posted 01-26-2012 11:55 AM               

Save the Date: Celebrating John Glenn's Legacy: 50 Years of Americans in Orbit

All NASA Glenn employees are invited to attend a very special event that will pay tribute to the Honorable Senator John Glenn and the 50th anniversary of his historic flight aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962.

The celebration will be held on Friday, March 2, 2012 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Cleveland State University Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland. More details about this event will be made available in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

posted 01-26-2012 11:58 AM               

[Director of NASA Glenn Research Center Ray] Lugo said NASA had planned to hold the event in a hangar at the Glenn Research Center in Brook Park, but it holds only 1,500 people.

"It is my feeling that there ought to be an opportunity for John Q Public to attend this event," he said. "And I really wanted to see some young people get an opportunity to be there. I was 5 years old when John Glenn had his first flight and I can remember it like it was yesterday. This is a great opportunity for kids in the Cleveland area to witness history."

Lugo contacted CSU to ask if the university would host the event. A portion of the Wolstein Center will be used to seat about 2,500 people...

CSU will soon provide information on its website, csuohio.edu, about an online lottery for tickets.

posted 02-01-2012 10:16 AM               

NASA Glenn To Host Tweetup Celebrating 50th Anniversary Of First American To Orbit Earth

NASA's Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland will host a special event on March 2 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of John Glenn's first orbital flight by an American. NASA also will invite 100 people for a behind-the-scenes Tweetup at GRC in advance of the celebration event.

The Tweetup activities begin at 7:30 a.m. EST with a tour of Glenn's world-class flight research and ground test facilities that support aeronautics and space exploration. Participants will speak with scientists and engineers about technologies being investigated and developed.

Following the tours, the Tweetup will move to downtown Cleveland for the Glenn tribute event. "Celebrating John Glenn's Legacy: 50 years of Americans in Orbit," will be held at 1 p.m. at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center. The program will include a video tribute and remarks by Glenn and agency and political officials. Tweetup participants also will meet astronaut Greg "Box" Johnson and other special guests.

On March 1, 1999, the Lewis Research Center was officially renamed the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in recognition of Glenn's contributions to science, space and the State of Ohio. As one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Glenn trained in 1960 at Lewis in the Multiple Axis Space Test Inertia Facility.

Today, the center's research and technology development work focuses on air-breathing propulsion; communications; in-space propulsion and cryogenic fluids management; power, energy storage and conversion; materials and structures for extreme environments; and physical sciences and biomedical technologies in space.

Tweetup registration opens at noon on Friday, Feb. 3, and closes at noon on Monday, Feb. 6. NASA will select 100 total participants, including Twitter followers and their guests, by lottery from those who register online. Because Glenn is a government facility with restricted access, the event is open only to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

posted 02-22-2012 02:22 PM               

Celebrating John Glenn's Legacy: 50 Years of Americans in Orbit

Friday, March 2, 2012
1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Doors open at noon
Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Center
2000 Prospect Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio

On February 20, 1962, astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. became the first American to orbit the earth, circling the globe three times as commander of the Friendship 7 spacecraft. In 1998, at age 77, he became the oldest person to fly in space.

NASA will honor this American hero, celebrate his historical achievements and remarkable career, and salute 50 Years of Americans in Orbit at a special March 2 event at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center

Glenn, fellow astronauts, NASA officials and other dignitaries will be on hand for the program, which will include video presentations and personal recollections by Glenn and other space pioneers.

Now 90 years old, Glenn is a native Ohioan and military hero who went on to a distinguished 25-year career as U.S. Senator from Ohio.

CSU has a limited number of complimentary tickets available for faculty, staff, students and the public. Tickets will be distributed by lottery only.

posted 02-27-2012 06:02 PM               

NASA Glenn Event to Celebrate John Glenn's Legacy on March 2

NASA's Glenn Research Center will host an event on March 2 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of John Glenn's orbital flight, the first by an American.

"Celebrating John Glenn's Legacy: 50 Years of Americans in Orbit" will be held at 1 p.m. EST at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center, 2000 Prospect Ave., in Cleveland. More than 800 complimentary tickets are being distributed to the general public for this event through a lottery by Cleveland State University in partnership with NASA Glenn.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Glenn Director Ramon "Ray" Lugo will provide remarks during the one-hour program, which will include a welcome from Cleveland State University President Dr. Ronald Berkman. Space shuttle mission STS-95 pilot Steve Lindsey will pay tribute from the astronaut corps to Glenn. The program will culminate with a keynote address by the guest of honor Sen. John H. Glenn Jr.

Musical performances will be provided by the Cleveland Institute of Music, The Singing Angels and a soloist from Cleveland State University's music program. Doors open at noon and a special pre-program musical performance by the Cleveland Institute of Music will begin at 12:15 p.m., followed by a video tribute to Glenn.

"This is a great opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate the achievements of John Glenn," Lugo said. "We are delighted to combine the 50th anniversary celebration with the anniversary of the center renaming. The inspiration that John Glenn gives to millions of people along with the pioneering spirit that lives in the hearts of all who work at the center will continue to keep our nation on the path of exploration and discovery."

On March 1, 1999, the Lewis Research Center was officially renamed the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in recognition of Glenn's contributions to science, space and the state of Ohio. As one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Glenn trained in 1960 at Lewis in the Multiple Axis Space Test Inertia Facility.

Others attending the tribute event include agency officials, Ohio astronauts, NASA employees and contractors, elected officials, several hundred high school students throughout northeast Ohio, and 100 Twitter followers selected to participate in a day-long Tweetup event that includes tours of NASA Glenn and its visitor center at the Great Lakes Science Center.

Following the program, Glenn, Bolden and Lugo will participate in a news media opportunity and question and answer session with the Tweetup participants.

The program and media opportunity will be carried live on NASA Television and streamed online.

posted 02-28-2012 09:06 AM            

Lottery tickets will be issued on the day of the event, general admission, first come, first served.