May the Fourth Be With You on Space Day Saturday, May 4, at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

This year’s Space Day at the National Air and Space Museum will take place Saturday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors of all ages are invited to learn about real-life space exploration on the day—May the Fourth—that science fiction fans around the world celebrate the possibilities of space travel.

The theme for this year’s event is Living and Exploring in Space. The day will feature special activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Skylab and the 30th anniversary of the flights of Guy Bluford Jr., the first African American in space, and Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. Visitors can meet NASA astronaut Col. Patrick G. Forrester, USA and retired Apollo 16/Shuttle astronaut Adm. Thomas K. “T.K.” Mattingly, USN. Visitors will see the flight-ready spares of the LEGO figurines—1.5-inch likeness of Galileo Galilei, the Roman god Jupiter and his wife Juno—that are on their way to Jupiter on board NASA’s Juno spacecraft. There will be presentations about spacesuits and the Hubble telescope as well as model-rocket displays from the Maryland Delaware Rocketry Association, Tripoli Central Virginia Rocketry Club and the Northern Virginia Association of Rocketry and hands-on activities, discussions and book signings.

Space Day, an annual event sponsored by Lockheed Martin, is designed to highlight scientific innovations and encourage students to consider careers in space exploration as they study math, science, engineering and technology.

The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

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