NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center's Office of Education and its partner, the AERO Institute, have been taking advantage of the opportunity to participate in the weekly summertime Thursday Night on the Square activities sponsored by the City of Palmdale, Calif.

Located at Poncitlan Square adjacent to the AERO Institute buildings in the Palmdale Civic Center, Thursday Night on the Square is a 10-week series of outdoor festivals involving entertainment, arts and crafts, special presentations and informal education activities, with each week focusing on a different theme.

NASA Dryden and AERO Institute staffers have focused their informal education efforts on promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics, utilizing a variety of displays and exhibits in the institute's Aerospace Exploration Gallery and other materials made available to those attending. Each week, hundreds of festival attendees have toured the gallery's exhibits, learning how NASA applies science, technology engineering and mathematics toward its aerospace research and exploration goals.

A trio of moppets found the cockpit of an AV-8 Harrier in the Aerospace Exploration Gallery fascinating. › View Larger Image	AERO Institute intern Stacey Grant from the United Tribal Technical College, assists a young visitor with in operating a flight simulator in the Aerospace Exploration Gallery. › View Larger Image	AERO Institute student interns Cynthia Wong and Elina Cruz introduced young visitors to two local aerospace heroes, Joe Walker and Pete Knight, and also presented basic information about flying during a recent Thursday Night on the Square program. › View Larger Image

Alan Brown, public affairs
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center