Cosmic Camp-in: Mars Lander Challenge

Spend the Night Under the Stars Designed for families, scouts, and curious explorers, this unforgettable overnight adventure blends hands-on science, live astronomy, and classic Camp-in fun. This event is available for both individual public tickets and group reservations and is designed for families and groups with children aged 9-14. Groups (scouts, schools, community organizations): Reserve your space by completing the group reservations form. Arrivals & Check-In Check-in begins at 5:15 PM at the Observatory located at the rear of the Center. Please park in the front parking structure and bring all overnight gear with you to the rear check-in location. We recommend packing lightly, as you will carry your items. Program begins promptly at 5:50 PM. Event concludes at 8:30 AM the following morning. Guests may not enter the Center prior to the 5:15 PM check-in time. Featured Workshop: Mars Lander Challenge Designed for Grades 4-8 Perseverance, NASA’s most recent Mars rover, safely landed on the Red Planet in 2021. How do NASA engineers ensure a safe landing for Mars rovers? What might future missions to Mars look like? In this highly interactive program, attendees build their own Mars lander, to keep rovers safe on their journey to the Martian surface. Your young engineers will receive a briefing on past Mars rover designs and will learn about the challenges of landing scientific instruments on Mars. Then, participants are challenged to design a Mars lander, to test their design, and to test it twice, to see if they can successfully land expensive equipment on the Red Planet. In the evening, if weather permits, meet Chabot astronomers and view planets and stars in our night sky through telescopes in our historical observatories. Siblings ages 4+ are welcome to attend with a ticket. Your Cosmic Camp-in Includes: Catered hot dinner provided by La Casa de Maria (subject to change) Interactive exhibit exploration and themed scavenger hunt A specialized…