CLEVELAND – NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Gregory H. Johnson will make an appearance at the Dayton Air Show and serve as the grand marshal of the Dayton Air Show parade.

The parade will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, July 6 in downtown Vandalia, Ohio. During the air show, Johnson will sign autographs in the NASA tent on July 7 and 8 from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. and from 1:15 to 2 p.m.

Johnson, who has roots in Fairborn, Ohio, piloted space shuttle Endeavor on its STS-123 mission in 2008 and again on the STS-134 mission, Endeavour’s final flight in 2011.

NASA will feature two traveling exhibits at the air show: Driven to Explore and the Mobile Orion Vehicle Explorer, or MOVE.

The Driven to Explore exhibit is a mobile multi-media experience showcasing the Space Shuttle Program, the International Space Station and the benefits of space exploration. As part of this unique exploration experience, visitors have an out-of-this-world opportunity to touch a three billion-year-old moon rock brought back aboard the final Apollo mission, Apollo 17. The moon rock is one of only eight lunar samples in the world made available for the public to touch. The exhibit is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible.

The MOVE exhibit is a replica of an astronaut transport vehicle. This mobile vehicle showcases NASA’s Orion spacecraft that will take astronauts far beyond Earth on missions to an asteroid, the moon and perhaps even Mars. MOVE will be driven in the parade and on display at the air show.

Also available will be the popular “Picture Yourself in Space” photo booth, where visitors can receive a free souvenir photo taken as an astronaut; an 18-foot tall inflatable Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle; and free NASA informational material.

NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston manage exhibits at air shows, festivals, museums, schools and large sports events.

For more information about Glenn, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/glenn

For more information about Johnson, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/johnson

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