NASA Glenn Brings Space Communications into Full View at Great Lakes Science Center

CLEVELAND–Helping to inspire and educate the next generation of scientists and engineers, three new exhibits about NASA Glenn Research Center’s high tech work are on display at Great Lakes Science Center, home of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center.

The main exhibit, located in the entrance of the special exhibition, Frogs! A Chorus of Colors, features Science On a Sphere, a room-sized global display system developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that uses computers and projectors to display bright, vivid illuminations and simulated data onto a suspended six-foot diameter globe. The exhibit provides audiences with an inside look into NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program. The featured animation, developed at NASA Glenn, shows NASA communication assets interacting with various space missions simultaneously across the three networks–Near Earth, Space and Deep Space.

Also on display is the SCaN Testbed Exhibit, featuring a 1/2 scale model of the SCaN Testbed that was launched to the International Space Station aboard the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s H-IIB Transfer Vehicle (HTV-3) on July 20, 2012 at 10:08 pm. The SCaN Testbed was designed and built at Glenn and provides an orbiting laboratory for the development of Software Defined Radio technology.

In the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, a new hyperwall exhibit is on display. The hyperwall consists of six 46″ LCD screens and enhanced surround sound, creating the ultimate viewing environment for families of all ages. The massive video wall provides the perfect canvas to watch NASA events and milestones, including the awe-inspiring movie clip “Walking in the Air,” the International Space Station flying over the Earth at night and the memorable July 20, 2012 launch of the SCaN Testbed.

The Science On a Sphere, SCaN Testbed, and hyperwall exhibits are on display now through January 1, 2013.

For more information about Glenn, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/glenn

For more information about Great Lakes Science Center, visit: http://www.GreatScience.com