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Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington         May 2, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1726)

RELEASE: 03-155

FORMER FOOTBALL PLAYER SCORES BIG WITH ACADEMIC PLAN

     Every football player dreams about being drafted by an 
NFL team. NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, a 6-foot-1-inch, 
200-pound wide receiver from the University of Richmond in 
Virginia, was one of the few collegiate athletes drafted by 
an NFL team. 

Melvin was well on his way to stardom when an injury 
sidelined his aspirations. However, by having a good back-up 
plan, Melvin was prepared to overcome his obstacle and 
become a success in another profession. 

Today, as one of six African-Americans in NASA's Permanent 
Astronaut Corps, Melvin has his sights on the stars. 
Executing his options catapulted him from the gridiron into 
space. 

"To accomplish great things, you must not only dream, but 
also plan; and every plan should contain options, like 
having a spare tire, just in case you get a flat," Melvin 
said.
 
As co-manager of NASA's Educator Astronaut Program (EAP), 
Melvin travels across the country, engaging thousands of 
students through the excitement of space exploration, and 
inspiring them to pursue careers in science, technology, 
engineering and mathematics.

"Our children are the next generation of leaders and 
explorers," Melvin said. "I want to share the value of a 
well-rounded education with students all over the country 
and help them make a connection to higher education."

As a child, Melvin treasured the chemistry set his parents 
gave him in first grade. Later, he took apart the family 
telephone to see how it worked, and he put it back together 
again without error. "I always had that passion, that sense 
of wonderment," Melvin recalled. 

While in football training camp, Melvin was working as a 
research assistant in the Materials Science Department at 
the University of Virginia (UVA), Charlottesville, Va. He 
was also taking night classes via television.

"By day I was catching footballs, and at night I was 
watching materials science courses on video," he said. 
Melvin later enrolled in the UVA graduate program in 
materials science engineering. His passion and devotion paid 
off when he was hired to work for NASA's Langley Research 
Center in Hampton, Va., as a researcher. Melvin began to 
pursue a new career, one just as powerful as his 
professional football career. In 1998, he was selected as an 
astronaut, which led to his position with the EAP.

"Kids today want to be Michael Jordan. There's nothing wrong 
with that. However, I ask them, what will you do if you get 
injured during a game? Or, what will you do when you're no 
longer able to pursue that goal?" he said.

NASA's Education mission is to inspire the next generation 
of explorers by using NASA's unique resources, such as the 
Astronaut Corps and the International Space Station. 

Media organizations interested in interviewing Melvin should 
contact Gretchen Cook-Anderson at: 202/358-0836.

A complete biography of Melvin is available on the Internet 
at:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/melvin.html

To learn more about the EAP and other NASA education 
activities on the Internet, visit:

http://edspace.nasa.gov

For more information about NASA on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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