Maryland’s revolutionary work in space and technology will be featured at the Baltimore Convention Center during a free, family event on Saturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md. are hosting this unprecedented showcase that will have over 100 imaginative, hands-on exhibits, NASA astronauts, mind-blowing multimedia presentations, thrilling robotics competitions, and much more.

NASA Astronaut, Ricky Arnold, born and raised in Maryland, will be a special guest at the expo. As mission specialist for NASA’s latest mission to the International Space Station, STS-119, Arnold accumulated 12 hours and 34 minutes of EVA during 2 spacewalks. During STS-119, Arnold and the rest of the crew on space shuttle Discovery traveled 202 orbits and 5.3 million miles in 12 days 19 hours and 29 minutes.

Highlighted activities at Maryland’s Place in Space include a special appearance by Sid the Science Kid (Maryland Public Television / PBSKids); make your own wing ring glider w/ NASA Astronauts, Special Interactive Presentation by Wall-E, a special performance & demonstration by Stormin’ Bob Swanson, “The Singing Weatherman;” and an Informative Science Café with Scientists and Engineers.

Throughout the 20,000 square feet of space of the Baltimore Convention Center, there will be over 100 exhibits and activities. The exhibits will be organized into interactive, informative themes or “pods.”

The exploration pod will inspire all ages with space exploration and science activities. Critical missions in Earth science, heliophysics, planetary exploration and astrophysics will be featured.

The technology pod will introduce Maryland’s top engineers and highlight the latest technologies related to science and research discoveries.

The green pod will inspire discovery of Earth Science research and Maryland’s contributions to better understanding our changing planet.

The people pod will highlight Maryland’s extraordinary jobs in science and technology.

In addition to exhibits, attendees will engage in stimulating presentations by some of Maryland’s top contributors to science and technology locally, nationally, and globally.

Maryland’s Place in Space will reveal the tremendous impact and leadership that organizations such as NASA Goddard, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Space Telescope Science Institute, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, and the University of Maryland, as well as their industry partners have in the aerospace industry.

Maryland’s Place in Space is sponsored in part by the Alliant Techsystems, Inc. (ATK); Ball Aerospace & Technologies, Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Orbital Sciences Corporation; Science Applications International Corporation; Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, United Space Alliance (USA); Universities Space Research Association and made possible by a partnership with the American Astronautical Society and APL.

Media interested in attending Maryland’s Place in Space should contact Amy Pruett at 301-286-7646 or Amy.E.Pruett@nasa.gov.

For directions and additional information, go to:
http://www.nasa.gov/goddard