NASA is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2018. To commemorate  the occasion, the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland will hold a full-day tour of the center’s main campus for up to 200 ticket holders on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The tour will include round-trip transportation from the Great Lakes Science Center to Glenn, where guests will be greeted by an astronaut, stop at Glenn’s gift shop, get a behind-the-scenes look at several facilities where Glenn researchers contribute to the nation’s aeronautics and space exploration programs and receive a free snapshot at the “Picture Yourself in Space” photo booth.

To participate, guests must have a ticket, called a “Golden Astronaut.” At least two tickets, will be randomly distributed at select events over the next four months, including the Main Street Wadsworth First Friday event on May 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. and the International Women’s Air and Space Museum Family Day on Saturday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Other opportunities to get a Golden Astronaut ticket will be posted on Glenn’s website as events are confirmed.

Each Golden Astronaut ticket is an invitation to register up to four guests, including the ticket holder (subject to restrictions), for this one-of-a-kind tour of the research center.

Ticket holders must register their parties online between May 1 and Aug. 31.

All tour guests must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents age 10 or older.

NASA employees, contractors and other NASA-badged individuals are not eligible to participate in the tour, nor are employees of the organizations hosting related events.

Admission to the NASA Glenn tour is subject to additional security restrictions and requirements including proper photo identification.
Distribution of tickets is random and determined by NASA in consultation with its contractors and event hosts.

For those who don’t have a Golden Astronaut ticket, Glenn will host an anniversary celebration in its NASA Glenn Visitor Center at the Great Lakes Science Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29. The event is open to the public and will feature science demonstrations and a NASA astronaut appearance. General admission rates to the Great Lakes Science Center will apply.

In 2018, NASA is marking the 60th anniversary of its establishment as a U.S. government agency. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed NASA’s founding legislation, the 1958 National Aeronautics and Space Act, on July 29, 1958. NASA considers its birthday to be

Oct. 1, the day the agency opened for business.