It's an event the head of NASA's Mars Exploration Program calls the "Superbowl of planetary exploration."
Now, several Central New Yorkers are getting a front row seat to the landing of the Mars rover.
The rover "Curiosity" is headed to Mars and is trying a tricky new landing technique. Millions of star gazers are watching.
Kelly Lux, from Syracuse University's iSchool, is one of 25 social media experts chosen from around the country to spend the weekend at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA.
It's part of NASA Social, an effort to connect people with the space agency's explorations through social media. Lux has been sharing her experiences on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kellylux and on the iSchool's blog, through entires like this one.
Lux says the experience has been incredible.
"There's so much excitement and so much going on, and they're taking us from one thing to the next to the next," she says. "It's really a bit overwhelming, but it's a phenomenal experience, something I will never forget."
Two teachers in the East Syracuse School District are also at NASA''s Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Jason Fahy and Tim Patterson were invited to discuss ways to bring science and engineering into the classroom.
They are participating in lectures and simulations with NASA astronauts and scientists.
They hope to learn from the experience and create a Mars rover project at Pine Grove Middle School next year.
