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NASA Glenn Reinforces Role in Aerospace Innovation During Ohio Space Week

NASA Glenn Reinforces Role in Aerospace Innovation During Ohio Space Week

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Four panelists sit next to one another on a stage with a dark-blue curtains, an American flag, and an Ohio flag behind them. Circular emblems of an Ohio Space Forum and a pilar from the Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland hang behind them.

Left to right: Moderator Brian Miske, Americas Space Leader, KPMG radio, with panelists Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator; Jacki Cortese, senior director, Civil Space: Blue Origin; and Robert Lightfoot, president, Lockheed Martin Space (former NASA associate administrator) discuss balancing innovation, risk, and readiness in space during the Ohio Space Forum.

Credit: NASA/Jef Janis

Ohio Space Week, Sept. 8–13, highlighted the state’s aerospace legacy and the role NASA’s Glenn Research Center has in advancing space technology.

The week kicked off with the American Astronautical Society’s Glenn Space Technology Symposium, Sept. 8–10, hosted by Case Western Reserve University. Experts, students, and industry leaders gathered to discuss emerging space technologies. NASA Glenn Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon delivered opening remarks, and astronaut Doug “Wheels” Wheelock gave a keynote on his spaceflight experience.

On Sept. 11, Team NEO hosted the Sixth Annual Ohio Space Forum at NASA Glenn, bringing together leaders from aerospace, government, academia, and research. The forum spotlighted Ohio’s leadership in space innovation, including advances in nuclear electric and nuclear thermal propulsion. Key participants included NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya, astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams, several local and state officials, and other community partners. 3News Chief Meteorologist Betsy Kling emceed the event.

The City Club of Cleveland welcomed astronauts Williams and Wheelock for a presentation to the local community, Sept. 11, and Cleveland Guardians fans cheered as Williams threw out the first pitch during the game at Progressive Field later that day.

A mother and child in her arms look at a window that shows activity inside a portable wind tunnel. Two staff members on the other side of the tunnel set the controls to make it work. — NASA Glenn experts conduct a wind tunnel demonstration using a portable wind tunnel for visitors during Discovery Days at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

A mother and daughter look inside a clear case that contains a space helmet and other items used by astronauts through the years. — Visitors view items that are part of the “Evolution of the Spacesuit” exhibit during Discovery Days at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

An astronaut holds a bat and looks at the camera on the sidelines of a baseball stadium. — Astronaut Sunita Williams has fun on the sidelines before she throws out the first pitch prior to a Guardians game at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

An astronaut crouches beside a young boy wearing a cut-out astronaut helmet. His parents stand beside them and in front of a cosmic backdrop and pose for a photograph. — A family takes a photo with Astronaut Doug Wheelock during Discovery Days at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

Two toddlers sit on the ground inside a projected image of the NASA insignia and observe parts of the insignia covering their bodies. — Two young visitors at Discovery Days at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, share the NASA spotlight.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

Several hands-on aeronautic-focused activities are set up in a large open area with large glass windows and a view of the lake. — Guests interact with several aeronautics-focused exhibits in the Great Lakes Science Center promenade area on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, during Discovery Days.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

Two astronauts sit on stage in front of a backdrop that reads “The City Club of Cleveland.” To their right, the NASA Glenn center director stands at a podium and addresses the audience. Behind him is a screen with the astronauts’ photos and addresses the audience. — NASA Astronauts Doug Wheelock, left, and Sunita Willams at The City Club of Cleveland luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. NASA Glenn Center Director Dr. Jimmy Kenyon stands at the podium and addresses the audience.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

A NASA Glenn staff member connects lighted tubes to a tower on a grid that contains a rocket on a Moon-like surface. Guests and another staff member stand around the grid. — Using the Lunar Habitat Power Grid model, NASA Glenn Research Center experts demonstrate how payloads will need power to achieve a viable human presence on the Moon during Discovery Days at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

An astronaut mascot stands behind large red letters spelling out “NASA.” — NASA Glenn Research Center’s astronaut mascot stands behind the NASA worm logo during Discovery Days at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

A NASA staff member stands behind a table containing two green tubes of liquid with bubbles while talking with two young visitors and their father. — During Discovery Days at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland on Friday, Sept. 12, NASA Glenn Research Center experts share with visitors about primary fuel cells, which convert propellants into electricity, and regenerative fuel cells, which store electrical energy like rechargeable batteries.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

An astronaut stands at the bottom of a domed theater and waves at a crowd of seated students. — Astronaut Sunita Williams talks with students in Great Lakes Science Center’s DOME Theater during Discovery Days in Cleveland on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.

**Credit: NASA/Lily Hammel**

Discovery Days, the capstone of Ohio Space Week, welcomed nearly 5,000 visitors to Cleveland’s Great Lakes Science Center — home of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center — on Sept. 12–13. This immersive event brought NASA beyond its gates and into the community, offering the public a firsthand look at major missions and cutting-edge technology.

Visitors explored interactive demonstrations and exhibits led by NASA Glenn experts, highlighting innovations that support NASA’s Artemis missions and future exploration of Mars and beyond, including developments in power, propulsion, and communications.

The astronauts were on hand during Discovery Days to talk with students and guests – inspiring the next generation of explorers through direct engagement and storytelling.

From the Wright brothers’ first flight to pioneering advancements in space exploration, Ohio has been at the forefront of aerospace innovation for generations. Ohio Space Week celebrated these deep-rooted contributions to the aeronautics and space industries, highlighting the people, institutions, and businesses that continue to shape the future of flight and exploration.