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NASA Ambassadors 2004, Now Coming to a Forum Near You



 
 
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Old May 6th 04, 12:29 AM
Ron
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Default NASA Ambassadors 2004, Now Coming to a Forum Near You

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Charli Schuler (818) 393-5467

News Release: 2004-117 May 5, 2004

NASA Ambassadors 2004, Now Coming to a Forum Near You

While two rovers roam Mars and the Cassini spacecraft nears Saturn,
NASA's Solar System Ambassadors find themselves busier than ever this
year, leading events across the nation in malls, classrooms and on the
radio to share the wonders of space exploration with the public.

The program, in its seventh year, consists of 374 volunteers from all
50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. A new and
diverse crop of ambassadors who joined the program in early 2004 has
helped reach 22.3 million people-94 percent of last year's total
count-in less than five months.

"Through the efforts of these enthusiastic volunteers, NASA's space
exploration programs become personalized in communities across the
nation," said Kay Ferrari, coordinator of the program at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Solar System Ambassadors
reach people where they live."

The Solar System Ambassador program is part of NASA's mission to
inspire the next generation of explorers. Ambassadors arrange events
such as star parties, public exhibits, classroom presentations and
library programs. JPL offers them special training opportunities,
including teleconferences with leaders of interplanetary missions. It
also supplies materials, such as the latest pictures from JPL-managed
NASA spacecraft.

"A few months ago, I talked about Mars to a wildly enthusiastic group
of 5-to-7-year-olds. They knew the names of the planets and something
about each one," said Brother Laurence Harms, a solar system
ambassador and a Benedictine monk in the Episcopal Church who holds
planetarium lectures at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History in
California. "I am also working with a friend of mine who is an amateur
astronomer and probation officer to prepare programs for the boys and
girls at Juvenile Hall."

Solar System Ambassador Mary-Frances Bartels discussed her role in the
program while heading a radio discussion group for the Rocky Mountain
Radio League, based in Littleton, Colo.

"I have already been contacted to speak at an elementary school later
this year, so I'm preparing for that," said Tina Cano, an attorney
from Austin, Texas, who is so fascinated with the solar system, she
holds a master's degree in space studies. "I also hope some political
leaders will attend a community outreach program I'm planning, since I
am here in the state capitol."

The Solar System Ambassadors help the public follow the excitement of
space exploration and get the latest results from spacecraft such as
the Mars Exploration Rovers, currently making extraordinary
discoveries on the red planet; Genesis, collecting solar wind
particles for return to Earth; Cassini, about to orbit Saturn; and
more.

"As an ambassador I would like to build a working relationship with
local schools, science centers, planetariums and observatories to
allow children to observe and study stars and planets, all of which
are very different and beautiful in their own ways," said Solar System
Ambassador Csaba Palotai, a research assistant at the University of
Louisville Comparative Planetology Laboratory in Louisville, Ky.

"I want to share some of the beauty of astronomy and space science,
and the passion for its pursuance," said Gary Fujihara, a solar system
ambassador from Hilo, Hawaii, who works as a public outreach officer
for the University of Hawaii. He has been fascinated with space since
childhood through watching television shows like 'Lost in Space' and
'Star Trek,' as well as coverage of NASA's Mercury, Gemini and Apollo
space missions.

"I am working with many private, public and charter schools from
grades K-12, including Waimea Middle School, which is a NASA Explorer
School," Fujihara said. "We have coordinated several events and
activities including solar viewing through a specially equipped
telescope with astronomers on hand. We planned exciting activities
this year to coincide with National Space Day on May 6 and Sun-Earth
Day (Venus transit) on June 8."

Online information is available about the Solar System Ambassador
program, including a full list of ambassadors in your area, at

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/

JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in
Pasadena.

-end-
 




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