GRC NEWS RELEASE 00-038 00-038 For Release: June 22, 2000 Sally Harrington Media Relations Office (216) 433-2037 s.harrington@grc.nasa.gov

Take an Adventure in Aeronautics at Glenn Research Center

The public is invited to take an “Adventure in Aeronautics” at the NASA Glenn Research Center Visitor Center on Saturday, June 24, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The adventure celebrates the grand opening of the Visitor Center’s new Aeronautics Gallery. Activities include taking a tour of the Icing Research Tunnel,having a souvenir photograph taken, participating in demonstrations, seeing the Learjet research aircraft and much more. The newly designed, interactive Aeronautics Gallery invites visitors to discover what the scientists and engineers at Glenn are doing in the area of aeronautics research. It has been created for visitors of all ages to learn and have fun. Sit in a cockpit-like environment and take off on an adventure to explore the wonders of flight. As pilot-in-command, learn about aeropropulsion research conducted at Glenn. After the preflight check-out is completed, “fly" at whatever speed you select--subsonic, supersonic or hypersonic. “Interactive displays and exhibits help the visitors understand what we do here at Glenn and how we are impacting their lives,” said Susan Johnson, the project manager for the development of the new Aeronautics Gallery. Several other galleries in the Visitor Center have been redesigned to keep pace with past and present NASA missions. Throughout the eight galleries, exhibits and informative displays give visitors a unique educational experience featuring NASA’s aerospace programs. Have a “long distance” conversation in the Space Communications Gallery, then venture over to the Microgravity Laboratory to take the mystery out of microgravity by conducting an experiment using the drop tower. Spend some time at the John Glenn Gallery to relive his historic mercury flight and his role in the STS-95 mission. Attendees are invited to explore the several galleries of the Visitor Center throughout the weekend. In addition to Saturday’s event, the Visitor Center will be open as always on Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m. It is wheelchair accessible except for a small portion--the upstairs balcony. Admission is free. Media planning to attend this event should respond by calling Sally Harrington or the Media Relations Office at (216) 433-2901. # # # Print-quality images are available at http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/PAO/pressrel/2000/00-038addm.html -end-