CLEVELAND — NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland will offer tours of its laboratory and testing facilities two Saturdays a month from April through October.
The free tours are open to U.S. citizens of all ages. Tour space is limited and reservations are required to guarantee admission. Reservations can be made 30 days in advance or at least one day before the actual tour date. To register, visitors should call 216-433-9653.
A tour bus will depart from Glenn’s Briefing Center every hour beginning at 10:30 a.m. The last tour departs at 1:30 p.m. Each tour lasts about 25 minutes and is followed by a stop at Glenn’s gift shop. Visitors with special needs are permitted to use their own vehicles, but must follow the tour bus at all times. Most research facilities are wheelchair accessible; however, some have limited accessibility.
The tours will give visitors a chance to learn about some of center’s capabilities and to talk with engineers who work in the facility or run experiments. “We want our neighbors to know that Glenn is a world class research center, a gemstone in northeastern Ohio,” said Mike Foreman, Glenn’s chief of External Programs Division. “Visiting Glenn’s facilities might be the inspiration a child needs to guide him or her toward a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.”
The facility tours scheduled for 2011 are:
April 2: Glenn’s Graphics Visualization and Virtual Reality Laboratories are companion facilities that provide advanced computer imaging and scientific visualization services to NASA’s scientists and engineers.
April 16, May 21, June 18, July 16, Aug. 20, Sept. 17, Oct.15: Zero Gravity Research Facility is a premier facility used for exploring weightlessness, or microgravity, on Earth. It is the largest facility of its kind in the world.
May 7: Green Lab Research Facility focuses on processes that use biofuels as an alternative energy source for commercial aviation.
June 4: Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory is designed for aircraft noise-reduction testing and engine nozzle and fan components acoustic and performance research.
July 9: 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel provides researchers an opportunity to explore higher speed regions of flight. It is NASA’s only transonic propulsion wind tunnel.
Aug. 6: Flight Research Building, also known as Glenn’s aircraft hangar, is one of the center’s original facilities built in the early 1940s. Visitors will discover unique aircraft that are used in flight research testing.
Sept. 10: Simulated Lunar Operations, or SLOPE, facility houses a “sandbox” that is 20 feet wide by 60 feet long, where Glenn researchers improve the mobility of moon rovers with the aid of simulated lunar soil.
Oct. 1: Exercise Countermeasures Laboratory is where scientists and engineers conduct exercise routines, test exercise equipment and examine the effectiveness of exercise and microgravity on astronauts.
Glenn is located at 21000 Brookpark Road. All adult visitors must present government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license, upon entering the center’s main gate, and all vehicles are subject to inspection.
For more information about Glenn’s tours, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/events/tours.html
For information on NASA’s visitor policies, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/visit_grc_security_policy.html
For information about NASA’s Glenn Research Center, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/glenn
