The Long March-2F rocket carries the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, which is set to launch in mid-June with a three-member crew. (Associated Press)

China will launch three astronauts this month to dock with an orbiting experimental module, and the crew might include its first female space traveller, a government news agency said Saturday.

A rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft was moved to a launch pad in China's desert northwest on Saturday for the mid-June flight, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing an space program spokesman.

The three-member crew will dock with and live in the Tiangong 1 orbital module launched last year, Xinhua said. The government has not said how long the mission will last.

Xinhua cited Niu Hongguang, deputy commander in chief of the manned space program, as saying the crew "might include female astronauts."

The government said in 2010 that two female air force pilots had joined the astronaut program but has disclosed no other details.

China's space program has made steady progress since a 2003 launch that made it only the third nation to put a man in space on its own. Two more manned missions have followed, one including a space walk.

China completed its first space rendezvous in November when the unmanned Shenzhou 8 docked with the Tiangong 1 by remote control. Tiangong 1 was launched on Sept. 29.

Over the next few days, scientists will test the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, the Long March 2F rocket and ground systems, Xinhua said, citing the spokesman.

During the flight, one crew member will remain aboard the Shenzhou 9 "as a precautionary measure in case of emergency" while the others enter Tiangong 1, Xinhua said.

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China planning manned space flight

9 June 2012 Last updated at 04:12 ET

China has announced it will carry out a manned space flight at some point in the middle of June.

A rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft has been moved to a launch pad in the north-west of the country.

According to state news agency Xinhua, it will carry three astronauts - possibly including a woman - to the Tiangong 1 space station module.

This will be China's fourth manned space flight and its first since 2008.

It became only the third country to independently send a man into space in 2003.

Last year, China completed a complicated space docking manoeuvre when an unmanned craft docked with the Tiangong 1, or "Heavenly Body", by remote control.

The astronauts onboard the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft will also dock with the Tiangong 1 - an experimental module currently orbiting Earth - and carry out scientific experiments on board.

Xinhua reported that Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of China's manned space programme, said the crew "might include female astronauts".

The mission is part of China's programme to develop a full orbiting space station.

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China in new manned space flight

07-06-2012 09:33 more at Public domain film slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied. The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and equalization. Split with MKVmerge GUI (part of MKVToolNix), the same freeware (or Avidemux) can recombine the downloaded parts (in mp4 format): part 1: STS-39 was the twelfth mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The primary purpose of the mission was to conduct a variety of payload experiments for the Department of Defense... Commander Michael L. Coats Third spaceflight Pilot L. Blaine Hammond, Jr. First spaceflight Mission Specialist 1 Guion S. Bluford Jr. Third spaceflight Mission Specialist 2 Gregory J. Harbaugh First spaceflight Mission Specialist 3 Richard J. Hieb First spaceflight Mission Specialist 4 Donald R. McMonagle First spaceflight Mission Specialist 5 Charles L. Veach First spaceflight... Launch was originally scheduled for 9 March, but during processing work at Pad A, significant cracks were found on all four lug hinges on the two external tank umbilical door drive mechanisms... The mission was again postponed when, during prelaunch external tank loading, a transducer on high-pressure oxidizer turbopump for main engine number three showed readings out of specification. The transducer and its cable harness were replaced and tested. The launch was ...

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STS-39 Space Shuttle Discovery DOD pt2-2 Post Flight Press Conference 1991 NASA - Video

Named for the iconic 'Star Trek' spacecraft, the Enterprise was the first of NASA's fleet of space shuttles.

The space shuttle Enterprise - named after the spaceship in Star Trek - achieved lift-off on Wednesday when it was hoisted by a crane onto a floating museum in New York's Hudson River.

Cheers and thunderous applause erupted from the crowd of New Yorkers and tourists who turned out to see the retired spacecraft moved to its new home atop the flight deck of repurposed World War Two aircraft carrier now named the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

"Beam me up, Scotty!" a man in the crowd shouted as a crane lifted the shuttle off a barge onto the museum, repeating a catch phrase from the popular science fiction television show.

"It's part of our history," said New Yorker Cameron Fisher, 21.

The crowd grew quiet and the air was filled with the creaking of the crane and beating of a helicopter circling overhead as the shuttle rose 230 feet into the air.

"It inspires people to see what human ingenuity can achieve," said British tourist Kirsty Rushen, 35.

Earlier Wednesday, as the shuttle, strapped to a barge, made its way up the Hudson River and past the Statue of Liberty, crowds ranging from small children to elderly couples strained for a glimpse of the craft.

"Did you see the shuttle?" said a police officer running up to his uniformed colleagues like an excited child.

For a shuttle that never made it into space, Enterprise has had quite a journey. In April, crowds of tourists and New Yorkers watched in awe as Enterprise flew over the city piggy-backed on a Boeing 747 Jumbo jet.

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Space Shuttle Enterprise sails to New York

China will launch three astronauts this month to dock with an orbiting experimental module, and the crew might include its first female space traveler, a government news agency said Saturday.

A rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft was moved to a launch pad in China's desert northwest on Saturday for the mid-June flight, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing an space program spokesman.

The three-member crew will dock with and live in the Tiangong 1 orbital module launched last year, Xinhua said. The government has not said how long the mission will last.

Xinhua cited Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space program, as saying the crew "might include female astronauts."

The government said in 2010 that two female air force pilots had joined the astronaut program but has disclosed no other details.

China's space program has made steady progress since a 2003 launch that made it only the third nation to put a man in space on its own. Two more manned missions have followed, one including a space walk.

China completed its first space rendezvous in November when the unmanned Shenzhou 8 docked with the Tiangong 1 by remote control. Tiangong 1 was launched on Sept. 29.

Over the next few days, scientists will test the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, the Long March 2F rocket and ground systems, Xinhua said, citing the spokesman.

During the flight, one crew member will remain aboard the Shenzhou 9 "as a precautionary measure in case of emergency" while the others enter Tiangong 1, Xinhua said.

China has scheduled two space docking missions for this year and plans to complete a manned space station around 2020 to replace Tiangong 1. At about 60 tons, the Chinese station will be considerably smaller than the 16-nation International Space Station.

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Report: China Plans Manned Space Launch This Month

NEW YORK Thrill seekers looking for the ultimate rocket ride may soon turn that dream into a reality aboard a new suborbital spaceship, a winged rocket plane slated to start launching space tourists from California and a tiny Caribbean island by 2014.

The Mojave, Calif.-based XCOR Aerospace is developing the suborbital Lynx space plane to carry paying passengers to the upper reaches of the atmosphere, to altitudes up to and exceeding 62 miles (100 kilometers). XCOR is aiming to begin operational Lynx flights from California's Mojave Spaceport in 2013 and from the Dutch-controlled island of Curacao in the Caribbean a year later, said Andrew Nelson, XCOR's chief operating officer.

XCOR officials unveiled their launch targets Thursday during a news briefing here to announce a new partnership with Space Expedition Corp. (SXC, formerly Space Expedition Curacao), a Netherlands-based space tourism firm that will now act as the sales agent for future Lynx flights. The swanky event was held at the Park Avenue Armory, where artist Tom Sachs is currently showcasing his "Space Program: Mars" art installation on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

As part of the agreement, SXC will be responsible for selling seats aboard the Lynx space plane for flights departing from Mojave and from the picturesque island of Curacao, a territory that remains under the Kingdom of the Netherlands. [ Photos: XCOR Aerospace's Lynx Space Plane ]

"Today, we are at the dawn of a new space age," Nelson told an audience that included officials from Curacao and the Mojave Spaceport, and Michael Lopez-Alegria, a former NASA astronaut and the current president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. "The old ways of government-designed space exploration are slowly drifting away, and a new commercial space industry is being born right before you."

XCOR's two-seat Lynx space plane is designed to carry one pilot and one passenger, making it an intimate and extremely personal journey, he added. The reusable vehicle will be capable of flying up to four flights per day, and is able to take off and land on a conventional airport runway.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the saying 'the sky is the limit' is something of the past," said Abdul Nasser El Hakim, Curacao's minister of Economic Development. "In Curacao, we say 'the space is the limit.'"

Watchmaker Luminox also recently announced a partnership with SXC to provide special timepieces for the firm's space tourists. The watches are being developed to withstand the G-forces that will be encountered during the flight.

A ride aboard Lynx will retail at $95,000, company officials said, which includes the cost of pre-flight training sessions to prepare passengers for the experience. While this may seem like a steep ticket price, it is still cheaper than the company's competitors, such as Virgin Galactic's $200,000 price tag for a seat aboard its SpaceShipTwo suborbital rocket plane.

Virgin Galactic is expected to carry out a series of critical tests later this year and could begin flying paying customers by the end of 2013, company officials have said.

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Space tourists can hop on a flight in 2014

A private space plane developer has passed a key design test, checking off another milestone on the vehicle's path toward carrying astronauts into space.

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New Private Space Plane Passes Key Design Review

06-06-2012 09:59 more at Public domain film slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied. The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original). Split with MKVmerge GUI (part of MKVToolNix), the same freeware (or Avidemux) can recombine the downloaded parts (in mp4 format): part 2: STS-37, the eighth flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, was a six-day mission with the primary objective of launching the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO), the second of the Great Observatories program which included the visible-spectrum Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the infrared Spitzer Space Telescope. The mission also featured two spacewalks, the first since 1985. Commander Steven R. Nagel Third spaceflight Pilot Kenneth D. Cameron First spaceflight Mission Specialist 1 Jerry L. Ross Third spaceflight Mission Specialist 2 Jay Apt First spaceflight Mission Specialist 3 Linda M. Godwin First spaceflight he STS-37 mission was successfully launched from launch pad 39B at 9:22:44AM EST on April 5, 1991 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida... The primary payload, Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO), was deployed on flight day 3. GRO's high-gain antenna failed to deploy on command; it was finally freed and ...

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Space Shuttle STS-37 Atlantis Compton Gamma Ray Observatory pt1-2 Post Flight Press 1991 NASA - Video

07-06-2012 09:22 more at Public domain film slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied. The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and equalization. Split with MKVmerge GUI (part of MKVToolNix), the same freeware (or Avidemux) can recombine the downloaded parts (in mp4 format): part 2: STS-39 was the twelfth mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The primary purpose of the mission was to conduct a variety of payload experiments for the Department of Defense... Commander Michael L. Coats Third spaceflight Pilot L. Blaine Hammond, Jr. First spaceflight Mission Specialist 1 Guion S. Bluford Jr. Third spaceflight Mission Specialist 2 Gregory J. Harbaugh First spaceflight Mission Specialist 3 Richard J. Hieb First spaceflight Mission Specialist 4 Donald R. McMonagle First spaceflight Mission Specialist 5 Charles L. Veach First spaceflight... Launch was originally scheduled for 9 March, but during processing work at Pad A, significant cracks were found on all four lug hinges on the two external tank umbilical door drive mechanisms... The mission was again postponed when, during prelaunch external tank loading, a transducer on high-pressure oxidizer turbopump for main engine number three showed readings out of specification. The transducer and its cable harness were replaced and tested. The launch was ...

Continue reading here:

STS-39 Space Shuttle Discovery DOD pt1-2 Post Flight Press Conference 1991 NASA - Video

ScienceDaily (June 7, 2012) Earlier this year, NASA completed deep-freeze tests on the James Webb Space Telescope mirrors in a "shroud" at the X-ray & Cryogenic Facility (XRCF) at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

All of the Webb's 18 main mirror segments were tested under conditions that they will experience when operating in space to verify they will work as expected. Tested in batches of six, the mirrors were transferred to the cryogenic testing chamber where they were plunged to a chilly -414 degrees Fahrenheit (-248 C). In the photo above, a batch of mirror segments sit on a stand that was placed inside a helium-cooled "shroud." The base of the shroud is visible in the lower left. The part that looks like a swing is a counterbalance weight for the crane that lifted the fully populated test stand into place.

"The large tube is the back of the helium shroud that will go around the mirrors and cool them," says Lee Feinberg, the NASA Optical Telescope Element Manager for the James Webb Space Telescope at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., "The gaseous helium shroud sits inside of a liquid nitrogen shroudwhich sits inside of a vacuum chamber. All three work together to create a vacuum and cold environment to test the mirrors."

That cold environment mimics the harsh cold of space. Once at sub-zero temperatures, the testing team measured the surface shape of the mirror segments to see how they performed at cryogenic temperatures. The team measured the mirror segments by using laser systems to illuminate them for reflection of the light back into a sensor. The sensor then measures the change in shape of the mirror as the temperature changes.

When fully deployed, the Webb's mirror will be over six times larger than that of the Hubble Space Telescope's mirror. It's designed to look farther away and further back in time, and will be able to detect light from distant galaxies.

But despite Webb's size, its segmented beryllium mirror technology is significantly lighter than Hubble's one-piece glass mirror technology. Each of the 18 hexagonal, gold-coated primary mirror segments is hollowed out and ribbed on the backside, which Feinberg explains "lightweights" them to reduce their mass while keeping their precise shape.

More information about the James Webb Space Telescope can be found at: http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/

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James Webb Space Telescope’s mirrors get 'shrouded'

06-06-2012 03:30 Launched on Feb. 11, 2010, the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is the most advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the sun. During its five-year mission, it will examine the sun's atmosphere, magnetic field and also provide a better understanding of the role the sun plays in Earth's atmospheric chemistry and climate. SDO provides images with resolution 8 times better than high-definition television and returns more than a terabyte of data each day. On June 5 2012, SDO collected images of the rarest predictable solar event--the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. This event happens in pairs eight years apart that are separated from each other by 105 or 121 years. The last transit was in 2004 and the next will not happen until 2117. The videos and images displayed here are constructed from several wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light and a portion of the visible spectrum. The red colored sun is the 304 angstrom ultraviolet, the golden colored sun is 171 angstrom, the magenta sun is 1700 angstrom, and the orange sun is filtered visible light. 304 and 171 show the atmosphere of the sun, which does not appear in the visible part of the spectrum. This video is public domain and can be downloaded at: Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast: Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook: Or find us on Twitter: Follow the conversation online with #VenusTransit

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NASA | SDO's Ultra-high Definition View of 2012 Venus Transit - Video

The space shuttle Enterprise is hoisted by crane onto the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Wednesday in New York.

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Space shuttle Enterprise arrives at its new home, in Manhattan, and is hoisted aboard Intrepid

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The space shuttle Enterprise - named after the spaceship in Star Trek - achieved lift-off on Wednesday when it was hoisted by a crane onto a floating museum in New York's Hudson River. Cheers and thunderous applause erupted from the crowd of New Yorkers and tourists who turned out to see the retired spacecraft moved to its new home atop the flight deck of repurposed World ...

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Space shuttle Enterprise docks at New York museum home

05-06-2012 14:46 One of the most uncommon celestial phenomena, a solar transit by the planet Venus, will occur Tuesday evening. The Marshall Center will help build excitement for the rare event with a Lunch & Learn at 11 am on Monday, June 4, in Morris Auditorium in Building 4200. Marshall scientist, Dr. Jim Spann will host the informative session. Participants will learn more about the phenomenon, which occurs in a pattern repeated every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart. Similar to a solar eclipse, the planet Venus will visibly move across the face of the sun during the event, partially blocking light from the sun to Earth. The transit is expected to take approximately six and a half hours. There will not be another Venus transit until 2117. Historically, transits of Venus helped astronomers gain the first realistic estimates of the size of our solar system. It was noted researcher Johannes Kepler who, in 1627, first accurately predicted a transit of Venus, which occurred four years later

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Venus in Transit - Impact on Space Science with Jim Spann - Video

Like the Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise, which is now on theflight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air &SpaceMuseum in New York City,NASA's three realspaceshuttles the ones that rocketed into orbit also will spend their retirement in museums.

Thespaceshuttleprototype Enterprise moved to its new home Wednesday, the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air &SpaceMuseum on the Hudson River in New York.

NASA's three realspaceshuttles the ones that rocketed into orbit also will spend their retirement in museums.

One is already on display. The other two will follow by year's end.

A quick look at each ship:

Discovery: Flown in April to Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, taking the place of Enterprise. Fleet leader with 39 missions. Oldest survivor of the realshuttles. First flight in 1984, 39th and last in February-March 2011. Spent 365 days inspace, traveled 148 million miles.

Endeavour: Still at KennedySpaceCenter. Will be flown in September to California Science Center in Los Angeles. Youngestshuttle, built as replacement for the destroyed Challenger. First flight in 1992, 25th and last in May-June 2011. Spent 299 days inspace, traveled 123 million miles.

Atlantis: Still at KennedySpaceCenter. Will be transported down the road to the KennedySpaceCenter Visitor Complex in November. First flight in 1985, 33rd and last in July 2011. Spent 307 days inspace, traveled 126 million miles.

Enterprise: Flown in April from Smithsonian to New York. Prototypeshuttleused in five approach-and-landing tests at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in 1977; dropped off back of modified jumbo jets with two-man astronaut crews and guided to landings. Never flew inspacenor was it designed to do so. Used in NASA tests and traveling exhibits, then given to Smithsonian in 1985.

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Space Shuttle Enterprise arrives in New York. Where will the other shuttles go?

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum today announced that Time Warner Cable has been named an official sponsor of Space Shuttle Enterprises 2012 arrival into New York City and of its Space Shuttle Pavilion home currently being built on top of the museums flight deck. Todays sponsorship announcement coincides with the Enterprises current voyage via a pulled barge from JFK International Airport to the Intrepid. The Enterprise is being hoisted onto the flight deck today and will be open to the public within the Space Shuttle Pavilion beginning July 19.

Additionally, Time Warner Cable becomes a sponsor of the Intrepid Museum, which in return has been named a signature partner in New York City for Time Warner Cables Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) program. CAMM is an initiative that inspires students to acquire skills in science, technology, engineering and math to become the problem solvers of tomorrow and help America successfully compete in a global economy. Similarly, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museums own education program reaches thousands of New York school children each year, including through its fully developed STEM program.

"We welcome Time Warner Cable to the Intrepid Museum's family," said Susan Marenoff-Zausner, President of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. "They are joining us at an incredibly exciting time in our history. We are especially pleased to work with them on the 'Connect a Million Minds' STEM initiative, since education is a vital part of our mission - as it is theirs."

Glenn Britt, Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Cable, commented, Time Warner Cable is honored to sponsor the historical journey of the Enterprise to its new home on the USS Intrepid. The American space program has led to some of the most exciting innovations of our time. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to show our continued commitment to inspiring the next generation of problem solvers by connecting young people to the wonders of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). It is our hope that exposing todays youth to a great example of STEM in actionin this case, the Enterprisewill serve as a catalyst for great innovations to come from our future leaders.

The sponsorship will bring a significant number of benefits to both Time Warner Cable and the Intrepid Museum. Time Warner Cable will be included on the Intrepids marketing and advertising materials that promote the Space Shuttle Enterprise exhibit, while Time Warner Cable will promote the shuttle on television advertising, direct mail and social media. Beginning in early July, Time Warner Cable customers will have access to exclusive footage of the Enterprises journey to the Intrepid by tuning to Local On Demand (Channel 1110).

Customers also will be provided with free and discounted access to the Intrepid through customer appreciation events, which will be announced this fall and in 2013. The company also plans to utilize the Intrepid as a venue to host premiers of upcoming cable television series for its customers.

The Intrepid also serves as a location for community volunteer activities of Time Warner Cables VetNet program, which is comprised of employees who are military veterans or active reservists.

We are very proud to sponsor the Enterprises arrival and home aboard the Intrepid, which makes this terrific museum an even better place to visit and learn about the importance of science and technology, said John Quigley, Regional Vice President of Operations for Time Warner Cable in NYC. Our valued customers, through our Enjoy Better campaign, will reap the benefits of this sponsorship through customer appreciation days and access to exclusive screening events. We also look forward to the Intrepid being the location for many of our employee volunteer and community relations programs, such as CAMM activities and events run by our VetNet group.

Time Warner Cables New York City footprint serves over 1.3 million customers in four New York City boroughs (Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and western Brooklyn), Mt. Vernon, Hudson Valley (Orange, Sullivan, Ulster Counties and parts of Dutchess, Greene and Delaware Counties), and Bergen and Hudson Counties in New Jersey.

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Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Announces Time Warner Cable as its Newest Official Sponsor and of Space Shuttle ...

The space shuttle prototype Enterprise moved to its new home Wednesday, the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on the Hudson River in New York.

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1 space shuttle already at museum, 2 more to go

NEW YORK — For the first time in history, a space shuttle is landing aboard an aircraft carrier, but instead of catching an arresting wire at high speed, the winged orbiter will be slowly lowered onto the flight deck by crane.

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Space Shuttle Enterprise Lands at New York City's Intrepid Museum

05-06-2012 11:25

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Essentialz - Space Flight - Video

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The children of engineers, scientists and support workers at Marshall Space Flight Center will get a taste of what their parents do on Thursday for the center's annual "Take Our Children to Work Day."

The annual learning event is open to children from third grade to 12th grade, Angela Storey, a spokeswoman for Marshall, said in a news release.

"The program's busy schedule of activities and learning sessions is designed to celebrate the work of the nation's space program and demonstrate the value and rewards of studying science, engineering, math and technology," Storey said.

The children will learn about a variety of work done at Marshall, including vibration and shock testing on new spaceflight hardware and the scientific principles that guide NASA research.

There will also be sessions on water safety, bullying prevention, financial responsibility and careers in science, engineering and aerospace, the news release said.

The event will begin with a brief welcome by Gene Goldman, acting Marshall director, at 8:15 a.m., followed by the activities and site tours.

The annual event is organized by Marshall's Office of Diversity & Equal Opportunity. It is sponsored by the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Redstone Federal Credit Union, Sci-Quest, Huntsville Utilities, Dynetics Corp., the North Alabama Coast Guard Auxiliary and WHNT-TV.

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Marshall Space Flight Center to host annual 'Take Our Children to Work Day'