Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to Host Juno-Related Events

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is hosting a wide-range of events in honor of the launch of Juno schedule for this Friday. Image Credit: JPL

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Fla. – Visitors to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex this Friday might be able to watch NASA sends its Juno Spacecraft to another world, Jupiter to be precise. NASA will attempt to launch the Atlas V 551 rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station between 11:34 a.m. and 12:43 p.m. EDT.

This version of the Atlas is the most powerful to date and the first 2,000 guests to the visitor complex will have the opportunity to watch the launch from the closest, possible public viewing point – the Apollo/Saturn V Center. This and other viewing opportunities along with other special events planned for this occasion are all included in the regular price of admission. Tickets purchased also provide guests with a second day of admission with no extra charge provided that they are used within seven days after their first use.

The Visitor Complex will host a variety of events in conjunction with the planned launch of Juno. On Aug. 3 and 4 guests will have the opportunity to pose questions directly to Juno Scientists during the “Scientists in Action Webcast.” This webcast will appear simultaneously in the Virginia Air and Space Museum as well as the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Children will have the opportunity to construct their own spacecraft at to the LEGO® Build the Future play area. Bill Nye of the Emmy award-winning TV show, “Bill Nye The Science Guy®” will be at the IMAX® Theater at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. launch day to tell guests a little bit about the Juno mission to Jupiter.

It will take Juno five years to travel to Jupiter arriving in July of 2016; it will study how the planet was formed, its gravitational and magnetic fields as well as the planet’s atmosphere. If all goes according to plan, the spacecraft will circle the planet in a polar orbit 33 times. This marks the ninth time that NASA has sent a probe to the giant world; the last mission was 1995’s Galileo. Juno is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program.

For more information about upcoming Juno launch events, or to purchase tickets, call 866-737-5235 or visit www.kennedyspacecenter.com.

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