Building a DaVinci probe

We're excited to announce our participation in the Kansas City regional Remake Learning Days, in partnership with Johnson County Parks and Rec! Join us for two days of hands-on learning experiences that'll teach you a bit about electronics and how to solder. To sign up, hop on over to JCPRD's website and grab a spot on either May 6th at the Central Resource Library or May 13th at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center.

During our workshops, you'll get to build your own Venus probe badge, which we affectionately call "DaBlinky." This adorable printed circuit board has space for you to solder on two LEDs, a switch, and a battery. We took inspiration for DaBlinky from NASA's upcoming DAVINCI mission, which is set to explore Venus in unprecedented detail.

Animated blinking probe

DaBlinky Learn to Solder badge

As part of the DAVINCI mission, NASA will be sending a probe to study Venus from its surface up to the top of its clouds. The goal is to answer important questions about Venus, like whether it was ever habitable like Earth. And while you're here, don't forget to check out our awesome posters from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory "Visions of the Future" series. These posters are designed in a style inspired by old WPA posters for national parks and highlight the scientific significance of various locations in our solar system. They're a great way to get inspired about the wonders of space!