( Added: January 18, 2010 )  -  The countdown is underway for the 4th annual Shoot for the Moon contest, sponsored by ComEd and the Adler Planetarium. The contest asks students and teachers to write compelling essays about overcoming an obstacle in their lives. One high school student and one teacher will be awarded a grand prize trip to Space Camp in Alabama. The deadline for entries is January 31, 2010.

This year's topic was chosen to honor retired astronaut Captain James A. Lovell, Jr., commander of the Apollo 13 mission and the first person to journey twice to the moon. During the missions, Lovell overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles on board Apollo 13 to return the spacecraft and its crew safely home.

ComEd is a sponsor of the Adler's permanent exhibition, Shoot for the Moon, which highlights the exciting stories of space exploration and American's bold plans to return to the moon. The exhibition features the Gemini 12 spacecraft and Lovell Collection of personal space artifacts. As an extension of the sponsorship, ComEd is encouraging high school students and teachers throughout its service territory to draft a 200-word essay about overcoming an obstacle in their lives.

Participating students and teachers will have the opportunity to win one of three exciting prizes including:

-- Grand Prize: Separate, all-expenses paid trip to Space Camp at the U.S.
Rock and Space Center in Alabama will be awarded to one student and one
teacher.

-- Runner-Up Prizes: One-year family membership to the Adler Planetarium
will be awarded to two students and two teachers.

Teacher and student entries are separate; winning teacher and student do not have to come from the same school. The winning teacher does not have to be the teacher of the winning student.

Students and teachers can sign up for the contest by visiting www.ComEd.com/moon. Entries must be submitted by January 31, 2010. The winners will be announced April 1, 2010.