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Goddard Events & Programs

A young girl with a long blond ponytail and black T-shirt faces away from the camera, watching a small model rocket lift off from its launch pad. The rocket is behind yellow caution tape, and a thin stream of white smoke billows out from its end into a small white cloud underneath as it shoots diagonally up toward the upper right corner of the image. The grass between the child and the rocket is green, and the background is dense, dark green trees.

Upcoming Special Events:

Saturday Science: Artemis II Splashdown on Sat. Feb. 28, 1-3 p.m.

Discover how Search and Rescue works to help bring astronauts home safely. More information to come.

Robert H. Goddard Centennial Celebration on Sat. March 7, 1-3 p.m. (Rain date: March 14)

Launch your own model rocket with the NARHAMS Rocket Club to celebrate the launch of the first liquid fueled rocket. More information to come.

Blast Off With Books: Moon Trees on Sat. April 25, 1-3 p.m.

Blast off with books! Join us as we learn about Moon trees by exploring “Izzy and Dee – The Moon Trees” with author Izzy House. We will hold a reading of a book excerpt and other activities. You can also start your own visit log with the visitor center’s two Moon trees – one from the Apollo 14 mission and another from the Artemis I mission! Please note that book copies will not be available on-site, but you are allowed to bring your own copy. Registration is not required for this free, family-friendly event. For more information, call 301-286-8981.

Recurring Events:

Mission: Experiment
Scheduled Saturdays, 1 – 3 p.m. (Check schedule below for days)
Activities best suited for children ages 5 to 10

Grow with Goddard
Third Thursday of the Month, 9 – 10 a.m.
Activities and demonstrations for ages 3-5

Space for Me
Sensory friendly hour

Model Rocket Launches
First Saturday of the month, 1 p.m.
All ages welcome!

Other Goddard Events

alt="A young student uses an interactive kiosk at the NASA Goddard Visitor Center to build an Exoplanet. A large video screen also shows star streaks as space flight is simulated."

Mission: Experiment

Mission: Experiment – “Heliophysics: The Sun-Earth Connection”
Saturday, Feb. 21, 1 – 3 p.m.
Join us on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Goddard Visitor Center for Mission: Experiment. This free, family-friendly event will focus on the theme “Heliophysics: The Sun-Earth Connection” this month. Heliophysics is the study of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth and the entire solar system.

Activities include:
– Experiment with a plasma ball and learn about changes in our atmosphere and on the Sun
– Get a feel for a stormy Sun: “see” some solar features with your hands
– Take home a flip-book to track a solar eruption called a coronal mass ejection

In addition, listen to scientist Dr. Cristian Ferradas Alva present on “Earth’s Magnetic Field as a Shield: Why It Matters”. During this talk, we will learn about one of Earth’s most underrated characteristics: its magnetic field. We will learn how it acts as a powerful shield from space hazards to enable life to flourish on Earth. We will also learn about space weather, what it is, and some of its positive and negative effects.

 For more information, please call 301-286-8981.

Questions? Email the Goddard Visitor Center team about Mission: Experiment
Sun and Earth on a black background
Credit NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab/Krystofer Kim in partnership with NASA HEAT

You can also check out the past virtual Sunday Experiment series here.

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A young child interacts with a sunspot exhibit.
An excitedly smiling child appears silhouetted in profile against the backdrop of an image of the Sun, its surface curving across the screen from left to right and a bright yellow loop erupting from its red and yellow swirling surface. Space is black behind the Sun, and the Sun's corona appears as a diffuse red glow along its edge.

Grow with Goddard

Third Thursday of the Month, 9 – 10 a.m.

Grow with Goddard! Join us for activities and demonstrations for ages 3-5 here at our visitor center during a special morning hour before we open to the public. Please see the list of dates and topics below. Registration is required for each child participant. Parents and guardians do not need to register, but at least one parent or guardian must be on-site for the program.

Registration is required for this event about Grow with Goddard

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Space for Me

More dates to be announced.

Explore the Goddard Visitor Center during a sensory-friendly hour before we open for the day. Sounds and lighting in our exhibit spaces will be limited during this time. We will also have touch items for visitors to experience.

Registration is required for this event about Space for Me

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Three model rockets lined up on a silver bar in front of a grassy hill with Goddard buildings in the background.
A group of volunteers assist in launching model rockets at the NASA Goddard Visitor Center. Several multicolored rockets are seen on a launching rack on the right of the image, while four high school students assist with the wiring as preparation to launch.
A young girl with a long blond ponytail and black T-shirt faces away from the camera, watching a small model rocket lift off from its launch pad. The rocket is behind yellow caution tape, and a thin stream of white smoke billows out from its end into a small white cloud underneath as it shoots diagonally up toward the upper right corner of the image. The grass between the child and the rocket is green, and the background is dense, dark green trees.

Model Rocket Launches

First Saturday of each month at 1 p.m. (formerly Sundays)
(Some holidays excluded; weather, security conditions permitting; call ahead to confirm: 301-286-8981)

Like to build model rockets, but don’t have a launch pad? Now you do! Anyone can bring a model to fly at the Goddard Visitor Center rocket launches; there are no costs or fees to participate. Rockets, motors and supplies are available for purchase at the nearby Goddard Gift Shop (and many hobby shops or toy stores) and you can even get rocket construction and launch tips from our on-site experts on launch day!

Don’t want to launch your own rocket? That’s fine, too — come out to watch, and cheer on our rocketeers!

Model rocket launches are held at the Goddard Visitor Center the first Saturday of the month (some holidays excluded, and weather and security conditions permitting). Launches start at 1 p.m. and are brought to you by the NARHAMS Model Rocket club. These launches have been part of Visitor Center programs since 1976.
Visitors bring and prepare their own models; a group safety briefing is given at 1 p.m., and models are given a preflight safety assessment. We allow single-engine models that must not exceed C-class models. 1/2A or A models work best for our field. We do not permit rocket gliders, models whose altitude may exceed 2,000 feet, clustered motors, or two stage rockets.

Weather decisions will be made the day of the launch — to check the status of a launch, please contact the Visitor Center front desk at 301-286-8981.

Learn more about the NARHAMS Model Rocket club about Model Rocket Launches

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Other Goddard Events and Programs

Please note: The events and activities listed below are not affiliated with Goddard’s Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is listing them here as a courtesy. For more information, please contact the respective sponsoring organizations.

Visit the following websites for information on seminars and colloquia at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

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About Goddard

NASA Goddard – Frequently Asked Questions

Goddard Media Resources and Guidelines

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