Exploration Day at NASA Ames!

To celebrate NASA's Summer of Innovation initiative to promote excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), NASA's Ames Research Center will host an Exploration Day targeted at middle school students (4th-8th grades) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, July 26.

This special event will bring the Travelling Space Museum to the NASA Exploration Center for a day of educational fun! In addition to the exhibits normally found at the Exploration Center, the Travelling Space Museum includes a variety of special activities and presentations geared toward 4-8th grade students. Activities for students include opportunities to learn about lunar rovers, try a flight simulator, see what's it's like to walk on the Moon, ride a hovercraft, see how far they can stomp a rocket, and remotely drive a rover over lunar regolith. Presentations will teach students about space suits and space food, the space toilette, and the Wright Kite and BD-5.

Presentations in the Exploration Center theater will be given approximately every 30 minutes.

A short shuttle bus ride away is the Ames Exploration Encounter (AEE) – an educational facility that teaches students about aeronautics, physics, Earth sciences and more. The AEE has recently been renovated and is normally only open to scheduled school groups. However, for this special day shuttle busses will be provided to take guests to the AEE. Access to the AEE is only via shuttle bus, guests are not allowed to drive their own vehicles.

If that weren't enough! At 10:30 a.m. former astronaut Dan Barry will give a presentation entitled "Sensations of Space Flight." Barry has flown on three space shuttle missions, including a mission to the International Space Station. At 4:15 p.m. a surprise guest speaker will close the day.

General Schedule

10:00 a.m. Exploration Center and Travelling Space Museum Open to the public

• Presentations and shows will be given in the Exploration Center theater approximately every 30 minutes.
• First shuttle bus departs for the Ames Exploration Encounter located inside NASA Ames Research Center. Guests should plan to spend about 45 minutes at the Exploration Encounter.

NOTE: Shuttle busses to the Ames Exploration Encounter will depart from the NASA Exploration Center every 15 minutes from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

A brief windshield tour of Ames will be provided during the return bus ride from the AEE to the Exploration Center. Guests will not depart the bus until they reach the Exploration Center.

10:30 p.m. Former astronaut Dan Barry presents "Sensations of Space Flight"

11:15 p.m. Last morning bus to the AEE

1:00 p.m. First afternoon bus departs Exploration Center to the AEE

3:15 p.m. Last afternoon bus departs Exploration Center to the AEE

4:00 p.m. Last bus returns from the AEE to the Exploration Center

4:15 p.m. Surprise Guest Speaker in the Exploration Center theater

The NASA Gift Shop, located inside the Exploration Center, will be open during Exploration Day.

To reach NASA Ames, take the NASA Parkway exit off U.S. 101 and head east on Moffett Boulevard to the main gate. The Traveling Space Museum will be on display at the NASA Ames Exploration Center (the big white tent) outside the gate. Shuttle busses will take guests to the Ames Exploration Encounter onsite at NASA Ames.
To celebrate NASA's Summer of Innovation initiative to promote excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), NASA's Ames Research Center will host an Exploration Day targeted at middle school students (4th-8th grades) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, July 26.

This special event will bring the Travelling Space Museum to the NASA Exploration Center for a day of educational fun! In addition to the exhibits normally found at the Exploration Center, the Travelling Space Museum includes a variety of special activities and presentations geared toward 4-8th grade students. Activities for students include opportunities to learn about lunar rovers, try a flight simulator, see what's it's like to walk on the Moon, ride a hovercraft, see how far they can stomp a rocket, and remotely drive a rover over lunar regolith. Presentations will teach students about space suits and space food, the space toilette, and the Wright Kite and BD-5.

Presentations in the Exploration Center theater will be given approximately every 30 minutes.

A short shuttle bus ride away is the Ames Exploration Encounter (AEE) – an educational facility that teaches students about aeronautics, physics, Earth sciences and more. The AEE has recently been renovated and is normally only open to scheduled school groups. However, for this special day shuttle busses will be provided to take guests to the AEE. Access to the AEE is only via shuttle bus, guests are not allowed to drive their own vehicles.

If that weren't enough! At 10:30 a.m. former astronaut Dan Barry will give a presentation entitled "Sensations of Space Flight." Barry has flown on three space shuttle missions, including a mission to the International Space Station. At 4:15 p.m. a surprise guest speaker will close the day.

General Schedule

10:00 a.m. Exploration Center and Travelling Space Museum Open to the public

• Presentations and shows will be given in the Exploration Center theater approximately every 30 minutes.
• First shuttle bus departs for the Ames Exploration Encounter located inside NASA Ames Research Center. Guests should plan to spend about 45 minutes at the Exploration Encounter.

NOTE: Shuttle busses to the Ames Exploration Encounter will depart from the NASA Exploration Center every 15 minutes from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

A brief windshield tour of Ames will be provided during the return bus ride from the AEE to the Exploration Center. Guests will not depart the bus until they reach the Exploration Center.

10:30 p.m. Former astronaut Dan Barry presents "Sensations of Space Flight"

11:15 p.m. Last morning bus to the AEE

1:00 p.m. First afternoon bus departs Exploration Center to the AEE

3:15 p.m. Last afternoon bus departs Exploration Center to the AEE

4:00 p.m. Last bus returns from the AEE to the Exploration Center

4:15 p.m. Surprise Guest Speaker in the Exploration Center theater

The NASA Gift Shop, located inside the Exploration Center, will be open during Exploration Day.

To reach NASA Ames, take the NASA Parkway exit off U.S. 101 and head east on Moffett Boulevard to the main gate. The Traveling Space Museum will be on display at the NASA Ames Exploration Center (the big white tent) outside the gate. Shuttle busses will take guests to the Ames Exploration Encounter onsite at NASA Ames.