NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Tour

Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Time: 12:00 PM to 5:30 PM

Price: $75.00 per person

COMMON is planning a tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA for 2012 Annual Meeting attendees.  A small group of explorers will get an inside view of space exploration past, present and future.  The tour will depart from and return to the Disneyland® Hotel, Main Entrance. Pre-registration no later than 45 days out is required, this is a secure government facility no exceptions.  A box lunch will be provided as part of the registration.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by the California Institute of Technology, is NASA's lead center for robotic exploration of the solar system. Their spacecraft have visited all the planets in our solar system except Pluto. JPL telescopes are observing distant galaxies in the universe to study how our solar system was formed. JPL also manages the worldwide Deep Space Network, which communicates with spacecraft and conducts scientific investigations from its complexes in California's Mojave Desert near Goldstone; near Madrid, Spain; and near Canberra, Australia. JPL cameras and sensors are aboard satellites circling Earth to study the ozone, oceans and other Earth sciences.

You can learn more about the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory -  click here

Tour Description

The tour begins in the JPL auditorium with an introduction / history of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  After the introduction, the group will watch the movie "Journey to the Planets and Beyond," which gives an in-depth look at our solar system and the spacecraft that JPL has developed to explore our planets.

From here, the group visits our von Karman museum, which has interactive touch screens and samples of moon rock, meteorites, and aerogel.  Guests will also see a full scale model of Galileo, which studied Jupiter, on display.

Following the museum, groups visit either the In-Situ Laboratory or Spacecraft Assembly Facility (depending upon availability).  Lastly, the group will visit our Space Flight Operations Facility, which is our mission control room, and the central hub of our Deep Space Network.  Guests will learn about communication in space and they were able to see the area where launch / landing communications occur.

Von Karman Welcome Center

The tour begins in the von Karman auditorium where you will get an overview / history of JPL and watch the movie Journey to the Planets and Beyond. After the movie you will have time to explore the von Karman museum, which exhibits models of spacecraft, touch-screen monitors, and items such as meteorites from the comet Vesta and a moon rock. Two facilities that are often visited on a tour of JPL are the Spacecraft Assembly Facility and the Space Flight Operations Facility.

The Spacecraft Assembly Facility

This is where the JPL technicians and engineers assemble the spacecraft. It is a class 10,000 clean room facility, which means there are 10,000 or fewer dust particles per cubic foot. Technicians and engineers wear “bunny suits” to keep the spacecraft from coming in contact with hair and skin. 

The Flight Operations Facility

This facility is where the Deep Space Network is managed. Developed and managed by JPL, the Deep Space Network monitors radio transmissions to determine the health and precise location of each spacecraft, as well as data from the instruments aboard.  

Rules:

• JPL requires that all U.S. citizens, 18 years of age or older, present official, government issued photo identification (driver's license or passport). All non-U.S. Citizens 18 years of age or older must present a passport or resident visa (green card). Individuals without proper identification will not be admitted to the Laboratory. 
• The tour involves a considerable amount of walking and stair climbing. Wheelchair access can be accommodated with advance notice, however wheelchairs cannot be provided. Don't forget to dress for the weather – the tour will proceed rain or shine!