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How can you make your mission a full-day experience?
Add a science center activity lab to your schedule. For an additional fee, you can extend your mission experience to a full day by selecting and adding an activity lab to your reservation. Choose from one of the following options:
Exploring the Surface of Mars
 Spirit and Opportunity, the two rovers that landed on the red planet in 2004, have found evidence for water on Mars! Can you? Although Mars is cold, it is a hot spot for scientific investigation. A student in your classroom today could be the first to put her footprints on the red soil of Mars! In this unit, students will do several activities that simulate the various stages of an exploration mission to the red planet. Students will set mission science goals, consider engineering constraints and finally plan a mission while staying within a given budget.
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Living in Space
 Astronauts on the Space Shuttle or the International Space Station must eat, sleep, exercise and bathe just like we do on Earth. But there are some major differences. This unit will focus on the ways astronauts do ordinary things in the extraordinary environment of space. The session will begin with an explanation and demonstration of microgravity. Students will have an opportunity to inspect authentic NASA food items and to sample astronaut-like treats. Students will learn how a spacesuit protects astronauts on spacewalks and also do a hands-on experiment with vacuum chambers to simulate the vacuum of space. A quick demonstration of the Barany chair used for vestibular system research will be included at the end of the session.
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Rocketry
 Bang zoom! How did those astronauts get to the moon? In this unit, students will study the science of motion and forces, which make rocketry possible. The session will begin with a quick video introducing Newton's laws of motion. In teams, students will then see these laws at work as they design balloon rockets to understand the relationship between force, mass and acceleration. Current developments in rocketry, such as the ARES rocket, will also be discussed. This unit will end with a bang when students make and launch pop rockets.
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Solar System
 This sesson is a journey through the solar system, our neighborhood in space. Students will learn why Pluto is not a planet anymore by using current definitions to classify various solar system objects. They will manipulate models of the solar system to see the value and also the limitations of using models in science. Students will gain an understanding of how scientists study distant planets by simulating a remote sensing mission of the surface of Saturn's moon, Titan. This unit will also touch on current solar system exploration missions.
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