Fifty-five years ago this month, John Glenn became the first astronaut to circle the globe in his Mercury capsule Friendship 7. <\/p>\n
Before Glenn passed away in December at the age of 95, he agreed to lend his name to the John Glenn Observatory and Astronomy Park. <\/p>\n
\"That took me almost a year to get in touch with him. He thought it was a terrific idea. The educational value he thought was terrific,\" Clyde Gosnell, a member of the Friends of Hocking Hills, said. <\/p>\n
Construction of the $1.4 million park is scheduled to open by this fall. It will be built on a patch of land west of the Old Man's Cave along State Route 664. <\/p>\n
Lucia Hoehneof M+A architects designed the park. <\/p>\n
\"This was an idea that started 12 years ago,\" she said. <\/p>\n
It's plaza, which is 80 feet in diameter, will contain a sundial, and floating celestial fountain. <\/p>\n
Large stone towers will frame the views of the sun, highlighting its orientation at different times of the year. <\/p>\n
\"The diameter of the plaza is the diameter of the sun so it's a teaching tool,\" she said. <\/p>\n
This building will house two telescopes. It's not a dome like some observatories. The entire roof slides open along two metal rails. <\/p>\n
\"This is another way to do it you have a roof over these beams and the entire area is open to the sky,\" she said. <\/p>\n
Organizers chose the site near Old Man's Cave because it's 1,500 feet high, and the location happens to have the darkest sky in the state. <\/p>\n
The Columbus Astronomical Society is also helping fund the project. Both Ohio State University and Ohio University plan to conduct research there. <\/p>\n
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