Talking about development of a U.S. ballistic missile defense system at Mississippi State University Friday were (l-r) David Marcum, director of MSU's ERC/Computational Simulation and Design Center; U.S. Congressman Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Craig Staresinich, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Mission Systems; and Keith Payne, president of the National Institute for Public Policy. MSU engineers, in partnership with Northrop Grumman, are determining effective ways to launch defensive missiles at sea.