Exhibit Simulates Mission to Mars

Mars has fascinated people for decades. Now the storied Red Planet is the focus of a new exhibit at the California Museum of Science and Industry in Exposition Park.

“Mission to Mars,” a national traveling exhibition, offers an opportunity to step into the future and learn about past missions to Mars.

The centerpiece is Mars Base 1, a full-scale mock-up of a laboratory on Mars. Visitors can take part in a 45-minute simulation in which they act as “crew members” playing a role in a mission to the planet.

Other displays include a full-scale model of a crew module from the planned space station Freedom, a demonstration of the challenges of zero gravity and an astronaut fitness test.

Simulations are held daily at 1:30. Seating is limited to 32 people, and reservations are recommended. The exhibit will run through Sept. 12. Call (213) 744-7400.

ASTRONOMY

* Ron Brashear, curator of the history of science at the Huntington Library, will discuss “Make No Small Plans: George Ellery Hale and American Astronomy,” in the Mt. Wilson Museum Auditorium on the observatory grounds Saturday at 2 p.m. Call (818) 362-1175.

* Owen Gingerich, senior astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, will discuss “The Great Copernicus Chase,” in the Friends’ Hall of the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Garden in San Marino tonight at 8. The lecture is presented in conjunction with the exhibition on astronomy, Constructing the Heavens: 450 Years of Astronomy. Call (818) 405-2141.

ORNITHOLOGY

* The mysterious nocturnal world of the owl will be explored in a nighttime outing to search for great horned, barn and screech owls led by Wilderness Institute naturalist Randy Childs on Saturday at 9 p.m. in the Santa Monica Mountains. Call (818) 991-7327.

HEALTH/MEDICINE

* The Los Angeles chapter of the American Diabetes Assn. will present “Diabetes Research in the ‘90s,” a seminar covering such topics as the genetics of diabetes, new treatments and the latest in transplant research on Saturday at 8:15 a.m. at the Miramar Sheraton Hotel in Santa Monica. Registration is required; call (213) 381-3639.

* Dorothy Gilden, director of Breast Cancer Recovery Plus, will lead a discussion on “Pathways to Recovery and Survival” at the meeting of Breast Cancer Recovery Plus on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Center for Women’s Health in Culver City. Call (310) 391-0068 or (310) 479-3846.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES

* Children entering kindergarten through the sixth grade can enroll in “Camp Crossroads,” a series of eight-week sessions beginning Monday at Crossroads School in Santa Monica. Science-related activities include a science club, conservation projects and computers, as well as outdoor activities and field trips. Registration is under way; call (310) 393-6059.

* Families can explore tide pools, dig for sand crabs and do some bird-watching during a camping trip to Leo Carrillo State Beach Park being offered by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County this Father’s Day weekend as one in a series of family field trips. Reservations are required; call (213) 744-3534.

* Children ages 6 and older can help find answers to the problems of pollution in “Pollution Solutions,” a workshop sponsored by the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena on Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Call (818) 449-9144.