On May 5th NASA will send a mission to Mars from Vandenburg AFB. I can see the launch from my house

Events planned ahead of NASA's historic Mission to Mars — a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'

As excitement continues to build for next month's historic Mission to Mars from Vandenberg Air Force Base, several events are planned in and around the Lompoc Valley leading up to the big occasion.

NASA is planning to launch its InSight lander into space to begin its journey to Mars as soon as 4:05 a.m. May 5 from VAFB’s Space Launch Complex-3E. The lander will ride aboard a United Launch Alliance-built Atlas V rocket. The launch is slated to officially begin the first-ever interplanetary mission from the West Coast of the U.S.

Before the rocket leaves the ground, however, residents and visitors from throughout northern Santa Barbara County will have opportunities to learn more about the momentous mission from experts who are involved with it, as well as pick out one of two public viewing parties in the Lompoc area to attend on the morning of the launch.

“This launch is going to be a major visual attraction to people all over the United States and all over the world, because it’s not every day that you launch something that’s going to Mars," said Paul Patel, the president of Explore Lompoc, an organization that promotes Lompoc Valley tourism.

As lead-up to the May 5 launch, NASA kicked off a Mars InSight Roadshow late last month that is scheduled to run from Redding to Santa Barbara. The traveling show aims to engage the public with hands-on science activities, seismometer demonstrations, table-top exhibits and models, and public talks related to the mission.

The roadshow will hit Lompoc on May 2, where an exhibit will be on display from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Dick DeWees Community and Senior Center, 1120 W. Ocean Ave. The next day, May 3, a public discussion about the mission is planned for 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Lompoc Public Library, 501 E. North Ave.



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