April 23, 2001

Bill Jeffs
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
281/483-51

Release: J01-43

Johnson Space Center to Launch Educational Outreach Program on Sun-Earth Day

Johnson Space Center will co-sponsor Sun-Earth Day at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature hands-on activities about the Sun, a treasure hunt, and NASA exhibits about solar radiation, earth science, and space science.

Sun-Earth Day is a national celebration of the Sun, the space around the Earth, and how it affects life on Earth. In classrooms, museums, planetaria and at NASA centers, scientists will share stories, images and activities related to the Sun-Earth connections.

The Houston Sun-Earth day is co-sponsored by NASA/Johnson Space Center, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the University of Houston-Downtown and Texas Southern University. It is the kick-off of a new program of collaboration among scientists and educators from these four organizations funded by a grant from the NASA Space Science Minority University Initiative to the team led by Dr. Penny Morris-Smith of the University of Houston-Downtown.

The program is aimed at increasing awareness of space science among Houston area youth, teachers, and college students. It will include four college student interns doing research at JSC, 12 student ambassadors presenting space science to the public, and three teacher workshops on various aspects of space science.

For additional information on Sun-Earth Day, contact the Houston Museum of Natural Science at (713) 639-4629 or visit www.hmns.org. Additional Contact:

Dr. Marilyn Lindstrom, 281-483-5135, JSC Earth Science and Solar System Exploration Education

Jennifer Weiner, 713-639-4695, Houston Museum of Natural Science

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