Event To Be Held At Houston's Johnson Space Center This Week

NASA's Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston will host "Voyage Back to School," a free, public event from 4-7 p.m. CDT Thursday, Aug. 15. Exhibits and hands-on activities are designed to generate excitement for the upcoming school year.

Lockheed Martin is sponsoring the event at Space Center Houston, a non-profit education foundation and JSC's official visitor center. Activities built around an exploration design challenge will conclude this year's JSC Summer of Innovation project, which uses NASA content to provide hands-on learning opportunities at summer camps.

"Summer of Innovation provides the opportunity for rising 4th-9th grade students to have fun while learning," said Linda Smith, project lead for JSC Summer of Innovation. "They gain knowledge and confidence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which helps to prepare them for the new school year. 'Voyage Back to School' provides a forum for the students to showcase their summer projects and celebrate the return to school."

This summer, about 2,300 students and 200 educators participated. JSC partnered with 10 educational institutions, including, Barbers Hill Middle School, Bay Area Charter School Inc., Clear Creek Independent School District, Dr. Ronald E. McNair Educational Science Literacy Foundation, Galena Park Independent School District, Galveston Independent School District, Girlstart, McKinney Independent School District, Texas Southern University and New Mexico State University.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/soi