Contact: Gia Scafidi (818) 354-0850

The public will have an opportunity to learn about the
latest solar system research and space exploration when NASA’s
Jet Propulsion Laboratory hosts its annual Open House on Saturday
and Sunday, June 3 and 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

This year’s free event, “JPL in the Twenty-first Century,” will shed
light on current celestial discoveries, ongoing space missions
and new space technology. People of all ages can check out a
variety of demonstrations, exhibits, presentations and laboratory
facilities. Hands-on and other interactive activities will also
be available for children.

Life-size models of the spacecraft used to explore Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will be on display, and
visitors can learn how images are brought back from space. JPL’s
25-foot Space Simulator, used to produce spacelike conditions of
extreme temperatures, vacuum and intense solar radiation will
also be available for viewing.

Through specialized telescopes, visitors will be able to
safely observe the Sun, and will also have an opportunity to
learn how small changes in the air, land and water influence
their everyday lives.

The Mars Yard, a replica of Martian terrain, will feature
the rovers in development for exploring the red planet. One
rover, known as Urbie, will show off its ability to avoid
obstacles by using stereo vision.

Other planned activities will feature the strange world of
cryogenic phenomena, where the curious can see balloons shrink
and magnets levitate; the universe, where one can learn about
black holes, pulsars and the destiny of our own solar system;
and the Deep Space Operations Center — the telecommunications
hub for spacecraft exploring the solar system

Last year, approximately 55,000 people attended the JPL Open
House. Food and beverages will be available, along with space
souvenirs.

JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Dr. in Pasadena, off the
210 (Foothill) Freeway at the Oak Grove/Berkshire exit. For
additional information, log onto the JPL Open House website at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov.openhouse or call the Public Services
Office at (818) 354-0112

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NOTE TO EDITORS: A photograph to accompany this press release is
available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pictures/openhouse.