Jet Propulsion Laboratory050

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena offers tours free of charge for groups and individuals on an advance reservation basis.

Tour reservations must be made by calling a Public Services Office representative. Reservations may not be made via e-mail, voice mail, or fax.

Tours run about two hours and commonly include a multi-media presentation on JPL entitled Journey to the Planets and Beyond, an overview of the Laboratory's activities and accomplishments. Guests may also visit the von Karman Visitor Center, the Space Flight Operations Facility, and the Spacecraft Assembly Facility.

Each May - generally on the weekend following Mothers' Day - JPL holds an enormous and completely free open house. Families are invited to celebrate the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's accomplishments with exhibits and demonstrations about the Lab's ongoing research and space exploration. Dozens of scientists and engineers are on hand to answer questions about how spacecraft are sent to other planets, how scientists utilize space technologies to explore Earth, and how researchers are now searching for planets beyond the solar system.

Visitors at this event get to browse through exhibits, displays, demonstrations, and special hands-on activities designed for kids. Food and beverages are available for sale, along with space souvenirs and NASA and JPL merchandise.

Parking is available near the Oak Grove main gate and on the eastern boundary of JPL, accessible from Windsor Avenue via the Arroyo Boulevard exit off the 210 Freeway. Leave extra time for parking, which can be a colossal hassle, and definitely bring a stroller for little ones - but rest assured that the effort invested in getting there has a huge pay-off in an event unlike any other!