CLEVELAND NASA Glenn lands part in moon project

The announcement is a boost for the center's morale and the state's economy.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- NASA Glenn Research Center will help oversee development of a spacecraft that will return astronauts to the moon, a project worth at least $2 billion and possibly hundreds of jobs over the next decade.
The announcement is a victory for the center, which had been hobbled by staff and program cuts. Other NASA centers also fought for the project.
"This is great news for morale at NASA Glenn, stabilizes the future of the center, and shows that Ohio will continue to be a major player in NASA's vision for space exploration for years to come," U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine of Ohio said in a statement.
DeWine, along with U.S. Sen. George Voinovich and other Cleveland-area elected officials, had pressed NASA to bring the work to Ohio.
Work involved
NASA's crew exploration vehicle, dubbed the CEV, will replace the space shuttle.
The Cleveland center will oversee development of the CEV's service module, which would provide most of the power and propulsion for the crew capsule as it heads to the International Space Station and, later, to the moon and back. NASA wants it in space by 2012.
It remains unclear how many jobs linked to the work the region will get, at least immediately.
NASA Glenn consists of 24 major facilities on 350 acres near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the 6,400-acre Plum Brook Station in Sandusky.
"We have not defined exactly what all the work is, nor where it will all be done," said Glenn's Deputy Director Richard Christiansen.
But, Christiansen said, "This is a really big deal."