Every five years or so, Hampton Roads residents get a chance to schmooze with some of the smartest people on the planet.
Their next chance is Oct. 21, when NASA Langley Research Center curbs its high-security clearance protocol and has its guards at the gate step aside for the day as the Hampton facility holds its Centennial Open House.
As usual, the event is free and open to all.
“This one is extra special because it’s our 100th anniversary,” said Lena Little, a legislative affairs representative at the center and co-chairwoman for the event.
“It’s a very unique opportunity. We’re not open to the public, we don’t do public tours, so this is a very rare chance to come and actually see what we do at our federal facility.”
And what can folks see? Anything from a real moon rock to the historic gantry where Apollo astronauts trained to walk on the lunar surface, a mock-up of a Boeing Starliner crew capsule to a model of a QueSST hypersonic X-plane to a robot that weaves together composite fibers to the world’s largest pressurized cryogenic wind tunnel.
There will be hands-on children’s activities throughout the campus, said Little, and a NASA astronaut — Kathryn Hire, who flew aboard the Columbia and Endeavor space shuttles and logged more than 711 hours in space — to talk about her experiences.
Langley is NASA’s first and oldest center, established 100 years ago as a civilian research lab for aviation.
“Every time you fly,” said Little, “something on the aircraft has come from NASA Langley, research-wise.”
Its engineers eventually expanded beyond aeronautics and into aerospace. They were the first to map the moon and Mars. They were key to launching Americans into space and onto the moon, and successfully placed the first landers on Mars in the 1970s, then the Curiosity rover in 2012.
The center continues to hone aircraft, making them lighter, faster, stronger and greener, and is helping to develop the rocket, crew capsules and habitats needed to send astronauts on deep-space missions.
Center Director Dave Bowles said in a statement that Langley is a place that “manages to be historic and future-focused at the same time.”
Little said they expect about 15,000 visitors this year.
“Everyone can just show up,” said Little. “It’s open to everyone. … This is truly an open house.”
Visitors are directed to park at designated locations offsite, where they will be bused onto the campus. The two largest areas are Thomas Nelson Community College and the National Institute of Aerospace.
According to Langley, in the TNCC lot visible from Interstate 64, buses will pick up at the bus stop on a regular basis. At the NIA, buses will pick up in front of the building. Both will be marked with bus flags.
Additional offsite parking is located at Langley Speedway, and in a lot located near Happy Boxes Self Storage at the intersection of Commander Shepard Boulevard and Armistead Avenue.
Once on campus, visitors can meander on foot or hop free shuttles circulating on a loop among tour stops. Guides, technicians and researchers will be on hand to discuss the facility and answer questions.
No outside food or beverage can be brought on campus, but the Langley cafeteria will be open and food trucks will be stationed throughout. Bags are permitted but may be inspected at entry.
The open house will proceed rain or shine, barring a major storm. Visitors should dress for the weather.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. that will include remarks by Bowles, Hire, NASA Wallops Flight Facility Director Bill Wrobel, Hampton Vice Mayor Linda Curtis and U.S. Reps. Scott Taylor and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott.
For parking and other tour information, go to openhouse.larc.nasa.gov.
Tour stops will include:
The National Transonic Facility, the world’s largest pressurized cryogenic wind tunnel, which has tested vehicles from the Boeing 767 to the space shuttle to the Orion spacecraft;
The Lunar Landing Research Facility, the historic gantry where Neil Armstrong and other Apollo astronauts trained to fly lunar landers and to walk and work on the moon’s surface. Boeing’s Starliner commercial crew capsule is undergoing drop tests at the site, and will be on view;
The Kids Zone, where children can engage in hands-on activities and crafts related to science, technology, engineering, art and math;
The ISAAC industrial robot, which can weave together lighter, stronger composite materials for aerospace vehicles;
The 14-by-22 subsonic tunnel, which visitors can enter for a close-up look at a model of a next-generation hypersonic X-plane, called QueSST, designed to drastically reduce sonic booms;
The Flight Research Hangar, with NASA aircraft used for aeronautics and Earth science research, Orion crew capsule test hardware and game-changing technologies. This was once a training facility for Gemini and Apollo astronauts; and
The Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility, the center’s newest building, named for the “human computer” featured in the book and Oscar-nominated movie “Hidden Figures.”
Contact Dietrich at 757-247-7892 or tdietrich@dailypress.com. Follow on Twitter at DP_Dietrich
