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NASA Lands at the Exploreum in Mobile August 8

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, together will host “NASA Lands at the Exploreum Day” in Mobile on Saturday, August 8, complete with rockets, science, engineering and fun. Visitors can talk with key managers from the Marshall Center, kids can make their own rocket while learning about space, take a virtual ride through the solar system and listen to Marshall engineers as they showcase their missions to explore the Earth, sun and other worlds.

“NASA Lands at the Exploreum” will touch down at 10 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.

Exhibits and activities for all ages will showcase everything from the center’s work with NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft — the most powerful rocket ever built and the vehicle that will take astronauts on deep-space missions to asteroids and Mars — to 3D printing and other advanced technologies that are revolutionizing space exploration and discovery.

The Marshall Center is partnering with Gulf Coast Exploreum for the event. Visitors will find demonstrations, displays and activities reflecting the work of Marshall and NASA at the Exploreum.

During the event, Jody Singer, manager of the Flight Programs and Projects Office at Marshall and other key managers will be available to speak with news media. Throughout the day, Marshall’s Academic Affairs Office, as well as Exploreum Science Center staff will provide educational activities for kids of all ages. Visitors will experience different hands-on stations that include learning about space walks, building and launching a simplified rocket, designing a space suit, testing a parachute design, and selecting a landing surface for a Mars rover.

Activities and Exhibits include:

— “Traveling To and Through Space” will feature life size inflatables of the Space Launch System and the Orion Spacecraft that will enable NASA’s Journey to Mars. Visitors will be able to touch an actual moon rock, don a spacesuit and step inside a newly developed Mark3 Spacesuit that will test technologies for future planetary exploration.

— “Living and Working in Space” allows visitors a glimpse into the Marshall-developed Environmental Control and Life Support System that provides astronauts aboard the International Space Station with water and oxygen and controls their environment. Marshall engineers will explain the work of people at the Payload Operations and Integration Center, who manage the increasing number of science activities aboard the space station. You’ll get the facts about the racks and sealed Microgravity Science Gloveboxes that allows station astronauts to safely handle materials for experiments. And you’ll learn about work to design Deep Space Habitats for long-term missions.

— “Understanding Our World and Beyond” will showcase Marshall’s role in exploring the outer limits of our solar system with robotic satellites, such as, New Horizons that recently encountered Pluto. With the Solar System Exploration Virtual Theater, visitors can sit back and enjoy sitting on Europa as Jupiter floats by along with other impressive sights of our Solar System.  

In addition, the following space-themed exhibits featuring U.S. exploration of outer space will be on display at the Exploreum through September 7.

Beyond Earth, explores mankind’s fascination with the universe through a collection of large format photography from numerous NASA expeditions, meteorites found all over the world, and artifacts from the Space Race.  

The Journey to Mars exhibit showcases the history of space flight and the future of space travel. Through artifacts, models, simulators and hands-on activities visitors can experience the progression of space travel from the moon landing to the mission to put a person on Mars.

The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center is located at 65 Government Street in Downtown Mobile, Ala.  Hours are Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday Noon-5 p.m.

For more information about the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, visit:

http://www.exploreum.com/

For more information about NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, visit us on the web:

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall

Kimberly Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama
256-544-0034
kimberly.d.newton@nasa.gov

John Kerr
Development/Communications Associate
251-208-6865
jkerr@exploreum.com