Perhaps it’s because of the increasing crossover science is enjoying into pop culture, boosted by the likes of Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson, that the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory open house has been drawing larger crowds each year.
This year’s event attracted more than 40,000 people to the normally quiet hillside campus, far more than JPL’s auditoriums (let alone than the parking lots) can accommodate, and potential visitors were turned away.
This year’s event was a bit of a re-boot, as well as a re-brand with the new name “Explore JPL.” The two-day event took place this past Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5. A new reservation system was put in place to manage the crowds.
Tickets were made available April 25 online and guests were required to sign up for specific entry times. Families were allowed to request up to five tickets and were not transferable. This year, more than 20,000 guests attended over the course of the weekend.
Explore JPL 2016 included more than 20 exhibits, booths and films including programs featuring the final orbits of Cassini around Saturn, what the Spitzer Telescope is capturing, as well as updates on general solar system exploration, robotics technology and research into alien worlds.
Mars exploration and the rover is still very much a current topic, as is the exciting news about Juno, the Jupiter bound spacecraft. Millions of miles away and in orbit for the past five years, Juno will reach the largest planet in our solar system on the Fourth of July.
Because of the staggered entry times, JPL employees who volunteered at the event reported they were able to spend more time talking to visitors and answering questions than they had been able to do in previous years with the larger crowds.
In prepping for next year’s open house, get your tickets as soon as they are available and plan your day early. Heed the instructions and tips on the program you receive on arrival, particularly if you have a 1 p.m. entrance time or arrive later. At least one attraction started turning people away before
3:30 p.m. because of the 4 p.m. close time, making for a short visit for some.
Social media highlights and photos of the event can be found here: https://storify.com/VeronicaMcG/explore-jpl-sunday
