Corning Contributions to Space Exploration Highlighted In Smithsonian's "Explore the Universe" Exhibition.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 20, 2001

Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) and the Corning Incorporated Foundation today announced their participation in, and sponsorship of, the National Air and Space Museum's newest exhibition, "Explore the Universe," scheduled to open to the public tomorrow, Sept. 21, at the Smithsonian Institution Museum in Washington, D.C. Corning contributed artifacts, video, and photographic materials, as well as financial support.

"Explore the Universe" showcases some of the most significant observational tools astronomers have devised over the past four centuries and the role each has played in our continuing quest to understand the universe.

"Corning has worked with the Smithsonian Institution and other sponsors, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) and TRW over the past few years to develop this expansive exhibition designed to engage the public in the evolution of the technology used to study the Universe," said Corning President and CEO, John Loose.

"With more than 150 years of experience in technology innovation, Corning is pleased to be supporting this outstanding showcase of the history of astronomy. Corning understands the importance of discovery, and we have been there every step of the way -- from designing and manufacturing the windows for the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station to designing and manufacturing some of the largest telescope mirrors in the world," said Loose.

The huge back-up mirror for the Hubble Space Telescope, which was designed and manufactured by Corning in the 1970s, is one of the most important artifacts featured in "Explore the Universe."

Corning is still one of the few sources in the world for ground-based and space-borne telescope mirrors in sizes that range from a few feet to more than 26 feet across. Today, Corning's mirrors are made of ultra-low-expansion glass, chosen for many telescopes because of its extraordinary stability over a wide range of temperatures.

"The high purity fused silica material that we created to make huge telescope mirrors later evolved to help us form lenses that write microscopic circuit paths on computer microchips.

"The company then adapted the vapor deposition process used to make these lenses into our process for making optical fiber. We're continuously developing our products and stretching our ideas, reusing what we know works in exciting new ways. This exhibit allows us to share some of what we have learned from our many years of research and development," Loose concluded.

Corning Incorporated is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, and the National Air and Space Museum is celebrating its 25th.

"The National Air and Space Museum has the world's largest collection of scientific instruments for observing the stars. With the backup mirror to the Hubble Space Telescope, plus the loans of William Herschel's original 20-foot telescope and the observing cage from the Mount Wilson Observatory, we have major components of three of the most important telescopes in history on display," said museum Director General John R. "Jack" Dailey.

"Explore the Universe" is made up of five sections covering the evolution of tools for searching the heavens: "Exploring the Universe with the Naked Eye," "Exploring the Universe with Telescopes," "Exploring the Universe with Photography," "Exploring the Universe with Spectroscopy," and "Exploring the Universe in the Digital Age."

Founded as the Bay State Glass Company in 1851, Corning quickly began its long history of inventive solutions by making the first light bulb for Thomas Edison in 1879. Throughout the years, Corning has continued to reinvent itself and transform society through such advances as mass-produced television tubes, ceramic substrates for reducing auto pollution, DNA microarrays used in genomic research, flat-panel displays for computer screens, and low-loss optical fiber, which helped to launch the Information Age.

About Corning Incorporated

Established in 1851, Corning Incorporated (www.corning.com) creates leading-edge technologies for the fastest-growing markets of the world's economy. Corning manufactures optical fiber, cable and photonic products for the telecommunications industry; and high-performance displays and components for television, information technology and other communications-related industries. The company also uses advanced materials to manufacture products for scientific, semiconductor and environmental markets. Corning revenues for 2000 were $7.1 billion.