NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

By: Jim Hodges

Four-year-old Sam Rooker held his grandmother's hand tightly and looked with trepidation at a bowling-pin shaped, three-wheel robot that was maneuvering between two pylons in a corner of the Reid Center.

Sam Miller, an engineer in robotics in the Electronic Systems Branch, saw the tyke and brought a joystick over.

"Want to drive him?" Miller said.

Reserve melted. Sam Rooker brightened, reached for the control and began to drive "Trinity," so named for its three wheels and three cameras.

Image Left: Grace Bradley, Arthur Bradley and Ryan Jordan playing with the controls of Trinity the robot. Credit: Sean Smith.

"It's the ultimate way to test the robustness of a robot: let a kid drive it," Miller said, laughing.

Kids drove robots, flew in simulators, went into a lunar habitat, learned how airplanes are made quieter and discovered how to shoot pictures of Mars in their backyard Saturday when Langley Research Center celebrated its 90th birthday with its first open house in six years.

They saw a wind tunnel, looked over helicopters and airplanes and got an idea of what tomorrow might bring in spaceflight on a day that began with a road race in the rain and ended in bright sunshine and blue sky. An estimated 24,000 people came to the center, many for the first time.

"We've wondered what goes on here," said Brian Byrd, who with wife Amber and sons Graham and Colbi stood in line to spend time in a flight simulator. Byrd, who is stationed at Fort Eustis, and Amber grew up on the Peninsula.

"So many people know about its history, Apollo and all that," Byrd said.

Image to right: NASA Langley Research Center 2007 Open House video highlights. Credit: NASA
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Others were back for the first time in a long time.

"We used to come with the Boy Scouts and do tours when there was a visitors' center here," said Michael Smith, who works for Northrop Grumman.

"The center has really changed a lot," added Hope Gulbronson, who traveled from Washington to bring her children, just as her father brought them to NASA Langley when she was younger.

For another man, the visit was a trip back through time to an earlier visit, when he was still learning about his adopted country.

"I was here 23 years ago," said Kwa Nguyen, a facility engineer with the Navy. "I had just gotten here from Vietnam. NASA was an intriguing organization, and we had heard about it all over the world."

This time, he brought a wife, two young children and two nephews along to take a look at what had impressed him so long ago.

The open house was the culmination of a weekend of events that began with Friday's TeXpo, an attempt to cement NASA Langley in the minds of people who might do business with the center.

"There are a number of benefits you can achieve from a partnership," Beth Plentovich of the Advanced Planning and Partnership Office told a room full of business and industry prospects. "We have already made a significant investment (that) you can benefit from."

Image Right: Hampton's Mayor Kearney and Center Director Lesa Roe with the 90th anniversary cake. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith.

Later Friday, Hampton Mayor Ross Kearney read a proclamation lauding the center’s 90th anniversary to more than 250 people at a gala at the Virginia Air and Space Center. They also listened to author James Schultz and former director Jerry Creedon speak of NASA Langley's history in a program narrated by Lesa Roe, center director.

Creedon cited the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics creed as the purpose for NASA Langley, then and now: "Study the problems of life with a view toward a practical solution."

Though Saturday dawned dank and gloomy, it was apparent that a six-year hiatus in allowing visitors onto the center had spawned more than a little curiosity. Cars were backed up at the gate at the 10 a.m. beginning of the open house.

Former retirees showed up to look at places where they had spent thousands of hours over decades of discovery. Others came with the future in mind.

"I'd like to work here," said Troy Wojewoda, a senior computer engineering major at Christopher Newport University.

"How do I get an internship?" asked Lisa Dyke, a freshman at CNU. "What would I have to major in to work here in the space program?"

Max Blosser, of the Structural Mechanics and Concepts Branch, explained the purpose of a heat shield in the reentry of a space vehicle; and Karen Whitley, of the Durability, Damage Tolerance and Rehabilitation Branch, used a basketball to explain the role of air pressure in construction of a lunar habitat.

Both faced lines, every time a bus pulled up outside the hangar-style building.

"People want to be able to see things, touch things to understand what we do," said Blosser, who showed his audience a tile from a space vehicle to explain the danger of lightning.

In the end, there was a desire for more. Don't wait for the 100th birthday for another party, according to Barry Farr of Newport News.

"I think every school kid should see this," he said.

On Saturday, a good many of them did.

(With contributions by Denise Adams)

NASA Langley Research Center
Managing Editor: Jim Hodges
Executive Editor and Responsible NASA Official: H. Keith Henry
Editor and Curator: Denise Adams