[Music]
In 1903, the Wright Brothers demonstrated the first powered,
controlled flight of aircraft.
In spite of this achievement,
the United States would soon lag behind the international
community in aeronautics research.
While Germany, France, the United Kingdom,
and even Russia were launching their own government-supported
programs; aeronautics innovations
in the U.S. were largely initiated
by amateur enthusiasts.
However, in 1911 sentiment
for creating a government-funded national aeronautics laboratory
in the U.S. was gaining momentum in the scientific
and aeronautics communities.
[Music Change]
The need for U.S. support
of aeronautical research was escalated
by the outbreak of World War I.
In 1915, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that led
to the creation of the National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics or the N.A.C.A. This group consisted
of volunteers that represented: government,
military, and education.
A modest five thousand dollars a year was appropriated
by Congress to fund their research
and administrative expenses.
Although created too late to have much of an impact
on World War I, the N.A.C.A's role
in the post-war era would be significantly expanded.
In 1917, the committee established its first national
civil aeronautics laboratory in Hampton, Virginia.
The N.A.C.A's new lab was named the Langley Memorial
Aeronautical Laboratory after Samuel P. Langley,
a former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute
and aeronautical enthusiast.
The lab's mission was to study new aircraft designs
and address anticipated aeronautical problems
for the civil aviation industry.
By the late 1920s, the N.A.C.A. was attracting the best
and brightest minds from across the country
and earning a reputation as a leader in aeronautical research.
This was, in part, due to the shrewd recruiting skills
of the committee's Executive Officer, George W. Lewis.
However, by the mid-1930s,
apprehension was growing once again
over European aeronautical advancements.
Of particular concern: Germany's massive military build-up
and the possibility of another war.
Executive Director of the N.A.C.A., Dr. Joseph Ames urged
for additional funding to build a second laboratory
and expand the N.A.C.A. facilities.
In 1939, before World War II began in Europe,
the committee felt it was wise
to disperse the government's aeronautical assets in an effort
to avert potential enemy attacks.
As a result, the site selected
for a second N.A.C.A. facility was a naval airship station
at Moffett Field on the shore of San Francisco Bay.
The new lab opened in 1940 and became known
as the Ames Aeronautical laboratory.
The Ames lab served as an extension
of the Langley facility, however,
Ames would also later address challenges in the areas
of high-speed and supersonic flight.
While the Ames facility was still being authorized
by Congress, a group of supporters,
which included famous aviator
and N.A.C.A. committee member Charles Lindbergh,
advocated for a third lab that specialized
in aircraft engine research.
They argued that such a facility would help American aircraft
compete with high-performance, liquid-cooled engine designs
of German, French, and British military airplanes.
In June 1940, Congress approved funding
for the N.A.C.A's aircraft engine research laboratory.
[Music Change]
Spearheading the effort to convince the N.A.C.A.
to bring its third lab
to Cleveland were the Industrial Commissioner
of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, Clifford Gildersleeve
and local businessman, Fredrick C. Crawford.
Crawford headed Thompson Products Incorporated,
which manufactured automotive and aircraft engine parts.
The company would later become TRW.
An aviation enthusiast, Crawford organized
and ran the National Air Races.
The air races attracted crowds as large as 100,000 from all
over the country and were held annually
at the Cleveland Municipal Airport,
which later became known
as the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Crawford's first contact with the N.A.C.A. came
through his association with John Victory.
Victory visited Cleveland frequently as an official
of the National Air Races Association Committee and served
as secretary for the N.A.C.A. Winning the contract
for the N.A.C.A's new aircraft engine research lab would not
be easy.
Cleveland was up against 19 other sites in 13 cities.
Working in Cleveland's favor was its strategic,
remote location away from the nation's coastline-making it
less vulnerable to potential enemy attacks.
The city also had a solid industrial base
that provided relatively easy access to coal, iron,
and steel-all of which would be needed to build the new lab.
The city's proximity to a major airport .
. . six major railroads .
. .a number of aircraft components
and parts manufacturers .
. . scientific and technical universities
to graduate young engineers .
. . and Lake Erie's fresh water supply,
all made Cleveland an extremely competitive candidate
for the N.A.C.A's new aircraft engine research laboratory.
Drawbacks for the Cleveland site included strong union
representation and unusually high rates for electrical power.
To help ensure Cleveland's success in securing the new lab,
Fred Crawford personally took part in the negotiations
between the N.A.C.A. and the Cleveland Electric
Illuminating Company.
His proposal: the N.A.C.A. would receive reduced monthly
electrical rates,
and in exchange the lab would operate its large test
facilities during the evening so as not to create a strain
on the city's energy supply.
Although the Illuminating Company initially resisted,
all parties eventually came to an agreement.
In addition, the city
of Cleveland offered the N.A.C.A two hundred acres of land
for the new lab at a reduced price of a dollar per acre.
The Cleveland business community hoped this would cinch the deal.
On November 15th 1940, the city's efforts paid off.
The N.A.C.A. announced its decision.
The location for the new aircraft engine research
laboratory would be in Cleveland Ohio.
The lab would be built adjacent
to the Cleveland Municipal Airport on land previously used
as a parking lot for the National Air Races.
[Music Change]
On January 23rd 1941, a small groundbreaking ceremony
for the new Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory
or AERL took place.
The N.A.C.A's Director of Aeronautical Research,
George Lewis, standing on the right,
was joined by General George Brett seen holding the shovel,
and to the general's right stood Fredrick Crawford.
The men were joined by local officials and N.A.C.A. leaders.
The design work for the new AERL was well under way
by the time the January groundbreaking ceremony
took place.
Engineers at Langley were working feverishly
to complete the designs.
As construction got underway, the lab's first two employees:
Construction Engineer and Inspector, Charles Herrmann,
seen on the right; and Secretary, Helen Ford,
standing next to Hermann, temporarily set up offices
in a small, off-site radio house
when they first arrived from Langley.
In July of that year, they relocated to what was referred
to as the "farm house."
A white clapboard structure overlooking the Rocky River,
the "farm house" served as the original administration building
until the new administration building was completed.
Ford immediately got to work addressing a number
of administrative details,
and Herrmann supervised the construction
of the Hangar and the "Prop House."
Construction at the AERL began in the lab's first quadrant.
Over the next four years,
the following facilities were completed:
the Hangar .
. . the Engine Research Building .
. . the Fuels and Lubricants Building .
. . the Administration Building .
. . the Icing Research Tunnel .
. . the Engine Propeller Research Building
or Prop House .
. . a Heating Plant .
. . a Substation .
. . the Technical Services Building .
. . the guard station.
. . and the Altitude Wind Tunnel, also known as the AWT.
In August 1941, George Lewis called upon Edward Raymond
Sharp, or Ray, as he was better known, to transfer from Langley
to Cleveland to serve
as the construction administrator for the AERL.
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sharp was joined
by his new design group from Langley.
They occupied offices in the farmhouse
and newly constructed hangar.
Ray reviewed contracts, established relationships
with city officials, smoothed relations with engine companies,
and kept the N.A.C.A Washington office informed of progress.
In 1942 Sharp, known for his friendly management style,
was named the lab manager-a position which he held
until he retired in 1960.
In May 1942, the "Prop House" was the lab's first major test
facility ready for use.
When first opened, the "Prop House" was primarily used
to study issues, such as cooling
on full-scale World War II aircraft engines.
Also completed in 1942, the Technical Services Building,
located adjacent to the hangar, was equipped
with a large machine shop.
Here, workers made all the parts needed
to perform a variety of lab tests.
Initially, progress on the AERL's construction was slow,
in part, because World War II created competition for many
of the lab's needed supplies.
However as the war dragged on and the AERL's expertise was
in greater demand to help solve problems related to the war,
construction resources were made more readily available.
The AERL took on a college campus feel
with its low-slung buildings with tan brick exteriors.
A memorandum drawn up by the N.A.C.A. Secretary,
John F. Victory on August 15th 1942 called
for the lab's street names
to honor the N.A.C.A leaders, such as: Taylor .
. . Walcott .
. . Ames .
. . Durand .
. . Moffett .
. . and Westover.
[Music Change]
As construction continued, the AERL was tasked
to improve piston engine aircraft performance during the
war including that of the Wright R-3350s
which powered the B-29 Super fortress.
One of the lab's efforts was to advance the turbo supercharger.
Developed by General Electric,
the turbo supercharger initially worked with piston engines
to help improve performance.
However, cooling and "knocking" issues resulted from the use
of the turbo superchargers,
a problem the lab also worked to resolve.
Another significant contribution the AERL made during the war was
its research in aircraft icing.
The lab's Icing Research Tunnel or IRT, which became operational
in 1944, helped the N.A.C.A. and the military better understand
and solve problems associated with in-flight icing conditions.
This was important because hundreds
of aircraft were being lost, due to icing conditions,
during the re-supply missions over the Burma Hump.
As a result of the AERL's research,
de-icing solutions were developed to help solve some
of these problems for later aircraft.
In the early 1940s, Westinghouse
and General Electric developed the first U.S. turbojet engines.
GE's One-A engine, the first turbojet built in the U.S.,
was based on the designs of Great Britain's Whittle engine.
GE's Lynn Massachusetts team specifically designed a 2-cell
test bed at the AERL to test the One-A and subsequent GE engines.
This facility was known as the Jet Propulsion Static Lab.
Although the One-A engine did not perform well enough
to be mass-produced, it led the way for more powerful designs,
such as the J33 and the J47.
Over the next decade, these engines
and nearly all-emerging models
of U.S. turbo jet engines would be tested
in the AERL's Altitude Wind Tunnel,
the nation's first wind tunnel capable of testing jet engines
under simulated flight conditions.
Although none of the turbojet engines tested
at the AERL were ever used in combat during World War II,
the research conducted
at the lab made significant contributions to the war effort.
On April 11th 1946, General Dwight D. Eisenhower visited the
AERL to personally thank the staff for their role
in supporting the Allied air forces.
[Music Change]
The end of the war quickly brought about a reorganization
of the entire lab in 1945, referred to as the "Big Switch."
The lab now focused its efforts almost entirely
on jet propulsion and high-speed flight.
In 1947, the AERL was renamed the N.A.C.A Flight Propulsion
Research Laboratory to reflect this change.
A year later, following the death of George Lewis,
the lab's name was changed
to the N.A.C.A Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in honor
of his many contributions.
Following the war, the lab initiated a wide-range study
of ramjet engines for missile applications .
. . expanded its aircraft icing research program .
. . and began its research with rocket propellants.
As a result of Germany's use of rockets at the end of the war,
the N.A.C.A. initiated rocket engine research at the AERL.
To support this effort, a rocket test cell was built south
of Walcott Road near the Taylor Road intersection.
The lab's work with rocket propellants, in the 1950s,
helped to prove that the lightweight
and highly reactive liquid hydrogen could be safely used
as a rocket engine fuel.
The lab also led a presidentially mandated effort
to reduce fatalities in low-speed aircraft crashes.
Findings from these crash tests conducted
at the Ravenna Arsenal eventually led
to aircraft safety improvements.
[Music Change]
Construction continued down Walcott Road
into the second quadrant of the lab where, in 1949,
the lab's first large, high-speed wind tunnel was built
at the corner of Walcott and Westover Roads.
The effort to build the 8-foot
by 6-foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel was led by the Head
of the AERL's Wind Tunnels
and Flight Division, Dr. Abe Silverstein.
Silverstein had a well-established expertise
in aerodynamics and wind tunnels.
When first hired at Langley,
he helped design the lab's Full Scale Wind Tunnel.
In 1943, he came to the AERL where he was head
of the Altitude Wind Tunnel and later named head
of the Wind Tunnels and Flight Division.
Research performed in the new 8-foot
by 6-foot wind tunnel made significant contributions
to the development of missiles and supersonic aircraft.
The third quadrant of the lab, known as Wright Park,
was initially set aside as green space.
However, as the need for another research facility arose,
this was the only space large enough
to accommodate the new structure.
Construction of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory 1
and 2 took place at the center of the lab where Walcott,
Westover, Durand, and Moffett Roads formed a rectangle.
Construction of this facility was completed in 1952.
It was capable of testing larger and more powerful engines
than any other facility in the nation.
Support structures, such as offices
and a fabrication shop were built in conjunction
with the research facilities in the fourth section of the lab.
[Music Change]
When the space program began in the 1950s,
the Propulsion Systems Laboratory or PSL 1
and 2 was used to study complex rocket engines,
including the Pratt & Whitney RL-10 that was used
to power the Centaur rocket and Saturn I upper stages.
In the mid-1960s, the PSL's work returned to jet engines,
which grew in size and performance.
In 1955, the lab completed the 10-foot
by 10-foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel.
Located at the intersection of Walcott and Taylor Roads,
the 10 by 10 was the most powerful wind tunnel
at the center.
It w as designed to test supersonic propulsion components
and full-scale engines at airspeeds ranging
from Mach 2 to Mach 3.5.
This meant that engines and components could be subjected
to airspeeds that were 2 to 3
and a half times the speed of sound.
Simultaneously, the 10
by 10 could simulate altitude conditions ranging
from fifty thousand
to one hundred fifty-four thousand feet.
The tunnel, later named the Abe Silverstein 10-foot
by 10-foot Wind Tunnel, aided in the development
of the Atlas-Centaur .
. . Saturn .
. . and Atlas-Agena-class launch vehicles,
as well as the Space Shuttle.
In the mid-1950s, the lab also began
to study nuclear propulsion for both rockets and aircraft.
To conduct this research, the N.A.C.A leased 500 acres
of land, known as the Plum Brook Station, in Sandusky Ohio.
Over the next two decades,
the lab would expand both its capabilities and size.
In 1958, the Cleveland campus acquired an additional 115 acres
of land, adjacent to the main campus, on the southwest side.
Here six additional facilities were built
over the next several years.
This section would later become known as the West area.
Located on the southern end of Walcott Road,
the lab's newly constructed Rocket Engine Test Facility
or R.E.T.F. was close to being operational
when the Soviet Union successfully launched its
Sputnik Satellite on October 4th 1957.
At the time, the R.E.T.F. was the largest facility performing
sea level testing of high-energy rocket propellants
in the United States.
The R.E.T.F. played a significant role
in the development of liquid hydrogen as a rocket fuel.
The facility also aided in the development
of the Pratt & Whitney RL-10 engine for the Centaur rocket .
. . the J-2 engine for the second stage
of the Saturn V Rocket .
. . and the hydrogen-oxygen engines used
on the Space Shuttle.
For this unique research, the R.E.T.F was designated
as a National Historic Landmark.
With the space race officially on between the United States
and the Soviet Union, the U.S. Congress passed the National
Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958,
creating a new civilian space agency.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower opted to base the new agency,
known as NASA, on the N.A.C.A. laboratories while adding other
groups, such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
and the Redstone Arsenal,
later known as Marshall Spaceflight Center.
As a result, on October 1st 1958,
the lab was renamed the NASA Lewis Research Center.
The Lewis Research Center played an important role
in NASA's first major manned space program, Project Mercury.
The Lewis team converted the AWT,
as use of the wind tunnel was now in decline,
to house the Multiple Axis Test Inertia Facility or MASTIF,
a test system better known as the gimbal rig.
The gimbal rig simulated tumbling maneuvers
and provided valuable training
for all seven Project Mercury astronauts,
as well as a female pilot who passed the physical tests given
to candidate astronauts for the Mercury project.
[Music Change]
On May 25th 1961, just three weeks
after Alan Shepard made his historic flight
as the first American to journey into space,
President John F. Kennedy announced the national goal
of landing Americans on the Moon before the end of the decade.
I believe that this nation should commit itself
to achieving the goal, before this decade is out,
of landing a man on the moon
and returning him safely to the Earth.
No single space project in this period .
. . This declaration would transform NASA,
as well as the Lewis Research Center.
Going to space meant that the Lewis researchers would first
need to understand the behavior of fluids and gases
in a microgravity, or near-weightless, environment.
In 1961, Lewis began conducting microgravity experiments using
the center's 2.2-drop tower.
Converted from an old jet propulsion fuel laboratory,
this tower allowed researchers, for the first time,
to conduct free-fall experiments lasting 2.2 seconds.
In 1966, Lewis expanded its microgravity capabilities
with the construction of its Zero Gravity Research Facility.
A large, low pressure shaft more than five-hundred feet deep,
the Zero G Facility now gave researchers the ability
to subject experiments to free-fall
for more than five seconds.
Researchers also now had the ability
to accurately determine the behavior of fluids and gases
in a more rigorous, space-like environment.
Tests in the Zero G Facility helped to prove
that liquid hydrogen could be safely used as a rocket fuel.
Because of its contributions to the success
of the Apollo mission, the Zero Gravity Research Facility was
designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1985.
By the mid-1960s, the center was receiving strong Congressional
support for the new space program,
giving it the resources it needed to expand its workforce
and facilities to accomplish President Kennedy's directive.
Similar in magnitude to the "Big Switch" in 1945,
the center was once again reorganized.
Silverstein, now the director
of the NASA Lewis Research Center believed
that it was important to separate research
from the development and mission side of the agency.
As a result, the center was divided into two distinct parts:
research and development.
This philosophy was reflected
in the center's next major expansion.
NASA purchased 9.8 acres on the north side of Brookpark Road,
just outside the main gate,
and constructed two new office buildings:
the Developmental Engineering Building or D.E.B.
and its annex, both constructed in 1964.
Together the buildings provided office space
for eleven hundred employees to support the work for some
of the lab's largest development programs, such as Agena .
. . M-1 . . .and the Centaur second stage rocket engines.
The Centaur program required the center
to convert its Altitude Wind Tunnel once again.
Now known as the Space Power Chambers,
this renovated test facility simulated the rigors of launch
and the space environment.
The Space Power Chambers helped ensure the success
of the Centaur program, which sent Surveyors to the Moon,
paving the way for Apollo.
On July 16th 1969 American Astronauts Neil Armstrong,
Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins sat atop the Saturn V. This
three-stage, 363-foot rocket would use liquid hydrogen-a fuel
that the Lewis Research Center pioneered-to propel the rocket's
upper stages.
The use of liquid hydrogen would prove vital
to many future NASA missions, such as the Space Shuttle.
Just three days later, NASA, the Lewis Research Center,
and the nation would accomplish the challenge set forth
by President John F. Kennedy less than a decade earlier.
It's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Armstrong would take mankind's first steps-240,000 miles away
from Earth-onto the surface of the Moon.
[Music Change]
Funding for NASA and the Lewis Research Center was drastically
cut as the Apollo years came to a close.
NASA cancelled the nuclear propulsion and power programs
and re-allocated funds to other centers more involved
with the design of the Space Shuttle.
During the 1970s, a number of facilities at Lewis Field
and its satellite location Plum Brook Station shut down.
Although Plum Brook would eventually reopen closed
facilities in the 1980s,
approximately fifteen hundred acres of land
on the station's perimeter were sold.
Facilities such as the Space Power Chambers .
. . and PSL 1 and 2 shut down and remain closed
until their eventual demolition.
Funding for many programs was cancelled,
and the Lewis Research Center turned its efforts toward
renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.
The center also helped to improve fuel efficiency
and noise reduction of aircraft engines.
Because of its renewed research with jet engines,
one new facility built at Lewis was the Propulsion Systems
Laboratory 3 and 4.
It occupied the remainder
of Wright Park near its predecessor PSL 1 and 2.
The new facility allowed the center to test larger
and more powerful jet engines
at simulated altitudes during all phases of flight.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Lewis secured roles
in mainstream programs, such as the upper-stage propulsion
system for the Space Shuttle .
. . the development of the power system
for the International Space Station .
. . and the Advanced Communications
Technology Satellite.
In more recent years, the center was involved
in the Orion spacecraft and various aeronautics programs.
In 1999, the center was re-named once again.
Following John Glenn's return to flight
on STS-95 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery,
the Lewis Research Center became the NASA John H. Glenn Research
Center in honor of the Ohio-born,
American astronaut and Ohio Senator.
[Music Change]
With the retirement of the Space Shuttle, NASA began to downsize
and remove older research facilities
that no longer supported current missions.
The agency created a preservation plan and funding
to help centers properly remove underutilized buildings
and structures, as well
as rehabilitate those to be maintained.
In 2003, the Glenn Research Center began re-examining all
of its facilities and infrastructure
and initiated a plan to reduce the size of the center.
The same year, the R.E.T.F. was demolished to allow
for the expansion
of the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
In 2012, the D.E.B. and its annex were put
up for surplus to be sold.
In accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act
of 1966, the Glenn Research Center consults
with the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office
on all projects, new construction,
rehabilitation, and demolition.
As demolition occurs, significant buildings
and structures require extensive documentation
or books written telling the story of the facility.
The central section of the center's campus is recognized
as the most historically significant area of the lab
and is now identified as a historic district.
From its roots as an Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory
in the 1940s, the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center
at Lewis Field and Plum Brook Station has become a national
resource for advancements in aeronautics
and spaceflight capabilities.
The center's long history of innovation
and research has helped the nation improve life on Earth,
soar into the skies, and explore the universe.
The center's continued commitment to the preservation
of its history and the heritage of its structures,
which allowed our nation to accomplish such goals,
will create a lasting legacy for generations to come.
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[Music Fades Out]