NASA Education and Public Outreach Resources

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The information below is taken from the NASA Science Mission Directorate Astrophysics Education and Public Outreach Resources: A Sampler and Quick Start Guide; additional information from the guide is available in the attached downloadable Excel spreadsheet and in following posts.

Wavelength	E/PO Program	Website	More info
Gamma-Ray	Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope	http://fermi.sonoma.edu	Info
Gamma-Ray/X-ray/UV/Optical	Swift Gamma-ray Burst Explorer	http://swift.sonoma.edu	Info
X-ray	Chandra X-ray Observatory	http://chandra.harvard.edu/edu/	Info
X-ray	Rossi X-ray Timing Experiment (RXTE)	http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/learning_center	Info
X-ray	Suzaku, formerly Astro-E2	http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/astroe_lc/	Info
X-ray	XMM-Newton	http://epo.sonoma.edu/projects.php	Info
Extreme UV/X-ray/Gamma-ray/Microwave	High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive (HEASARC)	http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/	Info
Ultraviolet	GALaxy Evolution eXplorer (GALEX)	http://www.galex.caltech.edu/education/teachers.html	Info
Far-UV/Optical/Radio	Multimission Archive at STScI (MAST)	http://archive.stsci.edu/	Info
Near-UV/Optical/Near-IR	Hubble Space Telescope	http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/	Info
Near-UV/Optical/Near-IR	Exoplanet Exploration Program	http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/	Info
Optical	Kepler	http://kepler.nasa.gov/education/	Info
Infrared	James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)	http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/teachers.html http://jwstsite.stsci.edu/webb_telescope/	Info
Infrared	JWST-NIRCam	http://zeus.as.arizona.edu/~dmccarthy/GSUSA/index.htm	Info
Infrared	Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)	http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Edu/edu.html	Info
Infrared	Spitzer Space Telescope and Infrared Processing and Analysis Center	http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/	Info
Infrared	Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)	http://wise.ssl.berkeley.edu/education.html	Info
Microwave	Planck	http://planck.caltech.edu/epo/epo.html	Info
Microwave	Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)	http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/resources/edresources1.html	Info

EPOWebsites.xlsx

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Gamma-Ray

Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

http://fermi.sonoma.edu

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Black holes, gamma-ray bursts and pulsars

Example Resources
1. Fermi Race Card Game
2. Make Your Own Pulsar

Ways Resources Could Be Used
1. Could be used in afterschool program for high school students, encouraging students to play and learn about both science and strategy.
2. Create a 3-D model of a pulsar to help your audience visualize how we can observe pulses from a spinning neutron star.

How/Where To Get It
1. Download it from http://fermi.sonoma.edu/teachers/race.php
2. The Pulsar Activity is described on the back of the Fermi Litho, downloadable at: http://fermi.sonoma.edu/teachers/FermiLitho09pt.pdf

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Gamma-Ray/X-ray/UV/Optical

Swift Gamma-ray Burst Explorer

http://swift.sonoma.edu

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Gamma-ray bursts and their afterglows, black holes

Example Resource
1. Swift Gamma-ray Burst Real-time Sky Map
2. Global Telescope Network

Ways Resource Could Be Used
1. Show students and the public the locations and information about some of the most explosive events in the Universe, in near real-time.
2. Participate in astronomical follow-up obsevations of energetic cosmic events observed by the Swift, Fermi and XMM-Newton space observatories.

How/Where To Get It
1. Find GRB information at http://grb.sonoma.edu
2. Discover the GTN at http://gtn.sonoma.edu

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X-ray

Chandra X-ray Observatory

http://chandra.harvard.edu/edu/

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Exploding stars, supermassive black holes, active galaxies, dark matter hot gas in clusters of galaxies, and other energetic phenomena

Example Resource
1. Chandra PowerPoint Presentation: The Universe in a Jelly Bean Jar
2. Chandra posters, bookmarks, postcards, etc.

Ways Resource Could Be Used
1. Could be used in your outreach presentation, giving an overview of the total matter-energy distribution in the universe, and how X-rays help resolve related mysteries.
2. Handouts of X-ray images of celestial objects, for hands-on activities or public talks.

How/Where To Get It
1. Download it from: http://www.chandra.harvard.edu/resources/pptshows/
2. Request (limited number of) hardcopies of Chandra E/PO resources and handouts at: http://chandra.harvard.edu/edu/request.html

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X-ray

Rossi X-ray Timing Experiment (RXTE)

http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/learning_center

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Black holes, active galaxies, neutron stars, pulsars and other eneretic and rapidly changing phenomena

Example Resource
High Energy Groovie Movie

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Share the excitement of black holes, pulsars and active galaxies with a montage of X-ray images and animations set to the "High Energy Groove" by AstroCappella

How/Where To Get It
View the movie online and find related activities at: http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/outrea ... oovie.html

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X-ray

Suzaku, formerly Astro-E2

http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/astroe_lc/

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
X-rays from high-energy phenomena in stars, including supernovae and black holes

Example Resource
X-ray spectroscopy video clip

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Show how X-ray spectroscopy can help us understand details of high-energy phenomena

How/Where To Get It
Download it from: http://suzaku-epo.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/su ... video.html

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X-ray

XMM-Newton

http://epo.sonoma.edu/projects.php

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Pulsars, black holes and active galaxies

Example Resource
Supernova Educator Guide

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Engage students in basic science and math by exploring how stars die in supernovae, sometimes creating pulsars.

How/Where To Get It
Download the activity book from http://xmm.sonoma.edu/edu/supernova/index.html

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Extreme UV/X-ray/Gamma-ray/Microwave

High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive (HEASARC)

http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Black holes, Big Bang, extremely energetic phenomena

Example Resource
Imagine the Universe

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Use educational resources in classrooms for students age 14 and up, and for outreach to interested public.

How/Where To Get It
Explore them online at http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/

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Ultraviolet

GALaxy Evolution eXplorer (GALEX)

http://www.galex.caltech.edu/education/teachers.html

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Formation and evolution of galaxies and their stars

Example Resource
Recipe for a Galactic Mobile

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Teach young children science through craft! Make an art mobile using GALEX images.

How/Where To Get It
See http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/galex_make1.shtml

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Far-UV/Optical/Radio

Multimission Archive at STScI (MAST)

http://archive.stsci.edu/

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Science data and higher level products from many missions

Example Resource
MAST press release image search

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Product developers can find Hubble Space Telescope press release images for the E/PO products.

How/Where To Get It
Explore them online at: http://archive.stsci.edu/stpr/search.php

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Near-UV/Optical/Near-IR

Hubble Space Telescope

http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Solar System, comets and asteroids, stars and stellar evolution, black holes, galaxies, cosmology, electromagnetic spectrum and telescopes

Example Resource
1. Telescopes from the Ground Up
2. Cats Eye Nebula lithograph and others

Ways Resource Could Be Used
1. Explore and share the history of telescopes, from Galileo's pioneering one to NASA/s Great Observatories
2. Use Hubble images to engage audiences in asking and finding answers to their own questions about the Universe

How/Where To Get It
1. Check out Amazing Space (http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/eds/tools/) for lots of teaching tools and Hubble science topics
2. Request limited number of hardcopy materials from Ms. Holly Ryer (hgreat@stsci.edu)

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Near-UV/Optical/Near-IR

Exoplanet Exploration Program

http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Exoplanets, habitable zones around stars

Example Resource
New Worlds Atlas

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Discover what scientists are learning about the more than 500 exoplanets known to date, and explore the extrasolar neighborhood in 3-D with Adobe Shockwave.

How/Where To Get It
Online at: http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/atlas/atlas_index.cfm

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Optical

Kepler

http://kepler.nasa.gov/education/

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Exoplanets, especially Earth-size or habitable planets orbiting Sun-size stars

Example Resource
1. January 2011 Kepler Mission Update (video)
2. Kepler bookmark

Ways Resource Could Be Used
1. Learn about the Kepler mission's search for habitable planets using the transit method
2. Handout at talks about exoplanets, etc.

How/Where To Get It
1. Kepler Mission videos at: http://kepler.nasa.gov/multimedia/animations/
2. Explore available lithographs, bookmarks and teacher poster at: http://kepler.nasa.gov/education/resources/info/
Request printed materials from: Pamela Harman (pharman@seti.org) or Edna DeVore (edevore@seti.org)

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Infrared

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/teachers.html http://jwstsite.stsci.edu/webb_telescope/

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Birth of the first galaxies, rise of solar systems, and identifying planets with the potential for life

Example Resource
Scope It Out!

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Learn about telescopes by comparing a simple telescope to the James Web and Hubble Space Telescopes in this online game

How/Where To Get It
Play it online at http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/scope.html

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Infrared

JWST-NIRCam

http://zeus.as.arizona.edu/~dmccarthy/GSUSA/index.htm

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Birth of the first galaxies, rise of solar systems, and identifying planets with the potential for life

Example Resource
E/PO activities

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Use these in your outreach presentations

How/Where To Get It
Explore them online at: http://zeus.as.arizona.edu/~dmccarthy/G ... vities.htm

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Infrared

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Edu/edu.html

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Star birth and death, formation of new solar systems, comets and asteroids in the Solar System, nebulae and dust in galaxies, supermassive black holes, electromagnetic spectrum

Example Resource
Active Astronomy

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Hands-on activities to help students and the public understand infrared astronomy

How/Where To Get It
Download from: http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Edu/materials ... onomy.html

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Infrared

Spitzer Space Telescope and Infrared Processing and Analysis Center

http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Star birth, planet forming disks around stars, nebulae, young galaxies, dusty galaxies, multi-wavelength astronomy

Example Resource
Cool Cosmos

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Multimedia website with all you want to know about multi-wavelength astronomy including lots of educational activities and podcasts

How/Where To Get It
View at: http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/

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Infrared

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)

http://wise.ssl.berkeley.edu/education.html

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Asteroids in the Solar System, young stars and their dusty disks, brown dwarf stars, nearby galaxies, active galaxies

Example Resource
Multimedia gallery

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Use WISE images and multimedia in your outreach presentations

How/Where To Get It
Download multimedia from: http://wise.ssl.berkeley.edu/gallery_images.html

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Microwave

Planck

http://planck.caltech.edu/epo/epo.html

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Cosmic Microwave Background, cosmology, Big Bang

Example Resource
From Sound Waves to Microwaves: Listen to the Oldest Light of the Universe with the Planck Mission

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Slides and sound files for use in outreach presentations about cosmology

How/Where To Get It
Online at: http://planck.caltech.edu/epo/NSTA-webinar.html

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Microwave

Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)

http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/resources/edresources1.html

Science and E/PO Topic Highlights
Cosmic Microwave Background, cosmology, Big Bang

Example Resource
The Inflatable Universe beach ball

Ways Resource Could Be Used
Show the 3-D full sky map of the oldest light in the Universe, with discussing cosmology, the Big Bang, etc.

How/Where To Get It
Request one at: http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/pre_order.pl

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Science Mission Directorate Space Science Education Resource Directory

The Science Mission Directorate Space Science Education Resource Directory is a convenient way to find NASA space science products for use in classrooms, science museums, planetariums, and other settings. The directory can be searched by grade/subject or topic, or a custom search can be created.

http://teachspacescience.org/cgi-bin/ssrtop.plex

[bystander]

Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Planetary nomenclature, like terrestrial nomenclature, is used to uniquely identify a feature on the surface of a planet or satellite so that the feature can be easily located, described, and discussed. This gazetteer contains detailed information about all names of topographic and albedo features on planets and satellites (and some planetary ring and ring-gap systems) that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named and approved from its founding in 1919 through the present time.

Courtesy:

International Astronomical Union (IAU)
Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
United States Geological Survey (USGS)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

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NASA has a new online science resource for teachers and students to help bring Earth, the solar system, and the universe into their schools and homes.

Called NASA Wavelength, the site features hundreds of resources organized by topic and audience level from elementary to college, and out-of-school programs that span the extent of NASA science. Educators at all levels can locate educational resources through information on educational standards, subjects and keywords and other relevant details, such as learning time required to carry out a lesson or an activity, cost of materials and more.

"NASA Wavelength not only lets users find nearly everything they want to know about NASA science, but it also allows them to provide direct feedback to NASA to enhance our products," said Stephanie Stockman, education lead for NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in Washington. "This truly is a living, digital library of resources that will allow educators to find and share the best of NASA science education resources to advance their teaching."

http://nasawavelength.org