GRC NEWS RELEASE 99-82




99-82



For Release: October 27, 1999



Sally V. Harrington
NASA Glenn Research Center
(BUS: 216-433-2037)

<h3>NASA Glenn's Plum Brook Station to Host Community Information 
Session on Decommissioning Closed Reactor Facility</h3> The public is 
invited to learn more about the decommissioning of the closed Reactor 
Facility at NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station during a 
Community Information Session to be held on Wednesday, November 3, 
from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Firelands College Student Lounge (located in 
the West Building) in Huron, OH. 

"We want to share our plans for safely decommissioning the closed 
Reactor Facility," said Glenn's Decommissioning Project Manager Tim 
Polich. "Our aim is to create a comfortable, informal atmosphere 
where we can share this information and respond to any questions or 
concerns."



Attendees will be invited to browse through a series of displays, 
which illustrate the decommissioning process in detail. Glenn and 
Plum Brook staff will be on hand to guide visitors through the 
display, discuss the process, provide additional information and 
answer community members' questions.



According to Plum Brook Station General Manager and long-time Sandusky 
resident, Bob Kozar, this event is part of NASA's ongoing efforts to 
provide public access to information about the site. "If you are 
unable to attend our Open House and Tour on Saturday, October 30, the 
Community Information Session is another way for us to share 
information just on the decommissioning," he said.



The closed Reactor Facility has been in safe, dry and protected 
storage, held under a 'Possess But Do Not Operate' license agreement 
with the NRC, since operations were suspended and the fuel was safely 
removed in 1973. The facility contains a 60-megawatt nuclear reactor 
and a 100-kilowatt mockup reactor that were used to study the effects 
of radiation on materials used in space flight, from 1962 to 1973.



"Our goal was to pick the safest and most thorough alternative," said 
Polich. "We'll be dismantling the facility parts, decontaminating and 
removing equipment, and safely transporting the material to a 
licensed disposal facility."



Since 1958, NASA Glenn Research Center has used the world-class 
aerospace testing facilities at Plum Brook Station to test highly 
specialized space-bound hardware used in the Titan IV, the Mars 
Pathfinder Air Bag Landing System, the 
/centers/glenn/projects/issgrc.html and numerous other cutting edge 
technologies.



Firelands College is located just south of Route 2 at the Rye Beach 
Exit. For further information, call(216) 433-8777 in the Cleveland 
area or (419) 621-3371 in the Sandusky area.





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