2004 NEWS RELEASES NASA News National Aeronautics and Space Administration John C. Stennis Space Center (228) 688-3341 Aug. 31, 2004 Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000 STS-04-082 NASA Public Affairs Office FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (228) 688-3341 NASA VISITOR CENTER ANNOUNCES FALL HOURS HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. — StenniSphere, the visitor center at NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) near Bay St. Louis, begins its fall/winter hours on Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2004. StenniSphere’s public tours will run continually from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and will be closed on Sundays. The center is also closed on major holidays. 
 Throughout the fall, StenniSphere will offer activities and 
events for the whole family: * The celebration of the 35th 
anniversary of Apollo 11 continues with an exhibit that
transports visitors back in time to trace the history of the Apollo program and explains SSC’s important role in sending Americans to the Moon. Visitors can see a Moon Tree planted in honor of the anniversary. “Moon Trees” are descended from seeds carried to the Moon and back by Apollo 14 astronaut and longtime Mississippi Gulf Coast resident Stuart Roosa. * School field trips to StenniSphere will blast off with new interactive activities and special presentations to complement classroom curriculum. Book a field trip by calling 1-800-237-1821 or book online at /centers/ssc/public/visitors and click on the 
 Book a Tour link. * On Saturday, Sept. 11, Astro Camp will 
celebrate Grandparents’ Day with a special
mission, “Rocketry 101,” just for grandparents and their grandchildren. Together, grandparents and their grandchildren will team up to build and launch a rocket. Cost is $50 for each grandchild/grandparent team. Call 1-800-237-1821 or 228-688-2370 to register. * On Saturday, Oct. 16, Astro Campers will take a “Mission to Mars” as they study the Red Planet, and the principles of propulsion that will take rockets there in the future. Cost is $50 per camper. Call 1-800-237-1821 or 228-688-2370 to register. * On Friday, Nov. 25, and Saturday, Nov. 26, free Astro Camp activities for all visitors will take place throughout StenniSphere all day. * In late 2004, look for StenniSphere’s new exhibit, Return to Flight. The exhibit will capture the excitement as NASA prepares to return the Space Shuttle to flight. The Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to carry a crew of seven on Mission STS-114, no earlier than March 2005. StenniSphere’s exhibit will include one of the Space Shuttle Main Engines, which are all test-fired and proven flight-worthy for Space Shuttle missions. Stennis Space Center is America's largest rocket test complex. Free tours begin at the Launch Pad, located at the Hancock County Welcome Center, Exit 2, I-10. StenniSphere offers fun, educational, interactive exhibits, presentations and scientific demonstrations, the Space Odyssey gift shop and the RocKeTeria, a 1960s-style diner. For more information, call (228) 688-2370 or 1-800- 237-1821 or visit /centers/ssc/public/visitors. -END- News releases provided by NASA's Stennis Space Center are available at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ssc/news/newsreleases/2004. For more information, call the NASA Public Affairs Office at Stennis at 1-800-237-1821 in Mississippi and Louisiana only, or (228) 688-3341. -end-