HAMPTON, Va., March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — NASA’s Langley Research Center here in Hampton, Virginia, and other centers across the country, are opening their doors Monday to news and social media to celebrate the work NASA is doing to return astronauts to the Moon and on to Mars.

Activities at Langley include viewing a 1 p.m. EDT address from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. He will introduce NASA’s plan to go forward to the Moon and on to Mars, and how this plan reinvigorates American leadership in space and benefits citizens all across the nation. The event culminates with a unique opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at Langley’s contribution to the Moon to Mars effort.

Langley’s news and social media event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. and will include:

• a tour of the 14×22 wind tunnel to view models of the Space Launch System and the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator, two critical elements in NASA’s space exploration efforts
• a demonstration of virtual reality technology focused on the Deep Space Transit Habitat, providing guests with a simulation of an astronaut’s life in space.
• a tour of the historic gantry, where Apollo-era astronauts, including Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, trained for their missions and where current testing for the Orion and SpaceX crew capsules are taking place.

Media interested in attending the Langley event should contact April Phillips by phone at 757-864-9912, or by e-mail at april.k.phillips@nasa.gov, no later than 3 p.m. Friday, March 8.

Also on March 11, NASA’s Chief Financial Officer, Jeff DeWit, and Deputy Chief Financial Officer for Strategy, Budget, and Performance, Andrew Hunter, will brief media on the agency’s fiscal year 2020 budget proposal during a 5 p.m. teleconference. To participate in this briefing, media must contact Karen Northon at karen.northon@nasa.gov no later than 2 p.m. March 11.

Audio and visuals from the media teleconference will be streamed live on NASA’s website at:  https://www.nasa.gov/live

The agency’s budget and supporting information will be available online Monday at: https://www.nasa.gov/budget 

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SOURCE NASA