Official Nasa Communication 05-017 Ohio Astronauts

May 10, 2005 Sally Harrington Media Relations Office 216-433-2037 [email protected] RELEASE: 05-017 OHIO ASTRONAUTS AND INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FEATURED AT NASA GLENN'S VISITOR CENTER Meet one of the 24 Ohio astronauts and also catch a glimpse of how astronauts live and work on the International Space Station as you walk through the interactive exhibit, "Space Station Imagination" at NASA Glenn Research Center's Visitor Center on Saturday, May 21. Cleveland-born astronaut Don Thomas will give three presentations at this "Third Saturday" program on "Ohio Astronauts". At 10 a.m. he will talk about How to Become an Astronaut, at noon about the impact astronauts from the Buckeye State have had on the space program and at 2 p.m. about the International Space Station and the Vision for Space Exploration. He also will be available to sign autographs before and after his presentations. Thomas is a veteran of four space flights and has logged over 1,040 hours in space. In 1995 Thomas was one of four crew members out of a five-member crew with hometowns in Ohio. The fifth crew member was made an honorary Ohio citizen by then Governor George Voinovich. The Visitor Center will have extended hours for this event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Advance registration will guarantee admission to the presentations. Call 216-433-9653 to register. Throughout the day free souvenir photos will be available at the "Picture Yourself as an Astronaut" digital photo booth and kids can participate in "make and take" crafts. A Webcast will stream live video and audio of the three presentations on the Internet. To tune in to the Webcast, all that is required is a computer with an internet connection and the free real player software. To view any of the three presentations, log onto http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/education/DonThomas_Event.html. There are a limited number of connections to each of the presentations. Space Station Imagination, which will be at Glenn from May 21 to June

6, is comprised of two 48-foot trailers linked in an L-shape to form two modules of the Space Station: the Habitation Module, or living quarters, where the astronauts sleep, eat and tend to personal hygiene, and the Laboratory Module where multiple microgravity experiments are performed. Visitors do not see exact replicas of what the modules look like but rather examples of features of the Habitation and Laboratory modules. Animatronic "astronaut" Dr. Emily greets visitors as she awakens to start her day on board this international orbiting laboratory. Displays show how a space toilet and shower work like vacuum cleaners with very little gravity, as well as how astronauts eat and sleep aboard the Space Station. A centrifuge displays how scientists might study the effects of varying levels of gravity on plants, animals and materials. Using some actual footage from the Space Station, three video presentations, about five minutes in length, entertain and inform viewers with the story of human space exploration and the International Space Station Program. The complete tour of the exhibit takes about 20 minutes. Admission to the Visitor Center is free and is wheelchair accessible, as is Space Station Imagination. While Space Station Imagination is at Glenn it will be open during normal hours of operation at the Visitor Center: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. As of May 1 access to the Glenn Visitor Center is limited to U.S. citizens. All adult visitors must present a government-issued, photo identification upon entering the Main Gate of the Center. All vehicles are subject to inspection. For more information on Glenn's Visitor Center including regular hours of operation, tours and future events, please visit: http://visit.grc.nasa.gov

For more information about the International Space Station, its crews and missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

For print quality photos of Don Thomas and the Space Station Imagination, go to: http//www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/news/2005/05-017addm.html -end-