The media are invited to attend the dedication ceremony of the Shuttle/Centaur G-Prime Upper Stage Rocket display on Friday, May 6, from 9 to 11 a.m., at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Centaur is the world’s first high-energy upper stage rocket to burn liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. NASA Glenn, then NASA Lewis Research Center, was responsible for the design and development of the Centaur.
The 6,600-pound test article may be the sole surviving Centaur G-Prime configuration. This rare artifact was recently transported from Huntsville, Alabama, where it was on display for many years at Huntsville’s U.S. Space and Rocket Center.
Designed to be launched from the cargo bay of an orbiting space shuttle, the Shuttle/Centaur G-Prime Upper Stage Rocket was developed between 1981 to 1986 to launch performance-demanding interplanetary missions such as the Galileo mission to Jupiter and national security payloads. Although the Shuttle/Centaur program was cancelled following the Challenger accident in 1986, the G-Prime configuration was quickly adopted by the U.S. Air Force and integrated into their new Titan IV launch vehicle booster.
The dedication ceremony will include comments from Glenn Center Director Dr. Janet Kavandi, former Center Director Lawrence Ross, former USAF Shuttle/Centaur Integration Manager Donald Palac and former Titan IV Mission Manager Colonel Elena Oberg. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at the site of the outdoor display following the presentations.
Media representatives interested in attending the dedication should contact Lori Rachul at 216-433-8806 or the Media Relations Office at 216-433-2901 by 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, to be cleared through security.
This and other large outdoor exhibits will be available for public viewing during Glenn’s 75th Anniversary Open House, May 21 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
