NASA Invites Children, Families to Learn about NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Mission

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Feb 10, 2015, 04:47 ET

GREENBELT, Md., Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will host this month's Sunday Experiment on Feb. 15, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST. It's a free afternoon for elementary school-aged children and their families.

This month's Sunday Experiment will explore NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission. SDO was launched in 2010, and is helping us understand where the sun's energy comes from, what happens inside the sun, and how energy is stored and released in the sun's atmosphere. By better understanding the sun and how it works, we will be able to better predict space weather events and provide earlier warnings that help protect our astronauts and orbiting spacecraft.

Participants at the Sunday Experiment event will learn about solar events and how they affect Earth from an SDO scientist. They can also participate in hands-on activities that explore the magnetic fields of the sun and ultraviolet light. Families will leave inspired by the activities, wowed by the scientists and engineers, and excited about Goddard's revolutionary research and technology. Visitors can witness the mesmerizing Science on a Sphere and explore the cosmos and Goddard's cutting edge science and discovery.

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:

www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/events/index.html

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 SDO mission, visit:

www.nasa.gov/sdo

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SOURCE NASA