Visiting NASA

    Facility Tours

    Have you ever wondered where NASA develops and tests cutting-edge air and space technology? Here's your chance to find out. From April through October, the NASA Glenn Research Center offers public tours of its research facilities on the first Saturday of each month. Make your reservation to see Glenn's world-class test facilities -- call 216-433-9653 up to one month in advance.

    • A tour bus will be provided at the Visitor Center. Handicapped visitors are welcome to use their own vehicles that must follow the tour bus to the tour stop and back. Please state this preference when registering as some facilities may not be accessible.
    • Access to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center is limited to U.S. citizens and foreign national students in Grades K-12.
    • All adult visitors are required to present government-issued photo identification.
    • Please read our Visitor Security Policy before your tour.

Tour Schedule

  • Ares Rocket

    Rocket Manufacturing Facility

    04.04.09 - See inside the building where Glenn built the upper stage simulator for the Ares I-X test rocket. Scheduled for launch in 2009, this will be the first flight test vehicle of NASA's next generation of rockets.

  • Photo of acoustical research dome.

    The Dome of Silence

    05.16.09 - Join us for a tour of the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, an echo-free dome designed for aircraft noise-reduction testing. Find out how the dome's unique structure protects surrounding communities from the loud testing performed inside it.

  • Photo shows people outside the NASA Hangar.

    Research in Flight

    06.06.09 - Also known as the hangar, the Flight Research Building houses NASA Glenn's unique research aircraft. Come inside to see an S-3B Viking and other NASA planes.

  • Footprint on the moon

    40th Anniversary of Apollo 11

    07.18.09 - Tour the Glenn facilities that contributed to the Apollo missions. Admission will be granted on a first come, first-served basis. Advanced registration is not required. Please check this web site in June for a list of tour stops.

  • Photo of tour of Glenn's Zero Gravity Research Facility

    Explore the Drop Zone

    08.01.09 - Scientists come from around the world to study the effects of microgravity in the Zero Gravity Research Facility. See how experiments become weightless in this unique facility.

  • Propulsion Systems Laboratory

    The Power of Propulsion

    09.05.09 - Tour the Propulsion Systems Laboratory to see the two test chambers and control room NASA uses to test aircraft and spacecraft engines.

  • lunar rover

    Lunar Slope

    10.03.09 - The Simulated Lunar Operations (SLOPE) facility is home to a 60-foot long sandpit full of fake lunar soil. See how Glenn engineers use SLOPE to test moon rovers.