Looking for summer fun? Southern California families have their choice of the beach, movies, museums -- and even NASA's next mission to Mars.

Starting this week, scientists and engineers working on NASA's InSight mission will begin visiting cities in the Southern California region. InSight launched on May 5 from Vandenberg Air Force Base -- the first interplanetary launch from the West Coast. Leading up to the landing on Mars on November 26, the Mars InSight Roadshow is stopping at cities throughout quake-prone California to explain how the robotic lander will study Mars' deep interior using seismology and other geophysical measurements.

The Roadshow brings family-friendly science activities, exhibits and public talks to communities throughout California, making comparisons between earthquakes and the marsquakes that InSight will try to detect. The Roadshow will also partner with local organizations along the way, promoting planetary science. All the museums on the Roadshow are members of the NASA Museum Alliance.

What to Expect:

"Make Your Own Marsquake" interactive demo, in which members of the public jump and see seismometer readings on a screen

Colorful backdrops and selfie stations

Models of the InSight spacecraft

Mars globe "cutaways" showing the interior of Mars

Virtual reality headsets used to see panoramas of Mars

Who to Expect:

Members of InSight's mission and science teams

JPL's Mars public engagement team

NASA Solar System Ambassadors

Tour Dates in Southern California:

June 29-July 1: Santa Ana

Discovery Cube Orange County, exhibit and public talks

July 4: Pasadena

AmericaFest at the Rose Bowl, exhibit

August 3-5: San Diego

San Diego Air & Space Museum, exhibit



Learn more about future dates and details at:

https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/participate/roadshow/

InSight stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport. It will be the first mission to study the deep interior of Mars, using an ultra-sensitive seismometer, a heat-flow probe and other instruments. InSight is managed for NASA by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. JPL is a division of Caltech.

News Media Contact

Andrew Good Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-2433 andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov 2018-148