May 10, 2005

Sally Harrington
Media Relations Office
216-433-2037
Sallie.V.Harrington@nasa.gov
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

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