Contact Information

The Public Connection

"Earth views of space and space views of Earth"

Rice University has been a leader in Education and Public Outreach efforts for more than 25 years, through its many major initiatives, including:

• The Teacher Research Program (1988-91, NSF)
• Summer Solar Institute, 1992 (Eisenhower Foundation)
• The Public Connection (funded by the Digital Library Program, NASA, 1994-1998)
• Museums Teaching Planet Earth (funded by the ESIP Program, NASA, 1999-2004)
• Outreach for the IMAGE mission:  "POETRY" (2000-2006)
• Immersive Earth Program (funded by the REASoN Program, NASA, 2004-2010)
• Outreach for the Cluster Mission (2006 – 2011)
• Outreach for the MMS Mission (2006 – present)
• "Future Space" program (NASA, 2010 - 2013)

These projects have resulted in many "firsts" in the partnership between Rice and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. In addition, Rice has worked with many other outreach partners, including Texas Space Grant, HISD, and Minority Education projects over the years.

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These projects have created many educational products (software and planetarium shows).  The only ones that are still distributed by Rice University are the software suites:

• Space Weather (initially developed by the POETRY program and still supported by MMS)
  • Space Weather : Forecast - current and predicted conditions
  • Space Weather : Realtime - realtime satellite data
  • Space Weather : Resources - online and downloadable educational resources
• and the online version of "Earth Update"

The other software titles and planetarium shows are now commercially distributed by our spinoff companies Space Update, Inc. and MTPE, Inc. (dba ePlanetarium).

• Space Update (from the Public Connection)
• Earth Update (from Museums Teaching Planet Earth)
• "Force 5" Planetarium Show (from Museums Teaching Planet Earth)
• Discovery Dome portable planetarium system (from Immersive Earth)
• "Earth's Wild Ride" Planetarium Show  (From Immersive Earth)
• "Dinosaur Prophecy" Planetarium Show  (From Immersive Earth)
• "Impact Earth" and "Impact!" Planetarium Show  (From Immersive Earth)
• "We Choose Space" (from "Future Space")
• "The Great Planet Adventures" (from "Future Space")

This website archives some of the history and products of our various programs and provides links to our current educational activities.

Rice Space Institute       6100 Main MS-108, Houston, Texas 77005-1827       Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892

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