VOLUME 23 • ISSUE 2 • FEBRUARY 2021

Plum Brook

Renamed for

Neil Armstrong

Page 5

Refurbishing ERB 

Test Cells

Pages 6–7

Love Your

“Evolving” Library 

Page 9

Celebrating

Successes in 2020 

Pages 2–3
2

AeroSpace Frontiers

is an official publication of Glenn Research 

Center, National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration. It is published the second 

Friday of each month by the Office of 

Communications & External Relations 

in the interest of the Glenn workforce, 

retirees, government officials, business 

leaders and the general public. 

Submit short articles and calendar items 

to the editor at doreen.b.zudell@nasa.gov. 

Editor: Doreen B. Zudell, ATS, 

 216–433–5317

Design: Rhys Sampson, ATS

Managing Editor: Kelly R. DiFrancesco

Circulation: Angela Williams, ATS, 

 216–433–8921

Day of Remembrance 

This year marks the 80th 

anniversary of the Glenn 

Research Center. As we proudly 

celebrate our rich history and 

accomplishments, we must not 

forget the hard lessons learned 

and sacrifices made along the way. 

In late January, we remembered 

the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger, 

and Columbia during our annual 

Day of Remembrance. Their 

ultimate sacrifice has driven our 

culture of safety and excellence, 

and we honor them by continuing 

to vigorously address safety in 

spaceflight and in all that we do. 

Thank you for your dedication to a 

safety culture.

Center Marks Year of

Challenges and Successes

Employees Rise to the Call

Despite a year of unprecedented 

challenges, NASA Glenn employees 

maneuvered through the obstacles, 

enabling many science and technology 

advancements. During the virtual End of 

Year Town Hall on Dec. 14, senior leaders 

and employees across the center paused 

to celebrate those achievements and 

recognize our resilience.

Center Director Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis 

kicked off the event by thanking employees 

for their flexibility and commitment to 

adapting to a new work structure. She 

acknowledged senior leadership’s hard 

work in shaping those specifics during 

the pandemic and noted the various roles 

Associate Director Larry Sivic played in 

guiding this process.

“Today we celebrate all the accomplishments [as a team] of the past year,” PérezDavis said. She then introduced a video, 

“2020 Year In Review: Celebrating Our 

Accomplishments,” which supported these 

successes. 

In addition to showcasing science and 

aeronautics achievements, the video 

highlighted employees’ honors, innovation 

and partnerships, facility construction and 

renovation, and pandemic-related research. 

It concluded with sections that highlighted 

On the Cover: 

Technician Tanner Trent checks a power connection 

from an inverter to a motor in Glenn’s NASA Electric 

Aircraft Testbed (NEAT) facility. Located at NASA’s 

Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility, NEAT is a high-power, 

altitude-capable testbed for hybrid-electric aircraft 

components and systems.

GRC-2020-C-03255

Photo by Sage Amato

DIRECTOR’S

SAFETY CORNER

Senior leaders extended well-wishes to employees during the town hall.

GRC-2021-CN-00003 Photos by Jef Janis/Composite by Barbara Madej
NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft arrived at Mansfield Lahm Regional 

Airport in November 2019 with the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I 

aboard. Glenn conducted a 4-month environmental test campaign at 

Plum Brook Station (now NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility).

The center celebrated the groundbreaking for the Aerospace Communications Facility in March 2020. 

Glenn researchers worked with University Hospitals doctors in the spring 

and summer on an ozone sterilization system for COVID–19. Pictured, 

left to right: Sharon Miller, Bruce Banks, and Frank Lam.

GRC-2020-CN-00040 Photo by Juan Agui

FEBRUARY 2021

3

working in new ways, promoting comradery and enabling us to 

move forward with NASA’s mission.

Pérez-Davis shared slides outlining a number of significant 

activities and events scheduled for the fiscal year’s first and 

second quarters. Glenn’s 2021 top priorities are as follows:

Space

• Artemis I/Orion.

• Power and Propulsion Element and Advanced Electric 

Propulsion System.

• International Space Station Flow Boiling and Condensation 

Experiment. 

• Nuclear Fission and Radioisotope Power Systems.

Aeronautics

• Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core. 

• Electrified Aircraft Power Systems and Thermal Management 

Technology Development.

• Low-Boom Flight Demonstration, 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic 

Wind Tunnel Testing.

Institution 

• Enable Future of Work Possibilities and Digital Transformation.

• Invest in Institutional Infrastructure to maintain operational 

readiness for Glenn’s world-class facilities and capabilities.

• Adapt center organizational structure to support the agency 

Mission Support operating model and Mission Directorate

program/project assignments.

External Partnerships

• Develop partnership opportunities that promote innovation, 

NASA technology commercialization, and small business growth 

within Ohio and surrounding states.

• Enhance communication and collaboration with industry, 

academia, government, and other federal research laboratories 

throughout the Midwest region.

This slide presentation was followed by a video of senior leaders 

extending end-of-year well-wishes to employees. 

Pérez-Davis closed the event by noting the kind words and support 

she has received for her virtual town hall meetings, which helped 

keep employees informed and connected. 

“Despite trying times ... facing uncertainty ... we have 

accomplished so much,” she affirmed. “Together we are stronger.”

By Doreen B. Zudell

GRC-2019-C-11993 Photo by Jef Janis

GRC-2020-C-01135 Photo by Marvin Smith
4

NEWS AND EVENTS

Technology Aids People With Disabilities 

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that federal agencies’ electronic 

and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities, including 

employees and members of the public. On Nov. 17, Glenn’s 2020 National 

Disability Employment Awareness Month event featured Jill Noble, Glenn’s 508 

coordinator. Noble demonstrated various assistive technology and devices to 

help individuals with disabilities perform on the job and live independent lives. 

Glenn’s Disability Awareness Advisory Group and the Office of Diversity and 

Equal Opportunity partnered for the event.

GRC-2021-CN-00007

GRC-2021-CN-00001 Illustrated by Craighton Berman

Noble demonstrates a refreshable Braille display 

device, which plugs into a computer to enable 

a person who is blind to read 40 characters at a 

time on their computer screen.

An illustrator captures a panel discussion on “Social Isolation and Self Care: 

Managing Well-being in Space and at Home.” Gilkey participated in this panel.

Innovating With University Hospitals 

NASA and University Hospitals (UH) staff 

explored the parallels between space 

exploration and the next era of health care 

during a virtual conference last November. 

Center Director Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis 

provided opening remarks for the event, 

“New Frontiers: Innovating for Systemness 

and Well-being,” part of UH’s Health 

Ventures’ Health Voyagers Series. Glenn’s 

Deputy Director Susan Motil, along with 

engineer Betsy Turnbull and astronaut Doug 

Wheelock, provided keynote addresses. 

Engineers Kelly Gilkey and Sharon Miller 

served on panels. Topics included Next 

Generation Mission Control, Remote 

Monitoring, Astronautics and Athletics, and 

many more.
FEBRUARY 2021

5

Ohio’s members of Congress have paid tribute to Neil 

Armstrong by renaming Plum Brook Station in his 

honor. Armstrong began his career at NASA Glenn and 

went on to inspire generations of scientists, engineers, 

and explorers. 

“I’m excited to share the news that NASA’s Plum 

Brook Station has been renamed NASA John H. 

Glenn Research Center at the Neil A. Armstrong Test 

Facility,” said Center Director Dr. Marla Pérez-Davis. 

“As the center where he began his NASA career, 

NASA Glenn is proud to share the name of the first 

person to walk on the Moon.”

The center will be working with members of Congress 

on plans to officially unveil the test facility in the near 

future.

Plum Brook

Station Renamed

Neil A. Armstrong

Test Facility

GRC-2021-CN-00006

Photo by NASA

Neil A. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon, was born in 

Wapakoneta, Ohio, on Aug. 5, 1930. He began his NASA career at Glenn.

Steven Dykeman has been selected Director of Glenn’s Human Resources 

Office, effective Dec. 7, 2020. He succeeds Susan Whitfield, who served 

as director since 2019. 

Dykeman previously served as chief of the Human Resources Operations 

Center for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Dykeman is 

retired from the U.S. Army and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology 

from Lyndon State College. He has a Master of Arts in diplomacy and 

international conflict management from Norwich University, and a Master 

of Business Administration with a human resources concentration from 

Southern New Hampshire University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in 

organizational leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University.

Center Welcomes New 

Human Resources Director

Dykeman
Built in 1942, the Engine Research Building (ERB) is the largest and most adaptable test facility complex at Lewis Field, 

with 152,235 square feet of floor space housing more than 60 test rigs. Work is underway to continue ERB’s legacy of 

enabling research by repurposing test cells for work in the area of Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP). 

Several ERB labs have been converted recently to explore machines and drives and representative powertrain systems 

with a hardware-in-the-loop focus. This includes installing fiber optic networks in the cells, then linking them together 

to create a virtual complex. Each cell would be equipped to perform a different aspect of research. 

For example, one of the ERB test cells, SE–2, had been used for research on oil-free foil bearings. The research helped 

foil-bearing technologies to achieve high technology readiness levels for aeronautics applications. 

“The cell was dormant and had hardware suited for evaluations of high-speed rotating components,” explained Susan 

Johnson, Aeronautics Mission Office. “The Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) researchers were able to 

refocus the resources and make modifications needed to enable experimental capability for electric motors and 

magnetic gearing.”

In ERB test cells SW–13 and C–5, the EAP team is investigating the RVLT and vertical takeoff and landing class of 

vehicles from the electric propulsion perspective. Technologies of interest include high-voltage (270 to 1,000 Vdc) 

distribution, high-voltage protection, and advanced motors and drives. A direct current power grid and motor emulators 

will be utilized to provide the ability to reconfigure for different vehicle architectures, evaluate system performance, 

and allow the investigation of faulted conditions. In addition, software tools are being developed that provide detailed 

sizing and performance analysis of integrated vehicle electrical, mechanical, and thermal systems over a defined 

mission profile. The test cells will also enable testing of novel thermal management concepts developed by RVLT.

“NASA is examining the possibility of electrifying air vehicle propulsion systems for vertical lift and fixed-wing vehicles 

in order to help save energy and fuel, provide cost savings, and increase mobility,” said Amy Jankovsky, Aeronautics 

Mission Office. 

GRC-2021-C-00113 Photo by Donald Hammett

Repurposed Test Cells

Advance Aeronautics Research

The High-Performance Electromagnetic Rig (HiPER) facility is a new capability for hardware-in-the-loop testing of 

EAP concepts in test cell SE–17. The HiPER lab is envisioned as being a rapid test capability for EAP concepts that 

span all of the major Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate programs, with planned testing that supports the 

Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core, X–57, and Transformational Tools and Technologies projects.

6
FEBRUARY 2021

GRC-2021-C-00111 Photo by Donald Hammett

GRC-2021-C-00110 GRC-2021-C-00112

Jankovsky said there are weight and safety challenges that must 

be addressed for aeronautics applications. Glenn researchers are 

working on technologies to enable flight-weight electric machines 

that can be used as a motor/generator, geared to a turbine’s shaft

to produce electricity in flight and allow electric assist to the

engines, and also as a motor to drive a fan or propulsor. To drive 

those machines and protect the power system, Glenn is also 

developing advanced power electronics, fault protection, and 

controls techniques. 

“For very large, long-range aircraft, it is likely that superconducting 

technologies will be needed in the machines and power distribution,” 

said Jerry Brown, Rotating and Drive Systems Branch.

To explore fundamental physics related to how superconductors 

actually exhibit losses under alternating current conditions inherent 

to electrical machines, SW–18 has been built up to house a 

superconducting core test rig. The temperature capability of that 

rig extends down to 20 K, the boiling point of liquid hydrogen. This 

covers the range needed for research on the superconducting 

materials expected to be needed for the large aircraft. The core test 

rig produces the same conditions of temperature and magnetic field 

that the materials would experience in those aircraft.

“The ERB has gone through many adaptations over the years,” 

said Facility Manager Gwynn Severt. “While largely an enginecomponents building, it now houses facilities that support space 

research as well. The transition of some of the facilities to spacerelated activities comes from the need to be flexible in our pursuits 

as a center. ERB is a testament to that need. It is the most adaptable 

facility on the lab and has been used throughout the years to support 

the ever-changing goals of the research community at Glenn.” 

Severt said that due to the age of the facility, transitions can be 

challenging. Refurbishments can take time but are an asset to the 

building. They transition unutilized test cells to updated facilities 

and make the building more attractive to other potential users. The 

current transition into the area of EAP is allowing Glenn to again 

adapt dormant ERB facilities to meet planned and projected work 

that contributes to mission programs and projects in the Aeronautics 

Research Mission Directorate.

By Doreen B. Zudell

Technician John Veneziano checks the equipment installation in the ERB SW–13 test cell. It was recently refurbished to conduct propulsion 

power quality experiments for the NASA RVLT program.

This new test rig, which stands over 8 feet tall, measures 

alternating and rotating current losses in superconducting coils. 

Apparatus for conducting testing of superconducting samples and systems. 

7
Glenn’s Technology Transfer Office (TTO) offers a variety of ways to license a NASA technology. TTO identifies the 

ideal license and technology that fit a company based on criteria under four different licenses: commercial, research, 

government use, and the Startup NASA license. 

A commercial license secures rights to make and sell products based on NASA technologies. Each license is negotiated 

on a case-by-case basis, providing the most flexible and business-friendly approach to the broad range of companies and 

industries that license NASA technologies. 

During fiscal year 2020, Aerogel Technologies expanded the exclusivity of their commercial license to increase their 

growing list of applications of Glenn’s suite of polyamide and polyimide aerogel technologies. Their aerogel applications 

range from aviation interiors and rocket fairings to electric

vehicle batteries and consumer electronics. Aerogel

Technologies is even working on applying the suite of

technologies to a line of insulated winter apparel and

footwear. The applications seem endless with this Glenn

technology, making an impact on future space missions

and everyday products.

TTO strives to leverage Glenn’s technologies and make

them commercially available to the private sector through

licensing. NASA technologies moving from mission to

business stimulates the economy, makes U.S. companies 

more competitive, and creates jobs to make research and 

development done at Glenn truly “for the benefit of all.”

TTO will be sharing more information about the different 

types of licenses in future issues of AeroSpace Frontiers. 

For more information on NASA Glenn’s technologies 

available for licensing, visit https://technology.grc.nasa.gov.

 By Lauren Simmers

Although most Glenn employees have been teleworking since March 2020, 

critical tasks such as experiment operations on the International Space 

Station (ISS) continue on-site. An example is the Advanced Combustion 

via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) project, which includes six 

independent investigations of laminar, non-premixed flames of gaseous 

fuels. While astronauts set up the hardware within the Combustion 

Integrated Rack (CIR), the tests are remotely commanded by ACME’s 

operations team. This includes Project Scientist Dennis Stocker, pictured 

in January 2020, from the Glenn ISS Payload Operations Center (GIPOC).

Recent testing was performed as part of a joint study with the University 

of Maryland and Russia’s Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic 

University. It has focused on spacecraft fire safety through an innovative 

investigation of material flammability in atmospheres being considered for 

future spacecraft. On-orbit ACME operations have been underway since 

September 2017 and are expected to conclude this year.

Technology Transfer License Highlight:

Commercial License

On-site Work Underway With ACME

New Airloy polyimide aerogels from Aerogel Technologies. Left top: 

Airloy X116 flexible film; left bottom: high-temperature Airloy HR116 

tape; top right: transparent Airloy X116 thin film; bottom right: 

superinsulating Airloy HR116 insole.

8

GRC-2020-C-00116 Photo by Marvin Smith

GRC-2021-CN-00002 Photo courtesy of Aerogel Technologies
Robin Pertz, Glenn’s Library, History, and Records 

supervisor, takes a look back on some of the library’s 

physical and technological advancements. 

In January 1943, just 2 years after shovels broke ground 

for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) 

Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory (AERL), the center’s 

library first opened its doors in the Administration Building. A 

35- by 60-foot room with large windows and black walnut 

woodwork housed about 900 books and 37 journals. Head 

librarian Phyllis Snyder and engineer Levi Smith, reference

technician for Air Force Technical Orders, served the center’s 

unique research demands. Over the past 78 years, the 

Glenn library has evolved to continue meeting the center’s 

research needs.

The library remained in the Administration Building until 

construction of the Business Service Center in Building 60 

was completed in February 1966. The new space, designed 

by then-director Abe Silverstein, was twice the size of the 

former library. The larger quarters offered additional stack 

“Love Your Library” Month

The Glenn Science and Engineering Library 

Evolves Throughout 78 Years

FEBRUARY 2021

9

The library at the NACA’s AERL in Cleveland was initially located 

in the Administration Building. It housed a wide variety of 

aeronautics-related publications for its research staff to consult.

GRC-1943-C-01844

The library seating area in the RAC today.

GRC-2021-CN-00004 Photo by Robin Pertz

space for some 27,000 books and 150,000 reports and 

materials. Computing and tabulating machines were installed 

in the basement area of the new space.

In 1985, the library took its first steps in electronic card 

cataloging, although the materials themselves were not 

electronic. Everything was barcoded and checked out 

electronically. 

In May of 1989, a steam pipe burst, ruining the entire 

microfiche collection and fusing posters to the walls. While 

the library closed for repairs, Chief George Mandel tasked 

the staff with conducting a full inventory of all checked-out 

materials. 

By 1990, the library was the first NASA center library to use 

OCLC (Online Computer Library Center). This began the shift 

from cataloging based on the Dewey Decimal System to the 

Library of Congress cataloging standards currently followed 

by all NASA libraries.

In 2007, the center converted the Research Analysis Center 

(RAC) Mainframe Computer Equipment Room on the first floor 

to usable office space. Following this conversion, the library, 

learning center, and History Office consolidated and moved in. 

By 2009, the Knowledge Resources and Information Services 

Center was opened in what is now the library’s current location.

As needs of the science community across the world and 

the agency have changed, the Glenn library has evolved to 

meet the needs of its users. During the COVID–19 pandemic, 

library staff at Glenn and across the agency have continued 

to provide remote research support and professional 

development from their home offices. 

As the Glenn Science and Engineering Library celebrates 78 

years of serving its customers, there is more reason than ever 

before to Love Your Library. 

Check Out These Services!

Virtual reference

Research

Citation verification

Business Intelligence/data visualization

Professional development recommendations

Interlibrary loan (currently electronic

materials only)

Copyright guidance
10

RETIREMENTS

Irene Cierchacki, Technology Transfer Office, Office of Technology 

Incubation and Innovation, retired Jan. 1, 2021, with 37 1⁄2 years of 

NASA service.

Susan M. Johnson, Aeronautics Mission Office, Aeronautics 

Directorate, retired Jan. 2, 2021, with 46 1⁄2 years of NASA service.

Robert (Bob) Piccus, Office of Cybersecurity Services, Office of 

Chief Information Officer, retired Jan. 2, 2021, with 10 years of 

NASA service.

Thomas M. Tomsik, Fluid and Cryogenics Systems Branch, 

Propulsion Division, retired Dec. 31, 2020, with 31 years of NASA 

service. 

Dr. Kim Allen Veris, Legislative Affairs Officer, Office of the 

Director, retired Jan. 1, 2021, with 42 years of federal service, 

including 36 with NASA. 

Mark R. Woike, Optics and Photonics Branch, Communications and 

Intelligent Systems Division, retired Dec. 31, 2020, with 33 1⁄2 years 

of NASA service.

Piccus Dr. Veris

Cierchacki Johnson

Werner R. Britsch, 98, a 1988 retiree with 30 years of NASA service, died Dec. 24, 

2020. A World War II U.S. Army veteran, Britsch worked as an engineer in the Compressor 

and Turbine Division, the Chemical Rocket Division, and the Fluids Systems and 

Components Division. He participated in the Engine Component Improvement Project and 

received a Group Achievement Award in 1983 with the Energy Efficient Engine Project 

team. He retired from the High Speed Propulsion Technology Branch of the Propulsion 

Systems Division. 

Britsch

Lucille “Lucy” C. Geyser, 85, a 1990 retiree with 30 years of NASA service, died

Oct. 16, 2020. Geyser joined NACA/NASA in 1954 as a computer. She served primarily 

in the Computer Services Division and earned acclaim as a member of the Mainframe 

Systems Branch. She co-authored three award-winning NASA Tech Briefs and earned 

NASA Group Awards on system migration and integration teams. She was one of the 

founders of Glenn’s Business and Professional Women’s Club and held offices in the 

IFPTE union. Her brother, Ronald Everett, retired in 2004. Geyser

Joan V. Haug, 77, a 2016 retiree with 29 years of NASA service, died Dec. 4, 2020. 

Haug was the lead purchasing agent in Glenn’s Procurement Division. She earned 

several significant awards during her tenure. Haug was named Glenn’s Small Business 

Procurement Person of the Year (2013) and was awarded the NASA Exceptional 

Service Medal (2017). She received honorable mention for the Associate Administrator 

Technology Innovation Awards as a member of the Commercial Supersonics Technology 

Low Noise Propulsion Technical Challenge Team (2016).

Haug

Edward J. Paulin, 94, a 1983 retiree with 34 years of NASA service, died Dec. 19, 2020. 

He was a veteran of World War ll, serving in the U.S. Navy. After his wartime service he 

worked for NACA/NASA as an electrician and then as a supervisor from 1949 to 1983. 

His duties spanned from the pre-space era through the beginning of the space shuttle era. 

His legacy at NASA continued with two sons working at the center, Jeffry (retired) and 

Robert, Testing Division. Paulin

MORE THAN A MEMORY
FEBRUARY 2021

11

Check Out the Latest

Spinoff Publication

The latest edition of NASA’s Spinoff publication highlights 

dozens of companies that have benefited from cooperation 

with NASA.

• Invests in existing companies large and small.

• Paves paths for entrepreneurs 

to start new businesses.

• Creates new jobs.

• Enables cutting-edge products

that improve daily life.

Visit https://go.nasa.gov/2KVqaFB

INFORMATION CAFE

On Wed., Feb. 17, from 11 to 11:45 a.m.,

the library will host its monthly 

Information Cafe, a mini lesson about 

Glenn library-related topics. February’s 

Information Cafe features a virtual tour 

of the library website, resources, and all 

the services they provide to the Glenn 

community! Check Today@Glenn for the 

link. 

POC: Robin Pertz, 3–5776

Deadline for next calendar section 

is Feb. 17, noon. News and feature 

stories require additional time.

LOOKING UP IN 2021

Why not start your new year with a 

new perspective? Look up! NASA Glenn 

has several prayer groups and Bible 

studies, and they are always open to 

new members. Visit the website at 

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/prayergroup/

to review the list of ongoing Christian 

activities. All are welcome! Most groups 

will continue meeting virtually for as long 

as necessary. 

POC: David DeFelice, 3–6186

FITNESS CENTER CLASSES

Glenn’s Fitness Center has added 

virtual classes and programs this year. 

Check out the new stretching class, 

weekend workouts, and wellness 

programs. Live and recorded classes 

available. For more information, visit 

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/smad/

fitness/. 

POC: Bob Laws, 3–6313

The Emergency Management Office 

staff will conduct a mass notification 

voice test at Building 15 on Wed., March 3,

at Lewis Field. An audible siren test will 

be conducted on the “all clear” tone on 

Sat., March 6.

POC: Allen Turner, 3–6826

OUTDOOR SIREN TESTING

Perseverance Rover

To Land on Mars!

Check Today@Glenn for more information.

• Completes its 293-million-mile (471-million-kilometer) 

 journey on Feb. 18.

• Blazes through Mars’ atmosphere at about 12,100 mph 

 (19,500 kph).

• Touches down gently on the surface at approximately

12:30 p.m. PST (3:30 p.m. EST).

NASA TV will have full coverage. 

The Great Lakes Science Center will host a virtual event.

NASA Glenn Employees: For more calendar information, visit https://wing.grc.nasa.gov/event-calendar/.
NASA Celebrates Establishment

of Center in Cleveland 80 Years Ago

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

John H. Glenn Research Center 

Lewis Field

21000 Brookpark Road 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility

3597 E. Scheid Road

Sandusky, Ohio 44870

www.nasa.gov

Read AeroSpace Frontiers online at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/news/AF/index.html.

Emergency and Inclement Weather Lines 

Lewis Field: 216–433–9328 (WEAT) 

Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility: 419–621–3333

Connect With Glenn

 On Jan. 23, 1941, local authorities, 

 military representatives, and agency 

officials assembled in Cleveland to initiate construction for 

a new research center for the National Advisory Committee 

for Aeronautics (NACA). NACA Director of Research George 

Lewis stated, “I feel confident today in saying that this new 

aircraft engine research laboratory will be the mecca for all 

the world’s aircraft engine engineers and research workers.” 

Eighty years later, the laboratory, now known as NASA’s 

John H. Glenn Research Center, is one of 10 centers and a 

leading economic contributor to the Cleveland area.

Exactly 1 year before the groundbreaking, the NACA 

formally proposed the creation of a new research laboratory 

dedicated to aeropropulsion. During the interim, the 

committee evaluated locations for the facility across the 

Midwest before selecting Cleveland, Ohio, in November 1940.

The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce scheduled a full day 

of activities for that cold January Thursday in 1941. In the 

morning, the cadre of officials toured the Alcoa and the 

Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Company plants. The former was 

a key supplier of aluminum aircraft parts and the latter 

produced landing gears for the Douglas XB–19—then, the 

nation’s largest bomber.

Read more about NASA Glenn’s beginning in an online article 

by Archivist Robert Arrighi at https://go.nasa.gov/2LIEbXP.

NACA leaders view a model of the new Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory (AERL) in 1942. From left to right: Ernest Whitney (Construction Engineer), 

John Victory (NACA Executive Secretary), Carlton Kemper (AERL Executive Engineer), George Lewis (Director of NACA research), Edward Chamberlain 

(NACA Executive Officer), Raymond Sharp (AERL manager), and Henry Reid (Langley Engineer-In-Charge).

GRC-1942-C-08286

Photo by NASA