GREENBELT, Md. — NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Md. will host this month’s Sunday Experiment on Sunday, March 20 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. EST. It’s a free afternoon of eye-opening, hands-on activities exploring NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project climate and weather satellite!

The NPOESS Preparatory Project or NPP is the first step to the creation of an operational system that combines the U.S. weather and climate monitoring and will maintain our operational weather forecasting capabilities. It also has important applications for the shipping, fishing, aviation, agriculture, transportation, tourism and energy sectors.

Students will be able to talk to an NPP expert to understand how the satellite system works. In addition, students will make edible satellites out of cookies! Other activities include coloring and constructing satellite systems and presentations in the always riveting Science on a Sphere theater.

The Sunday Experiment, held the third Sunday of each month from September through May, features activities showcasing Goddard’s world-renowned science and engineering research and technological developments. Families leave inspired by the activities, wowed by the scientists and engineers, and excited about Goddard’s revolutionary research and technology.

In addition to celebrating all things science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the Sunday Experiment celebrates major science missions that are managed by NASA Goddard and set to launch in the near future.

“The Sunday Experiment is a place where children and adults alike can discover the excitement of Goddard through fun and engaging hands-on activities,” said Emilie Drobnes, of NASA Goddard, founder of Sunday Experiment.

While at the Goddard Visitor Center, visitors can see science in a whole new way in the Visitor Center’s captivating Science on a Sphere visualization system. Visitors can also explore the Visitor Center’s ongoing exhibits and activities, including a Gemini capsule model and the Rocket Garden.

For more information on the Sunday Experiment, visit Goddard’s Visitor Center Web page: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/events/index.html

For more information on NPP, visit: http://npp.gsfc.nasa.gov