Happy birthday, Glenn Research Center! On January 23, 1942, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics—the N.A.C.A.—founded the Aircraft Engine Laboratory, which was renamed Lewis Research Center after NASA was established in 1958. [‘On This Day in Space’ Video Series on Space.com](https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html)

It was renamed again in 1999 as the Glenn Research Center. The facility was named after John Glenn, an astronaut who became the first American to orbit the Earth. The center is located near Cleveland, Ohio and is used as a laboratory to develop new technologies for aircraft engines and spacecraft propulsion systems.