Using NASA-engineered science and specs, this rover was created as a traveling exhibit to inspire and educate the next generation of space explorers.
National Air and Space Museum
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will present “Mars Day!,” its annual tribute to the Red Planet Friday, July 21, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the museum on the National Mall. Organized by the museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, the event enables visitors to interact with its team of staff scientists and experts from NASA.
This year, a Mars rover concept vehicle from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will be on view. Using NASA-engineered science and specs, this rover was created as a traveling exhibit to inspire and educate the next generation of space explorers. Visitors will learn about the materials used to build it and custom features employed that could accommodate the terrain on Mars. Supplemental materials, including kiosks that explain plant life exploration and the Martian habitat, a virtual reality experience and an expert talk about the rover, will provide information about the quest to travel to the Red Planet.
Other “Mars Day!” displays and activities will give opportunities for visitors to:
For more information and a detailed schedule of activities, visit http://airandspace.si.edu/marsday.
“Mars Day!” is held annually at the museum’s building in Washington to commemorate the July 1976 landing of Viking 1, the first spacecraft to operate on Mars. A test version of Viking 1 is displayed in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.
The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. The museum building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking before 4 p.m. at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
Note: Summer hours for the National Mall building are 10 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. and in effect until Sept. 9 unless otherwise noted. Check the museum’s website for the most up-to-date times.
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SI-389-2017
Alison Wood
202-633-2376
Amy Stamm
202-633-2392