NASA chief Griffin to speak at anniversary

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- National Aeronautics and Space Administration chief Michael Griffin honors the U.S. space agency's 50th anniversary next week.

Griffin will deliver an address in Washington Monday on the role of space exploration in the global economy. The speech is the first in a two-year series of lectures honoring NASA's half century anniversary.

NASA was created by the National Aeronautics and Space Act and began operations on Oct. 1, 1958.

The 50th anniversary NASA lecture series, co-sponsored by the Lockheed Martin Corp., features prominent speakers discussing the benefits of space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.