Reminder JPL Open House is this weekend

May 20 and 21 are the dates of JPL's annual Open House - a fun and educational weekend for kids of all ages. Our JPL website has a sneak preview of what you can expect to see and do this weekend. here's that link http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ If you do decide to come, be prepared to walk a lot and expect large crowds - we counted 20,000 people per day last year. Early mornings are less crowded. As you enter the main entrance, the first thing you'll see is the Cassini Huygens display and behind it, a half scale model of the spacecraft. That's where I'll be most of both days. Surrounding the spacecraft will be a bunch of half scale Cassini mission folks (including me) to demonstrate the i size of the spacecraft, Full sized counterparts will be on hand to take you on a spacecraft tour. :-) The Mars Exploration exhibits are the most popular (and therefore most crowded) venue, so you might want to do that first, if you get there in the morning. But even if there are long lines, there is interesting material to see and read along the way. There will be several movies, including the story of the Cassini Mission to see when you want to get out of the sun for a while. There will be Solar Telescopes for safe solar viewing, weather permitting. There will be an education office and an employment office where you can get a lot of information and even apply for a job! Many of the coolest buildings, such as the Spacecraft Assembly Facility , Spacecraft Fabrication Facility, and the building where I work, the Space Flight Operations Facility will be open. Kids love to become "Martian roadkill", after our Mars rovers roll over them - that's in the Mars area. Don't worry, it's a mini rover, and the kids recover immediately. :-) Wear comfortable walking shoes, and you may want to check on the weather (there looks like a chance of rain according to the forecast http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php?wfo=lox&zone=caz047&am…33333&lon=-118.10625. I was about to suggest sunscreen, water and hats , but with this forecast, just dress accordingly. There are lots of indoor events and large tented areas, in case of rain. No backpacks or coolers are allowed, but lots of fun, plenty of handouts and activities are encouraged. food, drink , NASA and JPL items are available for sale too. Hope to see you this weekend. As a telescope reminder, we'll be at our usual Pasadena/Monrovia sidewalk astronomy locations on June 2 and 3, have a special stargazing campout night at a Monrovia elementary school on the 9th. And on May 27th - that's the Memorial Day weekend, we are tentatively planning another dark sky adventure to the desert, depending on interest, weather and our schedules. Jane -- Jane Houston Jones Senior Outreach Specialist, Cassini Program JPL - 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 230-205 Pasadena, CA 91109 818-393-6435 jane.h.jones(a)jpl.nasa.gov Cassini Saturn Observation Campaign http://soc.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm