DOWNEY – The Columbia Memorial Space Center is celebrating Engineering Week with a special event Saturday, Feb. 25, including a panel discussion on the NASA DART Mission and hands-on activities. 

The event is a collaboration between the space center, The Aerospace Corporation and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. 

Visitors can meet the asteroid scientists and NASA DART mission experts who developed the cutting-edge tools and techniques to detect and track asteroids, technology that may one day protect our planet. These are the experts who for the first time successfully changed the course of an asteroid last year. 

Hear firsthand accounts from NASA’s groundbreaking DART mission, which was the first full-scale demonstration of asteroid deflection technology. The panel of experts will be joined by the writer and filmmaker of the IMAX original film, “Asteroid Hunters.”  

This special panel discussion will be from 1-2 pm.  

The event is free and open to all ages. Families are encouraged to attend. Doors open at 12 pm and the event concludes at 5 pm. 

For more information about the Columbia Memorial Space Center and all events and programs, please visit www.columbiaspacescience.org.  The Columbia Memorial Space Center is located at 12400 Columbia Way, in Downey.