over 20 astronauts
and other space-related celebrities will be in attendance. All who
desire to participate in the auction, whether by live or internet
bidding, must register on the collectSPACE website prior to Saturday,
September 4.

Astronauts are participating in the auction by donating personal
possessions or lending their time by taking part in activities with
winning bidders.

"This year's offerings build from the success of last year's first
silent auction which raised $60,000 for scholarships" said Owen
Garriott, Skylab and Space Shuttle astronaut and Chairman of the
Foundation. "We greatly appreciate our astronaut members who have once
again donated their time and artifacts to further extend the
Foundation's ability to inspire the next generation of space
explorers."

For his part, Garriott contributed a guided VIP tour of the U.S. Space
& Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The winner of Garriott's
auction will also have the opportunity to take part in a parent-child
weekend at Space Camp, also located at the Rocket Center.

Vice Chairman Robert Crippen, four-time flier, including pilot of the
first Space Shuttle launch, is offering to take four people on a
personal tour of the Kennedy Space Center. Apollo 7 astronaut Walter
Cunningham will guide a similar tour at Johnson Space Center in
Houston, Texas.

Four-time Space Shuttle veteran and former chief astronaut Dan
Brandenstein will visit the school of a winning bidder's child to share
his space flight experiences.

Both James Lovell, Chairman Emeritus, and Edgar Mitchell donated
mission patches flown on their Apollo 13 and Apollo 14 missions
respectively. Apollo 15's Al Worden donated a piece of his mission
photography-inspired artwork. Charlie Duke, the tenth person to walk on
the Moon, is auctioning a segment of lunar-dust stained equipment
netting removed from the Apollo 16 Lunar Module.

Among the other astronauts consigning items or experiences are Bill
Anders (Apollo 8), Richard Gordon (Apollo 12) and Paul Weitz (Skylab 2,
STS-6).

Through the years, the Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in
scholarships to 183 college science and engineering students. ASF
currently awards $170,000 annually to 17 students.

"Our short-term goal is to increase the annual payout to twenty
students for a total of $200,000," said Garriott. "This auction should
help us meet that target."

About the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is a non-profit organization
established in 1984 by the six surviving members of America's
original Mercury astronauts. Its goal is to aid the United States in
retaining its world leadership in science and technology by providing
scholarships to college students pursuing these degrees. ASF funds
seventeen $10,000 scholarships annually & has awarded nearly $2 million
to 183 students nationwide. More than forty Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and
Shuttle astronauts have since joined in this education endeavor. For
more information, call 321-269- 6101 x6176 or log on to
http://www.astronautscholarship.org/.

About collectSPACE.com

collectSPACE http://www.collectspace.com/ is the leading online
resource for space history enthusiasts and space artifact collectors.
The site features daily space history-related news updates and
interviews, an exclusive astronaut appearance calendar, a directory of
space collectors worldwide and an online memorabilia consignment shop,
buySPACE.

About the UACC Convention and Autograph Show
The UACC (www.uacc.org) is a non-profit organization, well known and
respected internationally for its dedication to promoting the hobby of
autograph collecting. This year's show and convention, featuring 18
pioneer astronauts and a host of other celebrities, takes place on
September 4th and 5th at the Burbank Hilton. Visitors can meet our
celebrity guests, take photographs, browse the exhibits and buy from
(or sell to) the dealers represented for a daily admission fee of
$10.00. For more information, see http://www.autographshows.net/