The National Air and Space Museum celebrates 30 years on Mars and the Mall with a special day of fun on Friday, July 21 at the museum’s flagship building in Washington.

“Mars Day!”  offers visitors the chance to learn the latest about Earth’s “next door neighbor.” Activities will include collecting samples with a robotic arm; a Red Planet quiz show; hands-on study of meteorites; an array of surface images including some in 3-D and others just transmitted to Earth; a Mars story time; and opportunities to talk one-on-one about recent discoveries with museum research staff, many of whom have worked on NASA Mars missions.

The annual “Mars Day!” festivities mark the July 1976 landing of Viking 1, the first spacecraft to operate on Mars, where it remains. Despite the distance, the museum is the legal owner of that historic vehicle and a test version is displayed in the “Milestones of Flight” gallery at the Mall building.

As it approached Mars 30 years ago, Viking 1 sent the signal that triggered the ceremonial ribbon cutting at the opening of the museum’s building on the National Mall. As Bicentennial celebrations reached their peak, President Gerald R. Ford declared the new National Air and Space Museum building “a perfect birthday present” to the nation.

To mark 30 years on the Mall, the museum is giving birthday treats to Mall visitors on July 21 including a free IMAX film showing at 9:20 a.m.; curator talks; a children’s art workshop; and air- and space-related giveaways, while supplies last. Admission to the film will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Just as reaching Mars was a major milestone for human exploration, launching the National Air and Space Museum gave us a new way to see the progress of exploration,” museum director J.R. “Jack” Dailey said. “This is a great chance to remember these special events together in a fun celebration with our visitors.”

The museum also is marking the 60th anniversary of its creation by law as the “National Air Museum,” a separate bureau of the Smithsonian. Forty years ago, the name was changed to the “National Air and Space Museum” to reflect the rapid advancements in flight and the growing scope of the national collection. That legislation also authorized the construction of a much-needed museum facility.

The Mall building quickly became the most popular museum site in the world and has now welcomed more than 250 million visitors. The museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., opened in 2003 and is now the most popular museum site in the state.

A schedule of “Mars Day!” activities and links to Mars resource materials can be found at http://www.nasm.si.edu/marsday/.
 
The museum’s Mall building opens at 9 a.m. through Labor Day, Sept. 4, with the first floor, Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater and Wright Place Food Court accessible. The second floor of the building opens at 10 a.m. The Mall building closes at 5:30 p.m. The Udvar-Hazy Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free at both sites, but there is a $12 parking fee at the Udvar-Hazy Center.