To Infinity and Beyond - A Visit to JPL

Recently, I managed to score tickets to a JPL tour, which, let me tell you, is no easy feat—these tickets are harder to get than Taylor Swift tickets! For those who might not be familiar, JPL, or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is a NASA research and development center that focuses on the construction and operation of planetary robotic spacecraft. It's basically where some of the coolest space exploration projects come to life.

As a mom with a family that’s super into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), this tour was a dream come true. My older daughter, Evelyn, who was turning 7 that weekend, was especially thrilled. She’s got a keen interest in all things science and technology, and I knew this experience would be something she'd remember forever. We were all buzzing with excitement as we prepared for our big day at JPL!

The best part about the JPL Visitor Day Tour? It’s free! The trick is that because it's free, spots vanish faster than you can say "rocket science." Currently, reservations open about two months in advance. So, if you’re eyeing a tour for September, be ready in July. But be quick—those slots get snatched up within hours, sometimes even minutes. You can book your tour here.

Our excitement soared as we pulled up to the enormous JPL campus, which turned out to be a whopping 168 acres—much bigger than we had imagined! Parking is free but limited, so we were glad we arrived a bit early. Check-in is conveniently located right across the street from the free parking. Remember to bring the government ID you used to get your tickets; you'll need it for check-in. Drew got us checked in, and we waited in an outdoor area with plenty of shade. Our tour guide was amazing! They handed out our lanyards and reminded us to keep them on for the entire tour. The tour lasts about 2.5 hours and involves a decent amount of walking, including some stairs. We were asked to stay close together and in a single-file line since it’s a working campus.

Our first stop was the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Visitor Center. We started with a 20-minute video that gave an overview of our solar system and seamlessly connected it to the exciting projects JPL is currently working on. Evelyn was absolutely captivated by the video, while Hazel, being only 4, wasn’t as curious. Thankfully, we packed some quiet toys for her, and she did fantastic. There were quite a few other kids there, so as long as she was quiet, no one seemed to mind her lack of interest in the film. After the video, we explored the visitor center, which showcased replicas and models of past missions. It was fascinating to see JPL’s incredible progress and their ambitious plans for the future.

Next, we got to see full-size models of the current rover, Perseverance, which is busy conducting its missions on Mars. There’s a fantastic documentary on Disney+ about Perseverance that I highly recommend to anyone who’s interested. We also got to see a model of Ingenuity. Ingenuity was a last-minute addition to the rover mission. Another team at JPL was researching flight on Mars and asked if they could send a helicopter with Perseverance to study. The Perseverance team welcomed the idea but it had to weigh only 4 lbs. They would have been happy if Ingenuity flew once, but they really hoped for 5 flights. It ended up flying over 72 times! My absolute favorite fact is that when the Smithsonian Institute found out about this helicopter being sent to Mars to achieve the first flight on the alien planet, they sent a small piece of the Wright Brothers' first plane to JPL. The JPL team incorporated that piece into the helicopter, so when it flew on Mars, it carried a piece of the Wright Brothers' plane with it. How amazing is that story?! I wonder what the Wright Brother’s would’ve thought about part of their plane, being flown around on Mars!

The Space Flight Operations Facility (SFOF) houses the control room, along with related computing and communications equipment areas at JPL. It’s also where NASA's Deep Space Network is operated from. We were thrilled to get a rare opportunity to actually sit in Mission Control. This room is almost always in use, so tours usually go through the viewing room above the control room. Because it wasn't in use, we were allowed to sit in the chairs! Even our tour guide was giddy since this doesn’t happen often. Drew and I have actually watched launches/landings that were conducted in this room so it was very cool to actually sit there. We got to see all the different missions out in space on a large board that showed the data being sent from and to the different satellites. That is why it is lovingly called “The center of the universe”. We got to hear the story about the Lucky Peanuts, which was hilarious. If you go on a tour, make sure you ask about it! If you are interested, I snapped this picture of a laminated copy of the story you can read. I really regret not grabbing a picture with one of the cans of peanuts scattered around the room. For me, this was the highlight of the trip!

Next, we had the incredible opportunity to visit the Spacecraft Assembly Facility, where we peered through a second-story glass window into High Bay 1. Inside, JPL staff were diligently working on preparations for their next mission. We had hoped to catch a glimpse of the Europa Clipper, but sadly, we missed it by just three weeks. The spacecraft had recently been shipped off to the Kennedy Space Center, where it will be launched in October on a mission to explore Jupiter's moon, Europa. These rooms are steeped in history, having housed the construction of some of humanity's most profound space missions. Witnessing the expansive clean room and the meticulous assembly process for space-bound instruments was truly awe-inspiring. Everywhere we looked, we saw badges commemorating past missions that were built, tested, disassembled, and rebuilt right there. Personnel working in these spaces don "bunny suits" to maintain cleanliness, with the air refreshed every five minutes—an essential precaution in the delicate environment. Evelyn particularly loved this part of the tour, captivated by the enormity of what was being accomplished right before her eyes.

Experiencing the JPL tour was nothing short of mesmerizing. From witnessing our tax dollars in action—totally worth it, in my opinion—to marveling at the meticulous care and precision that goes into every aspect of space exploration, this tour left an indelible mark. It was essential for my daughters to witness firsthand how the pursuit of knowledge benefits humanity. Evelyn, at 7 years old, absorbed everything with fascination, while Hazel, at 4, was a champ despite being a bit too young to really appreciate everything we saw. Personally, I'd do this tour again in a heartbeat. With our understanding of space and Earth continually evolving, each visit promises new discoveries and insights.