This weekend, Liberty Science Center guests are invited to see the next-gen NASA Mars rover right here in Jersey City!

The rover is stopping by the Science Center on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30 as part of its limited engagement national tour from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. It’s on tour for a particularly exciting reason – this summer marks 20 years of NASA Mars rover exploration!

Today the rover arrived at LSC, and to help kick off the weekend celebration, we received a special visit from retired astronaut Jon McBride, who – among his many assignments with NASA – served as pilot of STS 41-G aboard the Orbiter Challenger in 1984.

McBride spoke to a packed room of LSC Science Campers, including campers from our “Destination: Mars” course, about growing up as a young boy in West Virginia and being inspired by President John F. Kennedy to become an astronaut.

He explained to our campers how scientists believe the first astronaut on Mars is currently between the ages of 6 and 18. Meaning, any one of the campers could be the first astronaut on Mars! All they need to do is study hard and believe in themselves.

After taking questions about what it’s like sleeping and eating in space, McBride and the campers headed outside to get a close-up look at the NASA Mars rover along with LSC CEO and President Paul Hoffman.

Now’s your chance to see the NASA Mars rover up-close and get a glimpse at the future of space exploration. Stop by LSC this weekend!

See more photos from McBride’s visit on our Facebook page.