HR: 0830h
AN: ED51C-1201    [PDF]
TI: Extreme Space: Engaging and Educating the Public by Showcasing the Extremes of our Solar System
AU: * Lopes, R M
EM: Rosaly.M.Lopes@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, MS 183-601, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91107 United States
AU: Davis, P W
EM: Phillips.W.Davis@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, MS 183-601, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91107 United States
AU: Lowes, L L
EM: Leslie.L.Lowes@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, MS 183-601, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91107 United States
AB: The period of 2003 to 2006 is an exciting time in solar system exploration, with a fleet of more than a dozen spacecraft exploring the extremes of our solar neighborhood. NASA's Solar System Exploration Education and Public Outreach Forum plans to mine the richness of this intense mission activity and related natural astronomical events to develop a cohesive story of exploration. This is a unique opportunity to raise awareness of our solar system and provide inspiration for student career choices. The concentration of events includes mission launches and endings, spacecraft flybys, encounters, and landings, and sample returns to Earth. The missions target an exciting variety of extreme destinations in the solar system including the Sun, comets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. To weave the variety of activities together into a simple concept, the SSE E/PO community has selected Extreme Space as the basis of our unifying theme. Also referenced in the SSE Roadmap, this thread emphasizes the harsh environments of the planets and bodies, and the challenges of designing and executing robotic missions to explore them. The theme encompasses planetary missions, research, and astrobiology, and is logically extensible to the Sun, the Earth and comparisons to other planets, including extrasolar worlds. We plan audience-focused activities around this theme, aimed at the informal and K-12 formal education communities. We are providing one-stop access to SSE mission content and E/PO resources, and professional development opportunities for scientists, teachers and informal education professionals. Content and resource needs include a calendar of events, news alerts, a summary PowerPoint presentation, image and video collections, and thematic education package.
UR: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov
DE: 5499 General or miscellaneous
DE: 6605 Education
DE: 6699 General or miscellaneous
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting