Astronaut to Speak at Curtiss Centennial Dinner on 9/15

FORMER ASTRONAUT TO SPEAK AT CURTISS MODEL E FLYING BOAT CENTENNIAL DINNER Michael Lopez-Alegria will highlight his experiences in space on September 15 Hammondsport, NY - Former astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria will be the guest speaker at the Curtiss Flying Boat Centennial Dinner on Saturday, September 15 at 6 p.m. Lopez-Alegria will reflect on the extraordinary evolution of flight from the pioneering days of Glenn Curtiss to the current state and the future of space exploration. The Centennial Dinner will take place at the Glenn Curtiss Museum at 8419 State Route 54 in Hammondsport. Tickets for the dinner are $25 per person and can be purchased by visiting or calling the museum at (607) 569-2160. Seating is limited and early reservations are encouraged. The dinner follows the Curtiss Model E Flying Boat Centennial Celebration to be held at Depot Park earlier in the day. The free daytime event will feature the Glenn Curtiss Salute, a parade of visiting seaplanes around Keuka Lake, at 1 p.m. The Glenn Curtiss Museum's 1912 Model Flying Boat reproduction will take off at 2 p.m., weather permitting. Food will be available for purchase and unique gift items from the Museum Gift Shop will be on display and available for purchase. Visitors can also pick up a coupon for discounted Museum admission. Visiting seaplanes from around the region will be on exhibit throughout the day. About Michael Lopez-Alegria Lopez-Alegria, Captain USN (retired) has a distinguished background in aerospace, including positions as a Naval Aviator and test pilot, NASA astronaut and International Space Station (ISS) commander. He flew on three Space Shuttle missions and served as commander of ISS Expedition 14. He holds NASA records for the longest spaceflight (215 days), most number of Extravehicular Activities (10) and most cumulative Extravehicular Activities time (more than 67 hours). He has a B.S. in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and an M.S. in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School. He is also a graduate of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security. He is currently president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation in Washington, DC. For more information about the Curtiss Flying Boat Centennial Dinner, contact the Glenn Curtiss Museum at (607) 569-2160.   About the museum The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, which is located in Hammondsport, NY, celebrates the life and accomplishments of Glenn Curtiss. The museum is home to a priceless collection relating to early aviation, bicycle and motorcycle transportation and local history. Hammondsport was recently named "Coolest Small Town of the Year" by Budget Travel magazine. For more information, visit the museum website    ### Follow us on Facebook for the latest information on exhibits and events.