NASA Invites Children, Families to Learn about Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

GREENBELT, Md., March 5, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Md., will host this month's Sunday Experiment on March 16 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET. It's a free afternoon for elementary school-aged children and their families.

This month's Sunday Experiment explores how NASA will launch the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission comprised of four identically instrumented spacecraft. This spacecraft will use Earth's magnetic field as a laboratory in which to study the trigger of space weather events: magnetic reconnection.

Magnetic reconnection is a phenomenon unique to plasma, that is, the mix of positively and negatively charged particles that make up the stars, fill space, and account for an estimated 99 percent of the observable universe.

Scientists want to understand this process better because it is ultimately responsible for disturbances that affect our modern technological systems such as communications networks, GPS navigation and electrical power grids.

During this month's Sunday Experiment, activities include learning more about the MMS mission through brief presentations from MMS scientists, engineers and a series of hands-on activities that include spacecraft modeling, NASA Apps and iPad Teacher Tools, magnetism, mission career videos and more!

The Sunday Experiment–usually held the third Sunday of each month from September through May with some exceptions–spotlights Goddard's world-renowned science and engineering. Families leave inspired by the activities, wowed by the scientists and engineers, and excited about Goddard's revolutionary research and technology. In addition to celebrating all things science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the Sunday Experiment celebrates major science missions that are managed by Goddard and set to launch in the near future.

For more information on Sunday Experiment, visit Goddard's Visitor Center Web page:

visitorcenterevents.gsfc.nasa.gov/

For more information and directions to the NASA Goddard Visitor Center, visit:

www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/home/index.html 
www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/directions/index.html

For more information on the MMS mission, visit:

www.nasa.gov/mms

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SOURCE NASA