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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:

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.

Visitor Center 50th Anniversary Celebration on Sat. May 2, 1-3 p.m.

The Goddard Visitor Center in Greenbelt will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a public, family-friendly event on Saturday, May 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. Hands-on activities will focus on the visitor center’s exhibits, and presentations will provide an overview of Goddard and its many missions. The visitor center’s monthly model rocket launch will also take place. 

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 – “Three Orbits, One Mission: Watching Earth & Space with NOAA”
Saturday, March 21, 1 – 3 p.m.

Join us on Saturday, March 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Goddard Visitor Center for “Three Orbits, One Mission: Watching Earth & Space with NOAA.” This free, family-friendly event will highlight three satellite programs that provide crucial data on Earth and solar weather and celebrate the unique partnership between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Participants will engage with hands-on activities, demonstrations, and speakers to learn more about the science of NOAA’s geostationary, low Earth, and solar weather observatory missions.

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

Questions? Email the Goddard Visitor Center team about Mission: Experiment

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

Goddard Center Leadership