Scientists and engineers with NASA’s next mission to Mars will be touring California cities starting this month.
NASA’s InSight mission will be the first interplanetary launch from the West Coast. In preparation for its May launch, the Mars InSight Roadshow is stopping at cities along the earthquake-prone California coast to explain how the robotic lander will study Mars’ deep interior using seismology and other geophysical measurements.
The Roadshow brings family-friendly science activities, exhibits and public talks to communities throughout California, making comparisons between earthquakes and the marsquakes that InSight will try to detect. The Roadshow will also partner with local and national organizations along the way, promoting planetary science and showing the benefits of NASA earthquake data gathered by Earth-observing satellites. All the museums are members of the NASA Museum Alliance.
InSight’s launch window opens May 5 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, near Santa Barbara, California. InSight stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport. It will be the first mission to study the deep interior of Mars, using an ultra-sensitive seismometer, a heat-flow probe and other instruments. InSight is led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
What to Expect:
- Opportunities for live shots
- “Make Your Own Marsquake” demo, in which members of the public jump and see seismometer readings on a screen
- Interviews with NASA scientists and engineers
- Colorful backdrops and selfie stations
- Models of the InSight spacecraft
- Mars globe “cutaways” showing the interior of Mars
- Virtual reality headsets used to see panoramas of Mars
Who to Expect:
- InSight’s mission and science team
- JPL’s Mars public engagement team
- NASA Solar System Ambassadors
Tour Dates:
March 30-31
Redding, Calif.
Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Exhibit
March 30
Redding, Calif.
Shasta Union High School District’s David Marr Theater
Public Talk
April 13-15
Sacramento, Calif.
Powerhouse Science Center
Exhibit
April 18-22
San Francisco, Calif.
Exploratorium
Exhibits and Public Talks
April 27-29
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum
Exhibit
April 28
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Public Talk
May 2-3
Santa Maria, Calif.
Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum
Exhibit
May 2
Lompoc, Calif.
Dick DeWees Community & Senior Center
Exhibit
May 3
Lompoc, Calif.
Lompoc Public Library
Public Talk
May 4
Santa Maria, Calif.
Allan Hancock College
Exhibit and Public Talk
May 19
Santa Barbara, Calif.
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Exhibit
And more to come! Find future dates and details at: https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/participate/roadshow/
