The Ames Office of Education and Public Outreach will host a public event to view the televised launch of the eighth SpaceX mission to resupply the International Space Station on Friday, April 8, 2016. Members of the public are invited to attend and learn about Ames’ research launching on the mission from NASA engineers and scientists! The event will occur in Ames’ Conference Center, Building 3, from 11 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. PDT.

You can register to attend the Ames event by sending an email to arcevents@mail.nasa.gov with the number of people in your party (including yourself). The seating is limited to 350, so please register as soon as possible to reserve your space. You will receive a confirmation email, which you should print and bring to the event. Your confirmation email will include directions and parking information.

The mission to the International Space Station will be carrying five science experiments related to NASA’s Ames Research Center. The launch event will feature a live NASA TV broadcast of the launch on a large projection screen, an overview of the center’s research on the International Space Station, presentations from Ames scientists and engineers and information booths about Ames’ space biology research.

Schedule:

11:00 a.m. – Doors open
11:00 to 12:15 – Information booths available for viewing/interaction
12:15 to 12:30 – Event program opens with welcome from center leadership
12:30 to 1:25 – Ames science experiment speakers
1:25 to 2:15 – NASA TV launch coverage
2:15 p.m. – Event ends

Ames’ life science experiments include:

Micro-9, a study of specific mechanisms of yeast cell signaling and response to microgravity.

Micro-10, a study of the effects of spaceflight on the growth, gene expression and physiological responses of fungal cells.

Microbial Tracking-1C, the third in a series of studies that investigates the airborne and surface-bound populations of microorganisms aboard the space station.

Rodent Research-3, a commercial investigation that evaluates a countermeasure against muscle weakening during spaceflight.

The validation flight of Wetlab-2, a new system for conducting quantitative, real-time gene expression analysis aboard the International Space Station.

Data from some of the life science investigations that will launch aboard SpaceX-8 will be shared with the scientific community via NASA’s open-access GeneLab data system.

This launch is the eighth contracted mission by SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. The flight will carry science research, crew supplies and hardware to the orbiting laboratory in support of the space station astronaut crews. The Dragon capsule is targeted for launch at 1:43 p.m. PDT on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.

NASA TV coverage of the launch can be viewed on http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv or on the NASA TV Channel (check you local listings for availability) or in the NASA App for iOS and Android.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/

For more information about NASA Ames space biology experiments, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ames/research/space-biosciences/