Visitors are welcome to come to the hilltop observatory from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m., said Chabot's marketing director, Judyth Collin.

"How fabulous is that? It's not every day you land on Mars," Collin said.

Chabot will project NASA television on screens throughout the center. A special landing show will begin at about 8:45 p.m., with commentary from Chabot experts. The rover Opportunity is expected to land at 9:05 p.m.

Visitors will be treated to Mars-related activities, puzzles and games. The Mars Encounter exhibit will be open, with updates from the Spirit rover mission posted.

Chabot Board member Dick Spees said the event should not be missed.

"This will actually be a more difficult landing location and it will be equally if not more exciting than the first," Spees said. "We've got people here who can interpret it and react to it in a way that is meaningful and fun."

Opportunity will be the second part of the $820 million double mission to Mars that NASA scientists hope would reveal whether or not the Red Planet once supported water and life.

Spirit, the first Mars rover in the program, landed on January 3. It unfolded and rolled onto Martian soil with great fanfare about two weeks after its landing.

It began malfunctioning early Wednesday. NASA officials received some data from the craft Friday, but scientists do not know if the rover will be able to transmit any other useful information beyond the thousands of images it has already transmitted.

Spirit landed on Gusev Crater, a rocky, 90-mile-wide hole in the ground about 3 to 4 billion years old.

Opportunity is set to land on Meridiani Planum, a terrain that looks significantly different than the red crater. Meridiani should be dark gray or black and relatively dust-free.

Chabot is at 10000 Skyline Boulevard. Admission is $11 for adults and $8 for youth. The landing show will cost an extra $3 per person.

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Leanne McLaughlin, Managing Editor
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