Call it the “Week of the Quasi-Celebrity.— Look for an influx of almost-famous faces around the Hill — if you can spot them.

[IMGCAP(1)]Only NASA groupies likely would be able to pick out the astronaut crew of STS-127 (the flight earlier this year to the International Space Station) from a crowd. But you can get to know them better — they’re the guests of honor at a reception Wednesday night at the Russell Senate Office Building. The rocket men (and women) will discuss their 16-day mission.

On a more down-to-earth note, Aerosmith rocker Joe Perry will appear Thursday with leading scientists (they’re optimistically being billed as the “Rock Stars of Science—) to lobby for increased research funds. Bonus points to anyone who recognizes the smarty-pants researchers themselves.

Perry might cross paths with former NFL-er Mike Haynes (he played in the 1970s and ’80s for the New England Patriots and then-Los Angeles Raiders), who is also on the Hill hosting an event to raise awareness about prostate cancer in African-American men.

On Friday, be on the lookout for snazzily dressed visitors — you might have spotted fashion designer Nanette Lepore. The designer will join the Greater Washington Fashion Chamber of Commerce and Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.) to discuss the state of the U.S. fashion industry.

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