 |  | | | | NASA Glenn Visitor Center Galleries
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The NASA Glenn Visitor Center is home to an auditorium, gift shop and six galleries covering 6,000 square feet. It is wheelchair accessible, and admission is free. Visit us Monday through Sunday free of charge to see these exhibits and more.
Aero Adventure
In this interactive experience, visitors of all ages will learn how NASA Glenn is revolutionizing tomorrow's airplane engines. Exhibits introduce the basic concepts of aircraft propulsion as well as the different engine types used in today's vehicles.
Image right: Children learn how NASA Glenn researchers resolve aircraft propulsion challenges at the "Seeking Solutions" station of the Aero Adventure gallery. Credit: NASA
One of the gallery's main attractions, the flight simulator puts visitors in an authentic pilot's seat from a high-performance jet. Don't miss your chance to fly one of several aircraft, ranging from a single propeller plane to a commercial jet.
John Glenn: Tribute to an American Hero
Come and see our tribute to the Glenn Research Center's namesake, space pioneer John Glenn. One of the original Mercury astronauts, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth when he piloted the Mercury Friendship 7 in 1962. Thirty-six years later -- at age 77 -- he returned to space on the shuttle Discovery.
Look back on John Glenn's historic Mercury flight and his role in the STS-95 shuttle mission. You'll find photo exhibits, spacecraft models and two spacesuit replicas. Compare Glenn's silver Mercury spacesuit to his orange shuttle launch and entry suit. A multimedia kiosk gives detailed biographical information.
 The Apollo Era
Our most popular exhibit, the Apollo Command Module used on Skylab 3, is a tribute to Glenn's many contributions to the Apollo program. The module carried three astronauts to Skylab, NASA's first space station.
Image left: A mother tells her son about the Apollo astronauts, as they look at a real moon rock returned from an Apollo mission.
Our Apollo exhibits also include a model of the Saturn V rockets that launched the Apollo vehicles into space and a real moon rock.
Space Flight
The Glenn Visitor Center is home to a broad collection of interactive shuttle and space station exhibits. Guests can conduct microgravity experiments in a drop tower and count down to a simulated rocket launch at the "Launch Control Center."
You can even try out the module that the Columbia crew used to train for STS-107, right here in Cleveland. Dedicated to the late crew's memory, the Combustion Module-2 Crew Trainer exhibit explains the scientific experiments these heroes conducted on their mission.
Solar System
Using splendid images and sounds, this gallery describes the sun, planets and moons of our solar system. It explores such compelling topics as "Is there life on Mars" and includes a life-size model of the Mars Pathfinder rover named Sojourner. Visitors can stand on the solar system scale to find out how much they weigh on Earth, the eight other planets and the moon.
Image right: NASA Glenn visitors examine a model of a Mars Pathfinder rover in the Solar System gallery. Credit: NASA
Space Communications
The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) was launched into Earth's orbit aboard the shuttle in 1993. Developed by NASA Glenn, it transmitted signals all over North and South America at high speeds. This exhibit compares ACTS with conventional communication satellites, while interactive video bays simulate a videoconference using satellite technology.
The NASA Glenn Amateur Radio Club also operates a satellite station from the Visitor Center. The station can be heard on N8VC.
Auditorium
The Visitor Center also houses an auditorium that seats up to 125 people. The auditorium is equipped with a large video screen used for regularly scheduled videos about NASA programs and live broadcasts of space shuttle launches, in-flight activities and landings.
More Information:
+ Image Gallery
+ Hours of Operation
+ Visitor Center
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