GRC NEWS RELEASE 00-015 00-015 March 15, 2000 Barbara Kakiris Media Relations Office (216) 433-2513 barbara.l.kakiris@grc.nasa.gov Lori J. Rachul Media Relations Office (216) 433-8806 lori.j.rachul@grc.nasa.gov

Aerospace Laboratory Opening Encourages Students to Reach for the Stars with NASA Glenn’s Help

On Thursday, March 16, another step will be taken towards pioneering the technology forefront with the dedication of an aerospace laboratory at the Anne Beers Elementary School in Washington, DC. The new educational resource, which enables students and teachers to perform innovative activities such as flying simulated space shuttle missions, is the result of a partnership between Beers, NASA Glenn Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Orchard Elementary School and the University of the District of Columbia. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at Beers, located at 3600 Alabama Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C. NASA dignitaries will join former Congressman Louis Stokes, other government officials and Beers staff to participate in the event. "The collaboration between Glenn and Goddard serves as a catalyst for combining resources and technology to address the proficiency levels of the underserved community," said John M. Hairston, jr., director of External Programs at NASA Glenn. The state-of-the-art laboratory boasts unique features that transport students from their traditional classroom setting to a simulated Shuttle Cockpit and Mission Control. Its NASA-developed curriculum involves students in activities that vary from launching and landing Shuttle missions to stargazing under the dome of the lab’s planetarium. The facility will be named the Congressman Louis Stokes Aeronautics Laboratory in honor of the man who originally announced the highly successful partnership in 1998. Numerous positive outcomes have resulted from the collaboration. In addition to assisting with the new lab opening, Glenn and Goddard have provided the means and support for establishing a Science, Engineering, Mathematics curriculum at Beers as well as a distance learning program between Beers and Orchard Elementary School in Cleveland, OH. ### -end-