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JPL Open House

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Contact: John Watson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                              May 1, 1997

PUBLIC INVITED TO JPL'S ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE 

     NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory opens its doors to the 
public for the annual open house on Saturday and Sunday, May 31 
and June 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This popular, free event features 
exhibits and demonstrations about the Laboratory's ongoing 
research and space exploration missions. 

     Many of the Lab's scientists and engineers will be on hand 
to answer questions about how spacecraft are sent to other 
planets, how scientists utilize space technologies to explore 
Earth and how researchers have begun searching for planets beyond 
our own solar system. Visitors will see exhibits, displays, 
demonstrations and presentations about space exploration of the 
past, present and future, covering such topics as planetary 
imaging, space robotics, spacecraft communications and tracking. 
Among the exciting activities for the whole family: 

     - In a yard transformed into a replica of the Martian 
landscape, participants can view two full-scale models of 
Sojourner, a 10-kilogram (25-pound) microrover that will land on 
Mars on July 4 aboard the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft;

     - A full-scale model of Galileo, currently in orbit around 
Jupiter, which will be on display, along with a colorful exhibit 
of stunning images from Jupiter's moon, Europa, thought to have a 
water ocean beneath its icy surface;

     - The staff of the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer 
(NIMS), a science instrument on Galileo, will present an 
informational video, a hands-on model, a quiz about infrared 
technologies and free color photos of Jupiter and its moons;

     - The Cassini project will display a dramatic, full-scale 
model of the three-story-high Cassini spacecraft, along with 
samples of some of the nearly 700,000 submissions from around the 
world for the "Send Your Signature to Saturn" data disk that will 
be placed onboard the spacecraft prior to its October launch; 

     - For a view of possible spacecraft of the future, visit the 
Microspacecraft Systems Technology Office display, featuring 
full-scale microspacecraft models about the size of a basketball; 

     - The Center for Space Microelectronics Technology will 
display sensors for miniaturized instruments for future 
microspacecraft, including micro-seismometers to measure 
earthquakes here and on other planets, a laser the size of a 
grain of sand designed to measure Martian water vapor, and a 
miniature digital video imager consuming 1/100 the power of a 
conventional video camera;

     - Aerogel samples will be raffled off several times each day 
at a booth devoted to the Stardust mission (aerogel, a sponge-
like substance that is 99.9 percent air, will be flown on the 
Stardust mission to capture dust from a comet tail);

     - The small, futuristic xenon ion propulsion engine, 
scheduled for its first use on the New Millennium DS1 mission 
launching in July 1998, will be on display in the midst of an 
8,000-hour endurance test inside of a huge vacuum tank;

     - The Robot Assisted Microsurgery system, a NASA-developed 
robotic arm designed to help surgeons perform extremely delicate 
surgery of the eye, heart or brain, will be demonstrated;
          
     - Those with an interest in origami won't want to miss a 
demonstration of inflatable antennae and solar sails, all 
packaged in tiny containers, designed to be unfurled--and retain 
their shapes--in space; 

     - The Commercial Technology Office will display consumer 
products utilizing technology developed at JPL, including an ear 
thermometer, a Styrofoam insulation box used for transporting 
frozen steaks, and an eye tracker for the disabled; 

     - The Ulysses project booth will feature a Ulysses 
"Scrabble" game every two hours, with prizes to the top 
wordsmiths, and will award Ulysses pins to young people aged 5 to 
13 who complete a special Ulysses puzzle;

     - Exhibits about Mission to Planet Earth will focus on two 
ocean-observing projects and on radar images of Earth from 1978 
to the present, along with a computer demonstration room 
featuring an educational CD-ROM about Earth imaging radar; 

     - The Origins program will outline ways of detecting other 
solar systems and determining if there might be life elsewhere in 
the universe; 

     - A special laser sensing system designed as part of a 
larger automated system to provide drivers with instant traffic 
information while on the road will be demonstrated; and

     - The JPL Archives will exhibit images produced during the 
early exploration of Mars, as well as highlights describing the 
history of JPL.

     Food and beverages will be available, along with such 
souvenirs as space videos, toys, and JPL and NASA merchandise. 
The JPL Stamp and Coin clubs will have booths selling the latest 
JPL space event commemorative covers and medallions.

     JPL is located at 4800 Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena, off the 
210 Freeway at the Berkshire Avenue/Oak Grove Drive exit. For 
further information, visit the JPL web site at 
www.jpl.nasa.gov/openhouse or call (818) 354-0112.

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