Looking for something fun to do on Saturday, June 20,2015?

Love space and want to share the excitement and mystery of space exploration with your friends and family?

Curious about what goes on behind the Redstone gates at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center?

Then come on down to NASA on the Square! It’s the one day a year when we take over the historic courthouse square in downtown Huntsville to put our missions on display.

From 10 am to 2 pm, you can journey through the wonders of space, see our missions and projects and speak with the engineers and scientists working on them. Hosted by Downtown Huntsville, Inc., NASA on the Square aims to celebrate the Huntsville community’s love for all things space with family fun, exhibits, food trucks, speakers, music and so much more.

Here are the top 10 reasons to come downtown and join in the fun:

1. Location, location, location.

Holding a public open house is difficult because of our location on Redstone Arsenal. NASA on the Square brings our work outside the gates to downtown Huntsville, the heart of our community, for all to experience.

2. Space geeks, UNITE!

Like so many things worth doing, it’s the people around us who make it so. People at NASA do amazing things everyday – we reach higher for the benefit of all of us here on planet Earth. We can’t accomplish our important missions without the support of this community, and we want to share what we’re learning along the way. We’ll even bring the ultimate space geek… NASA Astronaut TJ Creamer, who logged a total of 163 days in space.

3. It’s a family-friendly street festival.

NASA on the Square will bring space-themed booths, demonstrations, games, food and beverages for all ages to the streets around the square, which will be closed to traffic.

4. History and community.

Space is part of Huntsville’s DNA. On May 5, 1961, people gathered around Huntsville’s courthouse to salute the first American astronaut rocketed into space. NASA on the Square builds on the Marshall Center’s 55-year legacy in the Huntsville community.

5. Learning about space is FUN!

We’re busy planning hands-on games and activities designed to engage children of all ages in Earth and space science education. You can even look forward to live music featuring Marshall bands and musicians while you learn!

6. .. ROCKETS!

Exhibits, displays and activities will feature NASA’s Space Launch System, which is being developed right here in Huntsville. Members of our community are working on the rocket that will carry explorers on deep-space missions to Mars and back. At NASA on the Square, you can build and launch your own!

7. Engineering Alley.

Whether you’re into 3-D printing, want to know how cement might interact with Mars regolith, or just feel like smashing fruit that has been frozen with liquid nitrogen, Marshall engineers have got you covered.

8. Mars or bust!

In our lifetimes, NASA and its partners can answer some of humanity’s fundamental questions about life beyond Earth. Today, our robotic scientific explorers are paving the way. Together, humans and robots will pioneer Mars and the solar system. NASA on the Square is your chance to talk with the people who are actively working to get us there.

9. The event is FREE and open to the public!

Need I say more?

10. Because there’s still so much to do… so much to discover.

Come, Join us on The Journey!

About the Author

Molly Porter is a public affairs officer in the Office of Strategic Analysis & Communications at NASA’s Marshall Center.