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Explore JPL – April 29-30, 2023

All tickets have been reserved for "explore jpl.", note: some tickets may become available due to cancellations. check availability below..

Please know that in addition to “Explore JPL” there are many other ways to experience JPL including our JPL Virtual Tour , monthly von Karman lecture series or weekday JPL Tours . Keep up on the latest news about JPL’s adventures. You can also sign up for JPL’s accounts on Twitter, Instragram, Facebook and Flickr. And to take a ride along with our spacecraft, explore the larger universe, or check the pulse of planet Earth, download our interactive Eyes products.

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Jet Propulsion Laboratory Visitor Center

JPL Von Karman Museum

Visitors must register ahead of time.  See the webpage for details.

All tours are 2 to 2.5 hours in duration and commonly include a multi-media presentation, and seeing our array of models and Solar System gallery, including our full scale Voyager and Galileo spacecraft models.

Guests may also visit the von Karman Visitor Center, the Space Flight Operations Facility, and the Spacecraft Assembly Facility.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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Jet Propulsion Laboratory - All You Must Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA Facility in Pasadena

JPL is a research, development, and flight center for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it is operated and managed by Caltech . All of NASA's Mars rovers were designed and built at JPL; the campus houses the Space Flight Operations Facility , a control room which has monitored and controlled all interplanetary and deep space exploration for NASA and other international space agencies since 1963.

Mars Rover Video

JPL's Public Services Office offers free for groups and individuals on an advance reservation basis, tour reservations should be made at least a month in advance. Tours usually include a video entitled "Journey to the Planets and Beyond," that provides an overview of JPL and its accomplishments. Guests may also visit the von Karman Visitor Center; the Space Flight Operations Facility; and the Spacecraft Assembly Facility.

Visitor Identification

JPL requires that all U.S. citizens, 18 years of age or older, present official, government issued photo identification (driver's license or passport) before being allowed entry. All non-U.S. Citizens 18 years of age or older must present a passport or resident visa (green card) before being allowed entry. Individuals without proper identification will not be admitted to the laboratory.

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NEWS | November 4, 2021

Nasa's jet propulsion laboratory adds new stops to its virtual tour.

Now you can see the Mars Yard up close, roam the world-class Microdevices Lab, visit the shop where spacecraft parts are made, and stop into a clean room where spacecraft take shape.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has just added several new stops to the immersive virtual tour that takes you through the leading center for the robotic exploration of the universe.

Stop by the Lab’s Mars Yard, an outdoor field with red soil that simulates the Martian terrain encountered by Perseverance, Curiosity, and other Mars explorers. This is where missions test full-scale rover models, and you’ll find in-depth details on everything from instruments on the Earthly twin of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover to the garage that houses it.

Also new to the virtual tour is the Microdevices Lab. Daring, cutting-edge projects developed in this world-class laboratory have played key roles since 1990 in transforming ideas that seemed like science fiction into powerful technologies for use in space and on Earth. In fact, work here has enabled Perseverance to hunt for organics and minerals on Mars.

While you’re at it, visit the fabrication shop, where flight and ground support equipment hardware is crafted with extreme precision. There is no mass production here – everything is “one off.”

With the latest additions, you can now visit the Earth Orbiting Mission Operations Center, too. This facility was developed to provide a work area for JPL engineers and data analysts to monitor and operate Earth-orbiting satellites built and managed by JPL.

Also added is a view of High Bay 2 of JPL’s spacecraft assembly facility . Completed in 1976 help with the Voyager project, this is JPL’s tallest clean room. It’s located beside High Bay 1, which has seen spacecraft taking shape since 1962.

Each location is embedded with dozens of points of interest – including videos, fun facts, and images – and they only add to an already fascinating journey into the rich history of the 177-acre facility.

For example, you can drop by the control room for the Deep Space Network , where JPL staff communicate with every NASA spacecraft flying beyond the orbit of the Moon. Click on one of the embedded links to see in real-time which spacecraft are returning data to each of the three Deep Space Network facilities based around the world.

In the von Kármán Auditorium and the Lab’s Visitor Center Museum, you can learn about JPL’s early years, including its involvement in launching America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, which led to the formation of NASA. You’ll also find full-scale models of some of our most beloved spacecraft, including Voyager, Galileo, and the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity in these rooms.

“There’s just so much to explore at JPL. With the expansion of the tour, we’re hoping to see people return over and over,” said Veronica McGregor, manager of JPL’s Digital News and Media Office.

The virtual lab tour is a collaboration of the JPL Digital News and Media Office and the Public Services Office, which handles in-person tours and other visitor activities. The tour staff’s expertise, honed from ushering thousands of visitors through the lab each year, was invaluable in creating the dozens of points of interest included in each virtual tour stop. In-person tours at JPL have been suspended since March 2020 due to the pandemic.

“Our staff has been providing virtual tours for schools and the general public over the past year,” said Kim Lievense, manager of the Public Services Office at JPL. “With these new tour locations, we can expand the experience for our school groups and the general public.”

JPL is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California.

News Media Contact Matthew Segal Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-8307 [email protected]

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Behind-the-Scenes at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab

Behind-the-Scenes at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab

Embark on an extraordinary odyssey of discovery on a behind-the-scenes tour of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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  • Pick-up Points
  • Departure Dates
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Embark on a celestial odyssey during this exploration of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Pasadena. Your 2-hour walking tour starts with the captivating "Journey to the Planets and Beyond" multimedia presentation, setting the stage for an awe-inspiring visit. Experience the pulse of space science at the von Karman Visitor Center, full of fascinating information and replicas of various rovers and probes. See mission planning in action at the Space Flight Operations Facility, and witness next-generation development in the Spacecraft Assembly Facility. JPL is a dynamic hub of innovation where tour highlights may change, promising a fresh adventure with every visit. But first, you'll have free time for a leisurely lunch on your own in charming Old Pasadena, adding a touch of terrestrial charm to your cosmic adventure. Note: Book early! The deadline to register for this tour is 25 days prior to the tour date and is limited to just 40 guests. Fly aboard NASA's next Lunar Mission... without leaving home! CLICK HERE to register your virtual boarding pass to have your name fly aboard VIPER, NASA's first robotic Moon rover. It will embark on a mission to the lunar South Pole region to trek into permanently shadowed areas and unravel the mysteries of the Moon’s water. The data it collects could eventually be used to develop future human exploration on the Moon, Mars — and beyond!

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Overview

Full Length Video of Mars Mission

All-day Excursion

All times and routing are approximate and subject to change without notice.

9:00am - 9:30am

Comfort stop

11:00am - 12:30pm

Time for lunch on your own in Old Pasadena

12:45pm 4:15pm

Tour of JPL facility and time to visit the gift shop. (NOTE: All guests must show a valid driver's license, passport, or other legal ID to enter the lab.)

6:00pm - 6:30pm

Depart for San Diego

Tour Manager:  4/29 - Suzanne Fuselier*

Please note:

NASA's Jet Propulsion Library requires the submission of extra information during the booking process, including:

Your full legal name as it appears on your legal ID (driver's license, passport, etc.)

Date of birth

ID expiration date

Citizenship country

All passengers must present their legal identification to be admitted into the facility.

No name changes are permitted within 25 days of this tour due to JPL security protocols.

No guests under the age of 18 are permitted on this tour.

Activity Level: High

This tour is rated as a high activity level due to the amount of walking and standing during the 2-hour walking tour at JPL, as well as time on own in Old Pasadena.

Want to Go to the Moon Aboard NASA's Viper Lunar Lander?

Click here to obtain your free boading pass that will send your name to the Moon on NASA's historic mission to the south pole of the moon on the rover Viper!

https://www3.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-viper/#user-information

What's Included in the Tour Fare

Round-trip luxury motor coach transportation from pickup locations throughout San Diego County

Professional Tour Manager throughout the trip

Complimentary bottled water and snacks on the coach

Free time for lunch on own in Old Pasadena

2-hour walking tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

What's Not Included in the Tour Fare

Gratuities for the Tour Manager and driver

How to Make a Reservation

Please note: Reservations can only be made up to 25 days prior to the tour date due to NASA security protocols. No name changes allowed after this time.

Making your reservation is easy. Simply click the Book Now button above to select your date and confirm your space online, 24/7. You can also call the DayTripper Tours reservations department at (619) 334-3394 during business hours of M-F, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Smartphones

Although not necessary to fully enjoy your trip, a personal smartphone can greatly enhance your tour experience. Take high-quality photos, share your experience on social media in real time, search for nearby restaurants and topics of interest, set reminders, and more.

14-Day Cancellation Deadline

If you purchased the optional Cancellation Protection Plan (CPP) prior to the deadline, you can cancel your booking at any time for any reason and you'll receive a full refund of the tour fare.

If you declined the CPP, you may cancel your reservation fourteen (14) or more days prior to the departure date to receive a refund less a $15 per person cancellation fee. Alternatively, when you cancel your booking fourteen (14) or more days prior to the departure date, you can avoid the cancellation fee by transferring the funds to another tour or a non-refundable voucher, which can be applied to any future excursion booked within one year of the original tour date. Bookings canceled within 14 days of the departure date are nonrefundable and nontransferable for any reason. Name changes are not permitted on this tour within 25 days of departure due to NASA security protocols.

* Tour Manager is subject to change without notice.

Below is a list of pick-up points available on this tour.

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NASA Centers to Visit for an Out of This World Vacation

Wondering what to do for summer vacation? Why not visit NASA?

NASA has multiple centers located across the United States, many of which provide tours or host visitor centers that are open to the public. Most of these visitor centers have space-injected science museums, and they can make fantastic vacation stops.

Click through this countdown to learn about opportunities to visit a NASA center or visitor center. Our list includes details about visiting Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Langley Research Center, Stennis Space Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight Facility, Glenn Research Center (and Plum Brook Station), Ames Research Center and Armstrong Flight Research Center. We've also included three facilities that serve as NASA visitor centers but that are not close to NASA facilities.

We've included a brief description of each NASA center, and details about what visitors can expect, including what you can see at the visitor center, and whether or not tours of the facility are available.

We've included details about each center's operational hours and cost of admission, but please check the center's website before planning your trip. Most NASA centers are closed on major holidays.

For more summer vacation ideas, see our list of great summer vacation ideas for space lovers and great summer vacation ideas for science fiction fans . Or find out how to see a rocket launch this summer .

NEXT: Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston

Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston

NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston is home to mission control, the contact point for astronauts in space. (Hence the phrase, "Houston, we have a problem.") 

Space Center Houston is the visitor center associated with Johnson, and is located right next door to the NASA facility. It's a massive science museum with tons of artifacts, interactive exhibits and live events. In June 2018, the science and space exploration learning center also became the first of its kind to be designated as a Certified Autism Center by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards, according to their website. The museum recently opened a new exhibit about aerospace innovations, called " Above and Beyond ," which runs this summer until Sept. 9.

Space Center Houston is a great day-trip location for space fans, but there's enough going on there to fill multiple trips. [ Space Center Houston: A Tour in Photos ]

In addition, there are tram tours from the center through Johnson. Visitors get to see the current mission-control room, which is responsible for operations on the International Space Station. They'll also see the historic mission-control room, where NASA monitored its Apollo missions, as well as nine Gemini missions. Also on the tour are the Saturn V Rocket Park, home to a real "mighty and massive" Saturn V rocket, as the tour web page notes. Finally, the tour stops at Building 9, which provides a glimpse into some of the science and tech being developed for human spaceflight.

Tram tours run year-round but can be canceled due to bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances. You can buy timed tickets ahead of time. The Space Center Houston is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. all summer long, and closes at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday after Sept. 4. Entry tickets are $29.95 for adults, and $24.95 for children ages 4-11. Children ages 3 and under are free.

NEXT: Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center and Visitor Complex

Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Titusville, Florida (just outside Orlando), is NASA's human spaceflight launch facility. From Gemini through the space shuttle, Kennedy was the place where all of NASA's astronauts would bid a (temporary) farewell to Earth.

To take a tour of KSC, head over to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex , a massive, amusement-park-like area.

There are two types of tours. The KSC Bus Tour gives a "drive-by view of a launch pad" and other sites on the KSC campus, including the Apollo 8 launch site. The tours are 45 minutes long, but allow an additional 2 hours to view the Apollo/Saturn V Center and to allow for the return ride, which lasts about 20 minutes, according to their website. Tours leave from the visitor center every 15 minutes, from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The tour is included in the cost of admission to the center, which is $50 for adults, and $40 for children ages 3-11. [ Photos: The Kennedy Space Center, NASA's Historic Spaceport ]

But visitors who want a closer view of KSC should consider the " Explore Tour or the Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour . These tours go beyond the regular bus tour and allow guests to learn about specific aspects of KSC. Keep in mind that rocket launches are once again taking place from Launch Complex 39A, and therefore, "safety protocols require an alternate tour bus route during days leading up to a launch," according to the website. To learn more about each tour, go to the ticket section of the KSC website , and scroll down to see a description of each tour. The "Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour" is only available Thursday through Sunday. To find out if a tour is available on a particular day, select the number of tickets you'd like for the tour, and click "Next." You'll be taken to a page that will show you the dates and times that are available for the tour.

The KSC Bus Tour is the only one included in the admission ticket; the other tours cost an additional $25 for adults and $19 for children ages 3-11. KSC recommends buying tickets ahead of time.   

In addition to the KSC tour, the visitor center has plenty to offer. The Rocket Garden is home to multiple NASA rockets, some of which tower more than 100 feet high. There are also replicas of the tiny capsules that flew the first humans to space during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo eras. There's also the Saturn V rocket center, a tribute to the largest rocket ever made. Kennedy is also home to the space shuttle Atlantis, and we challenge space fans not to get a little teary-eyed during the video that plays at the entrance of the shuttle exhibit. 

NEXT: Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech

Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is one of NASAs most active facilities when it comes to building and operating unmanned space probes. It's the home base of a swarm of NASA's scientific missions, including the completed Cassini mission to Saturn, the Dawn mission to Ceres, the Juno mission to Jupiter, the InSight mission to Mars and the OCO-2 mission studying Earth's climate change.

JPL offers free tours of its facilities to members of the public, which includes a stop by the visitor center, home to a beautiful display tracing the history of NASA's exploration of the various planets, moons and other major bodies in the solar system. Visitors may also see the Space Flight Operations Facility and the Spacecraft Assembly Facility.

Keep in mind that tours must be reserved at least three weeks in advance, and that tours fill up two to three months in advance. The JPL tour website advises guests to check back in early August for tour availability in January 2019. Tours can be booked for individuals and small groups, large groups over 20 people, and school groups. Tours are generally held at 1 p.m. and last between 2 and 2.5 hours. JPL also opens its doors to the public for special events .

You might also consider stopping in on one of JPL's free lecture series , which bring "the excitement of the space program's missions, instruments and other technologies" to JPL employees and the public. These free lectures are open to the public and no reservations are required, but seating is limited, so arrive early. Each talk is delivered twice — once on Thursday night and once on Friday night, typically at 7 p.m. The talks take place at different locations, so be sure to check the website.

Visitors can also stop by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), which founded JPL. The two institutions work closely together on NASA missions, and Caltech is home to five NASA facilities, including those that manage the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). 

Check the Caltech tours page for information about self-guided campus tours, as well as architectural tours, and high school student and prospective student tours. The school also hosts public events. Check the public events calendar to find out about other events.

JPL is about an hour outside Los Angeles, which is home to the California Science Center, a massive science museum with lots of hands-on exhibits and space-related attractions, including the space shuttle Endeavour. To find out more about seeing a space shuttle this summer, check out our list of best summer vacation destinations for space fans .

JPL is also three hours away from Vandenberg Air Force Base, where you can see a rocket launch this summer .

NEXT: Langley Research Center and the Virginia Air and Space Center

Langley Research Center and the Virginia Air and Space Center

The Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, was the first civilian spaceflight laboratory in the U.S. The lab played a crucial role in the Mercury and space shuttle programs.

The Virginia Air and Space Center serves as Langley's visitor center, and this interactive museum puts an emphasis on flight. In addition to NASA artifacts, there are multiple aircraft on display. There are lots of NASA-related exhibits, including a solarium that surrounds visitors in images taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. There's also "Engineer it! an Imagination Playground" that "allows families to have fun creating and learning together."

The center is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $19.50 for adults, and $16.00 for children ages 3-18. Admission includes an IMAX movie.

Unfortunately, there are no regular public tours of the Langley facility. Occasionally, NASA will open the facility for special events, but none are planned for 2018, according to Langley representatives.

NEXT: Stennis Space Center and Infinity Science Center

Stennis Space Center and the Infinity Science Center

The John C. Stennis Space Center is in Hancock County, Mississippi, near the state border with Louisiana. Upon its construction in the 1960s, "the center's primary mission was to flight-certify all first and second stages of the Saturn V rocket for the Apollo program," according to NASA. In 1975, the space shuttle main engine was tested at Stennis, and testing on shuttle engines continued there until 2009. Stennis is now a "multidisciplinary facility comprised of NASA and more than 40 other resident agencies."

To see the Stennis Space Center, you'll first go to the Infinity Science Center in Pearlington, Mississippi, where every admission ticket includes a "behind-the-scenes tour" of Stennis.

Forty-minute bus tours of the Stennis Space Center happen Monday through Saturday at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tours fill up on a first-come first-served basis.

The Infinity Science Center is an interactive science center that features exhibits and attractions from which visitors can learn about spaceflight, aviation, ocean exploration and more. Check the center's website to learn about special events and programs .

In addition to the indoor attractions, visitors can stroll down Possum Walk Trail. From the center's website: "Markers along the way present the history of Possum Walk, a now deserted African-American community, as well as Logtown, an old logging community relocated in the wake of the 1960's Space Program. Interpretive signs along the trail point out some of the plants and animals native to this part of Hancock County." The trail is closed between Oct. 15 and Feb. 15. During the rest of the year, the trams run Tuesday through Saturday at 10 p.m., 11 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

The Infinity Science Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $18 for adults, and $11 for children ages 4 to 13, and includes a bus tour of Stennis. The Possum Walk Tram is an additional $3.

NEXT: Marshall Space Flight Center and the US Space and Rocket Center

Marshall Space Flight Center and the US Space and Rocket Center

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, has a spaceflight history that precedes the formation of NASA. Early rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun and a group of German scientists worked at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville in the 1950s, before the agency's formation. The work contributed to the first launch of a U.S. satellite into space, and since then, Marshall has performed a variety of functions for NASA's human spaceflight program. The facility has tested rocket hardware, as well as scientific hardware and instruments.

Marshall's official visitor center is the U.S. Space and Rocket Center , home to Space Camp. (For more information about attending Space Camp, check out our recommendations for the best summer vacations for space lovers.)

The Rocket Center "has one of the largest collections of rockets and space memorabilia anywhere in the world," according to the center's website . That includes a display of a Saturn V rocket and the world's only fully stacked Space Transportation System (a space shuttle stacked on top of a rocket in the configuration that would be assembled for a real launch). Check the website for information about featured exhibits .

The Rocket Center offers bus tours of the Marshall Space Flight Center that includes multiple stops in the facility. Tickets for the tour are $20 for visitors ages 5 and up. Tour buses depart the Rocket Center daily at 12:30 p.m. The tour takes between 2 and 2.5 hours.

Admission to the Space and Rocket center is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults, and $17 for kids ages 5-12. Tickets to the center's IMAX or National Geographic movies are an additional $5 with the price of admission; without admission, the movies are $8 for adults and $7 for kids.

NEXT: Wallops Flight Facility and Visitor Center

Wallops Flight Facility and Visitor Center

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, is one of three large rocket launch locations in the contiguous U.S. In addition, Wallops is "NASA's principal facility for management and implementation of suborbital research programs," according to NASAs website .

The Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center "features exhibits about aeronautics, orbital and sub-orbital rockets, scientific balloons, current missions and the history of Wallops Flight Facility," and much more, according to the center's website. There are also lots of special events throughout the summer, including astronomy nights and a lecture series. Check the center's events website for specific dates, event descriptions and other details.

But perhaps the best reason to stop by the visitor center is to see a rocket launch. The center opens an hour before a launch takes place, even if the launch is taking place outside normal visitor center hours (this is subject to change for national security reasons). Sound from the control room is piped into the center, so guests can hear the preparations for launch, and the countdown. And, the center is nicely positioned to give a clear view of the launch pad. For large rocket launches (such as an Orbital ATK Antares rocket , which is used to send supplies to the International Space Station, among other things), it is recommended that guests arrive about 3 hours before launch to get a good spot. For smaller rocket launches (like sounding rockets), 1 hour is usually sufficient. Check out our guide to seeing a launch for more details, including launch dates.

The visitor center is free to the public, and is open daily from July 1 to Aug. 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. From September to June, the center is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tours of Wallops Flight Facility are available for groups of eight to 20 people, and can be booked by calling the Events and Outreach Coordinator: 757-824-2298. There are no tours of the facility for individuals and small groups.

NEXT: Glenn Research Center

Glenn Research Center and Great Lakes Science Center

NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland was originally called the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory. "Glenn excels in researching and developing innovative technologies for both aeronautics and space flight," according to NASA's website. "A multitude of NASA missions have included elements from Glenn, from the Mercury and Gemini projects to the Space Shuttle Program and the International Space Station."

The center's main campus, Lewis Field, is on 350 acres. Glenn's Plum Brook Station is located 50 miles west, in Sandusky, Ohio, and rests on 6,400 acres. Plum Brook "has large, unique facilities that simulate the environment of space," according to the website.

The center hosts tours of its facilities , which are offered one day each month, from April through October. Most of these tours require preregistration at least 30 days before the tour. Unfortunately, tours at Glenn Research Center are restricted to "U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents." If you wish to visit a NASA center with family or friends that don't meet these requirements, NASA centers like Kennedy Space Center in Florida are more amenable .

The official visitor center for Glenn is the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland. The center hosts an OMNIMAX theater, and a wide range of exhibits and artifacts, including a moon rock brought back by the Apollo 15 mission, the 1973 Skylab 3 Apollo Command Module and real NASA spacesuits. Check the website to find out more about what the center has to offer, including a schedule of special events.

NEXT: Ames Research Center and Visitor Center

Ames Research Center and Visitor Center

NASA's Ames Research Center , in Moffett Field, California (between Mountain View and Sunnyvale), is involved in a wide range of NASA missions. Ames is the lead center for the Kepler Space Telescope, which hunts for exoplanets, and a partner on the Mars Science Laboratory aboard the Curiosity Rover, and for the International Space Station.

There is a free public visitor center at Ames where guests can learn about "what we're doing at this amazing NASA facility," according to NASA's website. The center includes a Science on a Sphere Visualization System, which projects the surface of a planet onto a spherical surface — a very different view compared with seeing those surfaces in flat 2D. There's also various exhibits relating to some of the missions that Ames is involved with, a real moon rock on display, and a "Living and Working in Space" exhibit.

The Ames Visitor Center is much smaller than some of the other NASA visitor centers, and the average stay at the Ames center only about an hour, according to the center's website. NASA recommends that visitors hungry for more exhibits should visit the Moffett Field Historical Society Museum , which features exhibits and artifacts from local spaceflight and aviation history.

Ames does not offer public tours of its facilities.

The visitor center is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and noon to 4 pm. Saturday and Sunday. The center is closed Mondays. Be sure to check the website for directions to the visitor center.

NEXT: Armstrong Flight Research Center and Edwards Air Force Base

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is NASA's "primary center for atmospheric flight research and operations," according to the agency website . The facility was involved with testing technologies for the space shuttle, and is currently responsible for space-to-ground communications support for the International Space Station. Armstrong is a testing ground for advanced aeronautics, space and related technologies, including doing testing and integration for the launch-abort system for the Orion crew vehicle, NASA's next human spaceflight vehicle.  

Unfortunately, NASA no longer offers tours of Armstrong. However, public tours are available of Edwards Air Force Base , where Armstrong is located. Check the Edwards tour page for more information. Individuals and small groups can sign up for monthly tours of the base, and the minimum age for children is 4 years. More frequent tours can be arranged for groups of at least 15 and no more than about 42 people.

Representatives from Edwards told Space.com that for small groups or individuals, it's best to  send an e-mail to [email protected] to reserve a tour spot. To make reservations for large groups, calling is best. You can arrange a tour by calling 661-277-3824.

The tour includes a visit to the Air Force Flight Test Museum as well as a windshield tour of the main base, according to Edwards' website.

NEXT: Other NASA Visitor Centers

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Calla Cofield

Calla Cofield joined Space.com's crew in October 2014. She enjoys writing about black holes, exploding stars, ripples in space-time, science in comic books, and all the mysteries of the cosmos. Prior to joining Space.com Calla worked as a freelance writer, with her work appearing in APS News, Symmetry magazine, Scientific American, Nature News, Physics World, and others. From 2010 to 2014 she was a producer for The Physics Central Podcast. Previously, Calla worked at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City (hands down the best office building ever) and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California. Calla studied physics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is originally from Sandy, Utah. In 2018, Calla left Space.com to join NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory media team where she oversees astronomy, physics, exoplanets and the Cold Atom Lab mission. She has been underground at three of the largest particle accelerators in the world and would really like to know what the heck dark matter is. Contact Calla via: E-Mail – Twitter

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Budget deal for NASA offers glimmer of hope for JPL’s Mars Sample Return mission

Tubes holding samples of rock cores, broken rock and dust collected by NASA's Perseverance rover sit on the surface of Mars.

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A bipartisan congressional agreement on NASA’s final budget for the current fiscal year offers a glimmer of hope that the space agency’s ambitious but troubled effort to bring pieces of Mars to Earth can recover from devastating cuts that led to hundreds of layoffs at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge.

This week, the House and Senate appropriations committees finalized a deal that would grant a minimum of $300 million for the Mars Sample Return mission, which is managed by JPL. That’s a steep drop from the $822.3 million NASA spent on the program last year, and less than one-third of what the Biden administration requested.

Mars Sample Return would deliver rocks, rubble and dust from the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater that has already been gathered and sealed into tubes by the Perseverance rover. The MSR mission envisions a lander that would retrieve those tubes and use a small rocket to ferry them into Martian orbit, where they would rendezvous with a spacecraft that would make the journey back to Earth, arriving roughly five years after the orbiter’s launch.

The ultimate goal is to comb the samples for evidence that life has ever existed on Mars. That job may be left for future generations of scientists who will have access to technologies that don’t yet exist, NASA says.

A joint project with the European Space Agency, Mars Sample Return is an extraordinarily complex technical effort that scientists say would be a crucial step toward future human missions to Mars. Yet the project has been beset with delays and mounting costs.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson directed the agency to brace itself for that $300-million figure earlier this year. That order has resulted in the loss of nearly 700 staff and contract jobs at JPL since January.

Pasadena, CA - October 03: Inside mission control room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023 in Pasadena, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Science & Medicine

Budget cuts to Mars Sample Return mission prompt hundreds of layoffs at JPL

A hiring freeze wasn’t enough to avoid layoffs after NASA ordered cuts to the MSR mission. Some 530 employees and 40 contractors will lose their jobs.

Feb. 7, 2024

The Senate appeared ready to condemn the mission altogether when it released its draft budget in July, writing that the appropriations committee was “alarmed” by the mission’s slow progress despite steady funding.

As a result, the Senate demanded a year-by-year breakdown of how NASA planned to fulfill the mission within the $5.3-billion then estimated as MSR’s total lifetime cost. Without that, the committee warned , “NASA is directed to either provide options to de-scope or rework MSR or face mission cancellation.”

In the budget agreement released Sunday, lawmakers clarified that the ultimatum in the Senate’s proposal was no longer on the table.

“MSR is the highest priority of the 2022 Planetary Science Decadal Survey but there is concern that the expected launch schedule continues to slip,” lawmakers said in a bipartisan statement from members of both the House and Senate.

Last year, NASA commissioned an independent review of the mission, which deemed MSR “not arranged to be led effectively” and hobbled by “unrealistic budget and schedule expectations from the beginning.” Making its planned 2027 and 2028 launch dates for the lander and orbiter is likely impossible, the review noted, and even a 2030 launch looks dubious without a massive injection of cash far greater than what Congress has budgeted.

NASA's Perseverance rover during its first drive on Mars, which totaled 21 feet.

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NASA’s response to the review is expected this spring. Once that’s in, the current budget allows NASA 60 days to present Congress a plan for the mission’s future. This can include requests to redirect as much as $649 million in its budget to Mars Sample Return, which would raise program spending to the level Biden initially requested.

“The agreement further directs NASA to not engage in further workforce reductions of the MSR program until such report is provided,” the statement said.

In January, 100 on-site contractors at JPL were laid off after NASA told the lab to reduce spending , despite the strenuous objections of California lawmakers. Last month, the lab let go of 530 employees — approximately 8% of its workforce — and 40 additional contractors.

Many of those who lost their jobs were seasoned veterans whose departures shocked co-workers, JPL employees said.

Some of the state’s representatives in Washington expressed optimism that the mission could get back on track.

“This funding agreement is a step in the right direction to ensure that California continues to lead our nation’s space program,” Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat, said in a statement.

“The fight isn’t over,” Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) said in a statement . “I urge NASA to swiftly apply the new appropriations guidelines so that officials can consider rehiring JPL employees and contractors who were laid off based on an outdated Senate appropriations bill that no longer is being considered by Congress.”

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A JPL spokesperson said this week that no staffing changes were expected at the lab before NASA’s response to the review is published. Late last month, NASA’s Office of Inspector General published its own audit of the Mars Sample Return mission, whose projected cost has nearly doubled to more than $10 billion since the program’s inception.

The audit determined that the difficulty of deciding upon a design for the mission’s Capture, Containment and Return System significantly threw off budget and timeline estimates. It also attributed some of the mission’s problems to a mismatch in management and communication styles between NASA and the ESA.

But in reckoning with past mistakes and planning a way forward, management must confront “characteristics intrinsic to big and complex missions like MSR ... for example, a full understanding of the mission’s complexity, initial over-optimism, a less than optimal design/architecture, and the team’s ability to perform to expectations,” the audit said. It warned project managers to “not simply attribute past cost growth to the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, or supply chain issues.”

For the record:

7:44 a.m. March 7, 2024 An earlier version of this article understated the size of the decrease in NASA’s full-year budget between 2023 and 2024 as being $500,000. It is $500 million.

The budget deal between the House and Senate appropriations committees allocates a total of $24.875 billion for all NASA operations this fiscal year, a $500 million decrease from last year’s budget. The difference is entirely due to the cut Congress demanded for the Mars Sample Return mission.

The numbers are not technically final until the budget passes, something that is expected to happen this week without further changes.

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Corinne Purtill is a science and medicine reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Her writing on science and human behavior has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Time Magazine, the BBC, Quartz and elsewhere. Before joining The Times, she worked as the senior London correspondent for GlobalPost (now PRI) and as a reporter and assignment editor at the Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. She is a native of Southern California and a graduate of Stanford University.

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Teachable Moments | March 7, 2024

A prime year for nasa's pi day challenge.

By Lyle Tavernier

Collage of illustrations featured in the 2024 NASA Pi Day Challenge

Update: March 15, 2023 – The answers are here! Visit the NASA Pi Day Challenge slideshow to view the illustrated answer keys for each of the problems in the 2023 challenge.

Learn how pi is used by NASA and how many of its infinite digits have been calculated, then explore the science and engineering behind the 2024 Pi Day Challenge.

This year marks the 11th installment of the NASA Pi Day Challenge. Celebrated on March 14, Pi Day is the annual holiday that pays tribute to the mathematical constant pi – the number that results from dividing any circle's circumference by its diameter.

Every year on March 14, Pi Day gives us a reason to enjoy our favorite sweet and savory pies and celebrate the mathematical wonder that helps NASA explore the universe. Students can join in the fun once again by using pi to explore Earth and space themselves with the NASA Pi Day Challenge .

Read on to learn more about the science behind this year's challenge and get students solving real problems faced by NASA scientists and engineers exploring Earth, the Moon, asteroids, and beyond!

  • What is Pi?

The Science Behind the 2024 NASA Pi Day Challenge

Bring the challenge into the classroom.

  • More Pi Day Resources

Infographic of all of the Pi in the Sky 11 graphics and problems

Visit the Pi in the Sky 11 lesson page to explore classroom resources and downloads for the 2024 NASA Pi Day Challenge. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image

Dividing any circle’s circumference by its diameter gives you an answer of pi, which is usually rounded to 3.14. Because pi is an irrational number, its decimal representation goes on forever and never repeats. In 2022, mathematician Simon Plouffe discovered the formula to calculate any single digit of pi. In the same year, teams around the world used cloud computing technology to calculate pi to 100 trillion digits. But you might be surprised to learn that for space exploration, NASA uses far fewer digits of pi .

Here at NASA, we use pi to map the Moon, measure Earth’s changing surface, receive laser-coded messages from deep space, and calculate asteroid orbits. But pi isn’t just used for exploring the cosmos. Since pi can be used to find the area or circumference of round objects and the volume or surface area of shapes like cylinders, cones, and spheres, it is useful in all sorts of ways. Transportation teams use pi when determining the size of new subway tunnels. Electricians can use pi when calculating the current or voltage passing through circuits. And you might even use pi to figure out how much fencing is needed around a circular school garden bed.

In the United States, March 14 can be written as 3.14, which is why that date was chosen for celebrating all things pi. In 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution officially designating March 14 as Pi Day and encouraging teachers and students to celebrate the day with activities that teach students about pi. And that's precisely what the NASA Pi Day Challenge is all about!

This 11th installment of the NASA Pi Day Challenge includes four illustrated math problems designed to get students thinking like scientists and engineers to calculate how to get a laser message to Earth, the change in an asteroid’s orbit, the amount of data that can be collected by an Earth satellite, and how a team of mini rovers will map portions of the Moon’s surface.

Read on to learn more about the science and engineering behind each problem or click the link below to jump right into the challenge. Share your answers and photos with us using #NASAPiDayChallenge on X , Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn . The official answers to the 2024 challenge will be revealed on March 15.

› Take the NASA Pi Day Challenge

› Educators, get the lesson here!

Receiver Riddle

In December 2023, NASA tested a new way to communicate with distant spacecraft using technology called Deep Space Optical Communications, or DSOC. From 19,000,000 miles (30,199,000 km) away, the Psyche spacecraft beamed a high-definition video encoded in a near-infrared laser to Earth. The video, showing a cat named Taters chasing a laser, traveled at the speed of light, where it was received at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory. Because of the great distance the laser had to travel, the team needed to aim the transmission at where Earth would be when the signal arrived. In Receiver Riddle, use pi to determine where along Earth's orbit the team needed to aim the laser so that it could be received at the Observatory at the correct moment.

This animation shows how DSOC's laser signals are sent between the Psyche spacecraft and ground stations on Earth - first as a pointing reference to ensure accurate aiming of the narrow laser signal and then as a data transmission to the receiving station. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU| Watch on YouTube

Daring Deflection

In 2022, NASA crashed a spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos in an attempt to alter its orbit. The mission, known as the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, took place at an asteroid that posed no threat to our planet. Rather, it was an ideal target for NASA to test an important element of its planetary defense plan. DART was designed as a kinetic impactor, meaning it transferred its momentum and kinetic energy to Dimorphos upon impact, altering the asteroid's orbit. In Daring Deflection, use pi to determine the shape of Dimorphos’ orbit after DART crashed into it.

This image shows the final minutes of images leading up to the DART spacecraft's intentional collision with asteroid Dimorphos. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL | › Enlarge image

Orbit Observation

The NISAR mission is an Earth orbiting satellite designed to study our planet's changing ecosystems. It will collect data about Earth's land- and ice-covered surfaces approximately every 6 days, allowing scientists to study changes at the centimeter scale – an unprecedented level of detail. To achieve this feat, NISAR will collect massive amounts of data. In Orbit Observation, students use pi to calculate how much data the NISAR spacecraft captures during each orbit of Earth.

An illustration shows the NISAR spacecraft orbiting above Earth.

The NISAR satellite, shown in this artist’s concept, will use advanced radar imaging to provide an unprecedented view of changes to Earth’s land- and ice-covered surfaces. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. | › Full image and caption

Moon Mappers

The CADRE project aims to land a team of mini rovers on the Moon in 2025 as a test of new exploration technology. Three suitcase-size rovers, each working mostly autonomously, will communicate with each other and a base station on their lunar lander to simultaneously measure data from different locations. If successful, the project could open the door for future multi-robot exploration missions. In Moon Mappers, students explore the Moon with pi by determining how far a CADRE rover drives on the Moon’s surface.

A small rover is attached to an elevated rack while two engineers hold their hands out toward the underside of the rover.

Engineers test the system that will lower three small rovers onto the lunar surface as part of the CADRE project. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | › Full image and caption

Celebrate Pi Day by getting students thinking like NASA scientists and engineers to solve real-world problems in the NASA Pi Day Challenge . In addition to solving the 2024 challenge, you can also dig into the 40 puzzlers from previous challenges available in our Pi Day collection . Completing the problem set and reading about other ways NASA uses pi is a great way for students to see the importance of the M in STEM.

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Educator Guides – NASA Pi Day Challenge

Here's everything you need to bring the NASA Pi Day Challenge into the classroom.

Grades 4-12

Time Varies

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NASA Pi Day Challenge

The entire NASA Pi Day Challenge collection can be found in one, handy collection for students.

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Can't get enough pi? Download this year's NASA Pi Day Challenge graphics, including mobile phone and desktop backgrounds:

  • Pi in the Sky 11 Poster (PDF, 4.0 MB)
  • DART Mission Background: Phone | Desktop
  • CADRE Project Background: Phone | Desktop
  • DSOC Background: Phone | Desktop
  • NISAR Mission Background: Phone | Desktop
  • 2024 Pi Day Medley Background: Phone | Desktop

More Pi Resources

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How Many Decimals of Pi Do We Really Need?

While you may have memorized more than 70,000 digits of pi, world record holders, a JPL engineer explains why you really only need a tiny fraction of that for most calculations.

18 Ways NASA Uses Pi

Whether it's sending spacecraft to other planets, driving rovers on Mars, finding out what planets are made of or how deep alien oceans are, pi takes us far at NASA. Find out how pi helps us explore space.

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10 Ways to Celebrate Pi Day With NASA on March 14

Find out what makes pi so special, how it’s used to explore space, and how you can join the celebration with resources from NASA.

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This poster shows some of the ways NASA scientists and engineers use the mathematical constant pi (3.14) and includes common pi formulas.

18 Maneras en Que la NASA Usa Pi

Pi nos lleva lejos en la NASA. Estas son solo algunas de las formas en que pi nos ayuda a explorar el espacio.

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Collisions in space.

Students predict and observe what happens when two objects collide to model collisions in space.

Time 30 min to 1 hour

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Students learn about the phases of the moon by acting them out.

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Modeling an Asteroid

Lead a discussion about asteroids and their physical properties, then have students mold their own asteroids out of clay.

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Students draw and interpret topographic maps while learning about technology used to map Earth's surface, the seafloor, and other worlds.

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Draw Your Own Psyche Spacecraft

Follow these easy instructions to draw and decorate your own model of the Psyche spacecraft.

Type Project

Subject Engineering

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What's That Space Rock?

Find out how to tell the difference between asteroids, comets, meteors, meteorites and other bodies in our solar system.

Type Slideshow

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TAGS: Pi Day , Pi , Math , NASA Pi Day Challenge , moon , earth , asteroid , psyche , DART , CADRE , NISAR DSOC

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Lyle Tavernier , Educational Technology Specialist, NASA-JPL Education Office

Lyle Tavernier is an educational technology specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. When he’s not busy working in the areas of distance learning and instructional technology, you might find him running with his dog, cooking or planning his next trip.

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NASA is the sponsor of the federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) known as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. The NASA Office of JPL Management and Oversight (NOJMO) is the NASA Headquarters on-site government organization serving the functions of contract management, on-site agency oversight, and ensuring regulatory compliance of contractor operations in accordance with 48 Code of Federal Regulations 35.017 as an FFRDC.

JPL is funded by NASA to meet specific long-term technical needs that cannot be met by any other single organization within the agency. As part of this special relationship, NASA requires that JPL be operated in the public interest, with objectivity and independence, be free from organizational conflicts of interest, and have full disclosure of its affairs to NASA. The NOJMO director reports to NASA’s associate administrator and serves as the official in charge of managing the sponsoring agreement with the contractor operating the FFRDC. The NOJMO director provides on-site oversight of contract implementation while ensuring statutory, regulatory, and fiduciary compliance requirements are met.

Organization

  • Deputy Director:  Michael Hess
  • Associate Director:  Vacant
  • Executive Assistant to the Director:  Terri Formico
  • Institutional Management Division:  Kaiser Adeni
  • Contract Management Division:  James Williams (Acting)
  • Legal Management Office:  James Mahoney 
  • Protective Services Office:  Joseph Costanza

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

JPL 180:801

4800 Oak Grove Drive 

Pasadena, CA 91109

Phone: 818.354.5361

IMAGES

  1. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Tour 2015

    nasa jpl public tours

  2. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Tour

    nasa jpl public tours

  3. JPL Virtual Tour Public Event

    nasa jpl public tours

  4. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Tour

    nasa jpl public tours

  5. Discover Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a Free JPL Tour

    nasa jpl public tours

  6. Explore NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory With the New Virtual Tour

    nasa jpl public tours

COMMENTS

  1. JPL

    Onsite Tours. The JPL Public Services Office offers a limited number of onsite, in-person tours, free of charge, for groups and individuals on an advance reservation basis. Visitor parking is also available free of charge. All tours commonly include a multimedia presentation on JPL entitled "Journey to the Planets and Beyond," which provides an ...

  2. JPL

    Check availability below. Please know that in addition to "Explore JPL" there are many other ways to experience JPL including our JPL Virtual Tour, monthly von Karman lecture series or weekday JPL Tours . Keep up on the latest news about JPL's adventures. You can also sign up for JPL's accounts on Twitter, Instragram, Facebook and Flickr.

  3. Jet Propulsion Laboratory Visitor Center

    All tours are 2 to 2.5 hours in duration and commonly include a multi-media presentation, and seeing our array of models and Solar System gallery, including our full scale Voyager and Galileo spacecraft models. Guests may also visit the von Karman Visitor Center, the Space Flight Operations Facility, and the Spacecraft Assembly Facility.

  4. Explore JPL to Take Place April 29-30

    This year's " Explore JPL " - the first since the COVID-19 pandemic began - will take place April 29 to 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT. Tickets are free but very limited and go fast. They will be available online at explore.jpl.nasa.gov at 9 a.m. PDT Sunday, April 2. Be sure to refresh the page after 9 a.m. to check for availability.

  5. Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    Visit JPL. Public Tours; Virtual Tour; Jet Propulsion Laboratory. JPL holds a unique place in the universe. We are a leader in robotic space exploration, sending rovers to Mars, probes into the farthest reaches of the solar system, and satellites to advance understanding of our home planet. ... In a typical year, over 30,000 people visit NASA ...

  6. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

    Space mission and science news, images and videos from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the leading center for robotic exploration of the solar system. ... Public Tours Virtual Tour Directions and Maps Topics JPL Life Solar System Mars Earth Climate Change ...

  7. Free Tickets to 'Explore JPL' Available Online Soon

    This year's " Explore JPL " - the first since the COVID-19 pandemic began - will take place April 29 to 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT. Tickets are free but very limited and go fast. They will be available online at explore.jpl.nasa.gov at 9 a.m. PDT Sunday, April 2. Be sure to refresh the page after 9 a.m. to check for availability.

  8. JPL and the Community

    The Public Services Office performs NASA and JPL public services for institutions, civic and social groups, schools, special JPL guests, and the general public. We are responsible for public tours, the von Kármán Lecture Series, Special Events, the JPL Speakers Bureau and traveling exhibits.

  9. JPL

    Public Services Office. Mail Stop 186-113. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 4800 Oak Grove Drive. Pasadena, CA 91109. Ph: (818) 354-9314. Click here for directions.

  10. Explore NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory With the New Virtual Tour

    The virtual lab tour is a collaboration of the JPL Digital News and Media Office and the Public Services Office, which handles in-person tours and other visitor activities. The tour staff's expertise, honed from ushering thousands of visitors through the lab each year, was invaluable in creating the dozens of points of interest included in ...

  11. Explore JPL

    Please contact JPL's Public Services office at [email protected] or call 818 354 1234. ... Please contact JPL's Public Services office at [email protected] or call 818-354-1234. About JPL Who We Are ... Virtual Tour Directions and Maps Topics JPL Life ...

  12. Explore NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory With the New Virtual Tour

    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-8307. [email protected]. 2021-006. From visiting mission control to seeing where space robots are built, the interactive tour lets online users explore the historic space facility from anywhere in the world.

  13. Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    This morning I took a DayTripper bus load to of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at CalTech in the La Cañada Flintridge area near Pasadena, CA. They call the tour "a journey of discovery" and it truly is because we were able to get an inside look at current space exploration activities on a 2½-hour walking tour of the facility.

  14. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

    NASA Facility in Pasadena. JPL is a research, development, and flight center for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it is operated and managed by Caltech. ... Tour JPL. JPL's Public Services Office offers free for groups and individuals on an advance reservation basis, tour reservations should be made at least a month in ...

  15. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Adds New Stops to Its Virtual Tour

    The virtual lab tour is a collaboration of the JPL Digital News and Media Office and the Public Services Office, which handles in-person tours and other visitor activities. The tour staff's expertise, honed from ushering thousands of visitors through the lab each year, was invaluable in creating the dozens of points of interest included in ...

  16. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Adds New Stops to Its Virtual Tour

    The virtual lab tour is a collaboration of the JPL Digital News and Media Office and the Public Services Office, which handles in-person tours and other visitor activities. The tour staff's expertise, honed from ushering thousands of visitors through the lab each year, was invaluable in creating the dozens of points of interest included in ...

  17. NASA JPL Free Public Tours

    Did you know that @nasajpl offers free public tours of their facility? Take a journey to the planets and beyond and visit the von Karman Visitor Center,...

  18. Cosmic Odyssey: Behind-the-Scenes Tour of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    View Images. Embark on a celestial odyssey during this exploration of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Pasadena. Your 2-hour walking tour starts with the captivating "Journey to the Planets and Beyond" multimedia presentation, setting the stage for an awe-inspiring visit. Experience the pulse of space science at the von Karman ...

  19. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Adds New Stops to Its Virtual Tour

    The virtual lab tour is a collaboration of the JPL Digital News and Media Office and the Public Services Office, which handles in-person tours and other visitor activities. The tour staff's expertise, honed from ushering thousands of visitors through the lab each year, was invaluable in creating the dozens of points of interest included in ...

  20. Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    Visit JPL. Public Tours; Virtual Tour; Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Current Missions. Missions and instruments built or managed by JPL have visited every planet in our solar system and the sun and have entered interstellar space. ... Part of NASA's fleet of weather- and climate-tracking satellites, CloudSat uses advanced radar to examine the ...

  21. Visit JPL's Virtual Tour

    Check out JPL in this immersive virtual tour. Explore Mission Control and our Space... Video. Home. Live. Reels. Shows. Explore. More. Home. Live. Reels. Shows. Explore. Visit JPL's Virtual Tour. Like. Comment. Share. 679 · 19 comments · 12K views. NASA Jet ... NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory ...

  22. Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    Visit JPL. Public Tours; Virtual Tour; Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Future Missions ... Lunar Flashlight is a very small satellite being developed and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that will use near-infrared lasers and an onboard spectrometer to map ice in permanently shadowed regions near the Moon's south pole.

  23. NASA Centers to Visit for an Out of This World Vacation

    Admission to the Space and Rocket center is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults, and $17 for kids ages 5-12. Tickets to the center's IMAX or National ...

  24. Budget deal for NASA offers glimmer of hope for JPL's Mars Sample

    With a final 2024 budget for NASA in place, the space agency has directed JPL not to cut any more staff working on the Mars Sample Return mission. NASA budget deal offers hope for JPL's Mars ...

  25. A Prime Year for NASA's Pi Day Challenge

    › Take the NASA Pi Day Challenge › Educators, get the lesson here! Receiver Riddle. In December 2023, NASA tested a new way to communicate with distant spacecraft using technology called Deep Space Optical Communications, or DSOC. From 19,000,000 miles (30,199,000 km) away, the Psyche spacecraft beamed a high-definition video encoded in a ...

  26. NASA Office of JPL Management and Oversight

    JPL is funded by NASA to meet specific long-term technical needs that cannot be met by any other single organization within the agency. As part of this special relationship, NASA requires that JPL be operated in the public interest, with objectivity and independence, be free from organizational conflicts of interest, and have full disclosure of ...