MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — To celebrate NASA’s Summer of Innovation initiative to promote excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., will host an Exploration Day featuring NASA’s out-of-this-world missions and technology programs. News media are invited to share in the fun and excitement on Monday, July 26, 2010.

NASA Ames has organized a day filled with STEM education hands-on activities and events, including a visit from the Traveling Space Museum (TSM); the grand opening of the renovated Ames Exploration Encounter (AEE), geared toward middle school students; an opportunity to operate rovers on a simulated lunar regolith and a student poster session, from more than 100 students.

During the Exploration Day events, students will be treated to a variety of rich and exciting educational experiences. The TSM will host approximately 12 activity stations, including an Orion capsule simulator, a micro-jet, a space station toilet, a hovercraft and water rockets. The AEE, a popular student science facility, will re-open its doors, providing hands-on activities exploring physics, flight, space science and Earth science. New interactive modules include a 2012 NASA mission, called the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), a lunar lender and an International Space Station mock-up.

WHAT: NASA Ames will kick off its Summer of Innovation program by hosting an Exploration Day featuring STEM education hands-on activities and experiences.

WHEN: Open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT Monday, July 26, 2010.

WHERE: The NASA Ames Exploration Center and Ames Exploration Encounter at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

Directions: To reach NASA Ames, take Moffett Field 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. Maps to the Ames Exploration Encounter facility and rover operations will be distributed at the NASA Visitor Badge Center, where media will be given their security and identification badges.

For more information about NASA’s Summer of Innovation, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/soi

For more information about NASA Ames, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ames