NASA will host a first-of-its-kind air show and aerospace expo on Florida's Space Coast this weekend.
The show, called Max Power, will take place Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 7 and Nov. 8) at and around NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC). That name should be familiar to "Simpsons" fans, by the way: Max Power is an alias that Homer uses in the 13th episode of the show's 10th season. (He got it off a hair dryer.)
There will be a lot to see at NASA's event, so you should consider dropping by if you're on the Space Coast this weekend. (Tickets are required; you can buy them here.) Here are a few of the highlights.
Saturday, Nov. 7 (all times local, EST):
- 11:15-11:30 a.m.: Overview of NASA's "quiet" supersonic jet, the X-59
- 12:30-1:00 p.m.: Discussion of NASA's science and exploration goals by Nicky Fox and Lori Glaze (the heads of NASA's Science Mission Directorate and Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate, respectively)
- 12:45-1:00 p.m.: Q&A with the four astronauts of NASA's Artemis III mission
- 1:00-1:30 p.m.: "How Is NASA Preparing Astronauts to Live and Work on the Moon?" with Suzanne Bell, who leads NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory at Johnson Space Center
- 1:30-2:00 p.m.: Discussion of NASA's planned lunar outpost, with Moon Base program head Carlos García-Galán
- 2:00-2:30 p.m.: Summary of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission, by senior project scientist Julie McEnery
Sunday, Nov. 8
- 11:15-11:30 a.m.: "How NASA uses aircraft for research! Topic: Connecting flight to research"
- 12:45-1:15 p.m.: Update on the U.S. Space Academy with NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson
- 12:45-1:00 p.m. (different stage): Q&A with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, of SpaceX's Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station
- 1:00-1:30 p.m.: Discussion of SR-1 Freedom, NASA's planned nuclear-powered spacecraft that will launch mini-helicopters to Mars in 2028
- 1:30-2:00 p.m.: "The X-Factor: NASA's Flight Revolution Topic: X-Planes"
- 2:00-2:30 p.m.: Conversation with an (as yet unnamed) NASA astronaut
- 3:00-3:15: "In the Cockpit: Meet the NASA Pilots!"
NASA will also hold a livestreamed press conference on Saturday at 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT) about its moon base plans. It will feature Fox, García-Galán, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Dayna Ise, the acting director of the Utility and Infrastructure Office for the Moon Base Program.
There will also be dramatic flyovers on both days of Max Power, some of them by Isaacman, who's an accomplished pilot as well as a private astronaut. (He funded and commanded SpaceX's Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions, which flew to Earth orbit in September 2021 and September 2024, respectively.)
According to NASA's Max Power schedule, Isaacman will perform flyovers both Saturday and Sunday at 11:58 a.m (in an F-5 jet) and 1:31 p.m. (in a MiG-29).
There will also be a lot to see as you're wandering the grounds at the Max Power sites.
The event "will showcase the newest aircraft, autonomous vehicles, technologies, and more defining the future of air and space," agency officials wrote in a Max Power description. "NASA will display its quiet supersonic X-59 plane, and agency partners will showcase moon rovers, spacecraft and more."
