西弗吉尼亚州宣布竞标美国太空学院落户
据EIN新闻报道，西弗吉尼亚州州长帕特里克·莫里西（Patrick Morrisey）10月7日宣布，该州将参与竞标拟议中的美国太空学院（U.S. Space Academy）落户——这所联邦机构设想专门培养下一代航天专业人才。
据报道，莫里西表示西弗吉尼亚州——特别是费尔蒙特（Fairmont）——具备承办该学院的优势：该州的航空航天传统、研究型大学与技术劳动力。费尔蒙特已是NASA独立验证与确认（IV&V）设施的所在地，这一重要的联邦机构是该地区科技产业的支柱，周边还聚集了一批航空航天与国防承包商。
拟议的太空学院将是首个专门致力于航天教育与人才培养的联邦机构，概念上借鉴军种学院模式。州官员表示，若能成功落户，将为北中部西弗吉尼亚州带来可观的联邦投资、建筑岗位与长期就业——该地区多年来一直致力于摆脱对煤炭的单一依赖。
此次宣布拉开了预计竞争激烈的全国竞标序幕，可能有多个州角逐该设施。莫里西表示，该州将组建正式提案，突出费尔蒙特的基础设施、生活品质与现有联邦合作基础。
马里恩县（Marion County）的经济发展官员对消息表示欢迎，称这次竞标是多年来将该地区打造为科技走廊的努力的延续。学院选址决定预计还需数月。
West Virginia to Compete for Proposed U.S. Space Academy
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Oct. 7 that the state will compete to host the proposed U.S. Space Academy, a federal institution envisioned to train the next generation of space professionals, EIN News reported.
Morrisey said West Virginia — and Fairmont in particular — is well positioned for the academy, pointing to the state's aerospace heritage, research universities and skilled workforce. Fairmont is already home to NASA's Independent Verification and Validation facility, a major federal presence that anchors the region's technology sector, as well as a growing cluster of aerospace and defense contractors.
The proposed academy would be a first-of-its-kind federal institution dedicated to space education and workforce development, modeled in concept on the service academies. State officials said landing the academy would bring significant federal investment, construction jobs and long-term employment to North Central West Virginia, a region that has worked to diversify beyond coal.
The announcement kicks off what is expected to be a competitive national bidding process, with multiple states likely to vie for the facility. Morrisey said the state would assemble a formal proposal highlighting Fairmont's infrastructure, quality of life and existing federal partnerships.
Economic development officials in Marion County welcomed the news, saying the bid builds on years of effort to brand the region as a technology corridor. A decision on the academy's location is not expected for many months.
图片来源：图：费尔蒙特的NASA凯瑟琳·约翰逊独立验证与确认（IV&V）设施。摄影：NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / NASA/IV&V，公有领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons
