NASA is opening the doors of its Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley for a lunar landing simulation experience, inviting members of the media to tour the facility on Thursday, Oct. 29, and Friday, Oct. 30. Yes, that's a simulation of landing on the Moon - not the real thing, which remains stubbornly 2028-shaped per the Artemis program's current target.

Using a combination of in-house and partner motion-based simulators, NASA is giving astronauts and engineering support teams simulated experiences before crew members pilot commercial human landing systems to the surface of the Moon. The landing simulation at Ames was developed by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and integrated into the recently upgraded simulator flight deck - because apparently the old flight deck wasn't upgraded enough to convincingly replicate the vacuum of space.

During the tour, media will have an opportunity to participate in a Vertical Motion Simulator ride-along and interview subject matter experts. That's a rare chance to experience motion sickness in the name of journalism, and also to ask pointed questions of people who know what they're doing.

Those interested must RSVP by Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 5:00 pm PT to the NASA Ames newsroom at arc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. Space is limited - a phrase that carries extra weight here - and media must register in advance for consideration. NASA's media accreditation policy is online. In your RSVP, note your preference for Oct. 29 or Oct. 30, and perhaps your tolerance for simulated g-forces.

As part of what NASA calls a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, the agency will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions near the lunar South Pole to explore more of the Moon than ever before. In addition to providing economic benefits and advancing scientific discovery through its Moon missions, NASA will establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface and build on the agency's foundation for the first crewed mission to Mars. So the simulation isn't just a fancy ride - it's a stepping stone toward not needing simulations anymore.

For more information about NASA's Artemis program, visit the agency's website. For more information about the simulation tour, contact Jeanne Neal at Ames Research Center, Calif., at 650-604-4789 or jeanne.c.neal@nasa.gov.