Visit the NASA Ames Exploration Center

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/9/1/4/event_187694612.jpegNASA's Ames Research Center is a key facility for many of NASA’s missions and projects.

Come to the Exploration Center and learn what we’re doing at this amazing NASA facility.

Location: Located at the main gate to NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California. 15 minutes northwest of San Jose, California, just off U.S. 101 at the "Moffett Blvd / NASA Parkway" exit.

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NOTES & LINKS

-Free Admission

-This is an open event. We will meet for introductions at the entrance just before noon. After that, feel free to come and go as you please and participate in any activities or tours that you like. Make it a point to introduce yourself and meet some new geeks!

-Lightrail Station: Bayshore NASA (one mile walk)

-GPS Location: 37.40899 N, 122.06417 W

NASA Ames Exploration Center (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/exploration.html)

On Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/nasa-ames-research-and-visitor-center-mountain-view)

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DAILY ACTIVITIES

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/9/5/0/event_187694672.jpeg12:30-1:30pm - Uniview
Take a tour of the Solar System with our staff-led presentation.

1:30-2:00pm - Destination Innovation
Learn about fascinating technology hosted by Ames personnel with these four short video presentations.

2:00-3:00pm - Scaling the Solar System
Planets range in density, color, distance, temperature, and mass. In this hands-on activity, we will use craft dough and simple division to scale out the Solar System and discover how diverse our planetary neighbors really are!

3:00-4:00pm - Mars Rover Curiosity
Learn about the most recent mission to Mars with this staff led presentation.

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CURRENT EXHIBITS

REAL Moon Rock – On display in the Exploration Center is a REAL lunar sample retrieved by the crew of Apollo 15 from the Moon's Hadley-Apennine region. This sample is part of the 169 pounds retrieved from the lunar surface during the crew's 66.9-hour stay on the Moon.

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/9/6/4/event_187694692.jpegImmersive Theater – The NASA Exploration Center features a high-resolution Immersive Theater with a 14-foot tall and 36-foot wide screen. High-definition videos show in detail Mars missions, simulated flights through the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond, science contributions of scientists at NASA Ames Research Center, and much more!

Mercury Redstone 1A (MR-1A) – This capsule, launched on December 19, 1960, attained an altitude of 130.7 statute miles. MR-1A was the last unmanned test flight before the Mercury 7 astronauts took flight. Five months after MR-1A flew, on May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to fly in space aboard Friendship 7, a Mercury capsule nearly identical to MR-1A.

SOFIA – NASA developed the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy - or SOFIA - as a world-class airborne observatory that will complement the Hubble, Spitzer, Herschel and James Webb space telescopes and major Earth-based telescopes. Come see the original wind-tunnel model of SOFIA now on display!

Kepler – The Kepler Mission is designed to survey our region of the Milky Way galaxy and has discovered over a thousand potential new planets orbiting near-by stars. Learn about this innovative mission with our knowledgeable docents!

Living and Working in Space – Microgravity research has benefited our understanding of the universe. Take part in this fascinating field with the Living and Working in Space exhibit.