Space Sciences Gateways and Resources

American Association of Amateur Astronomers
http://www.astromax.com/
The American Association of Amateur Astronomers (AAAA) is intended to foster interest in amateur astronomy by developing and promoting programs for its membership and the amateur community at large in the areas of observational as... Full description

Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards
http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/
This site provides an overview of NASA initiatives to locate, track, and study asteroids and comets--often called Near Earth Objects (NEOs)--in order to provide an early warning, to estimate the probability of their hitting Earth,... Full description

Astrobiology Magazine: Great Impact Debate
http://www.astrobio.net/news/article373.html
This online magazine article features six experts on Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) in a debate on the hazards presented by collisions of these objects with Earth. The debate, in five parts, covers the occurrence, distribution, and pas... Full description

Astronomy 161: Solar System
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/index.html
This well-illustrated introductory college course in astronomy--the first semester of a two-semester sequence taught at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville--provides an overview of the solar system and the historical developmen... Full description

Astronomy 162: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/index.html
This well-illustrated college course in astronomy--the second semester of a two-semester sequence taught at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville--provides an overview of the universe beyond our own solar system. Topics include t... Full description

Astronomy Workshop
http://janus.astro.umd.edu/
The Astronomy Workshop from the University of Maryland features interactives, animations, calculators, and other online computer-assisted learning tools enabling middle-school and older students to investigate the solar system and... Full description

ATHENA: Mars Exploration Rovers
http://athena.cornell.edu/
This site provides images, information, and educational materials connected to the Mars exploration rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Materials include archived press releases for the mission; traverse maps of the rovers' paths acros... Full description

Basics of Space Flight
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/
This tutorial is designed to help identify the range of concepts associated with deep space missions and illustrate the relationships among them. The three sections deal with the environment of space (e.g., the solar system, spati... Full description

Black Holes: Gravity's Relentless Pull
http://hubblesite.org/discoveries/black_holes/
This site provides an introduction to the astronomy and physics of black holes, including how they are created, where they occur, and why they exist. Materials include astronomical images, animations, interactive features such as ... Full description

Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan: K-4 Education Program
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/edu-k4.cfm
This program for younger students focuses on awareness of scientific discovery through the development of basic academic functions such as reading and writing, in the context of NASA's Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. "Reading, ... Full description

Cassini-Huygens Mission: Multimedia Collection
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/
This collection of images, videos, and other visual media chronicles the Cassini-Huygens mission to study Saturn and its moon Titan. The image collection features remote imagery and still photos of the spacecraft, its assembly and... Full description

Catalogue of Spaceborne Imaging: A Guide to NSSDC 's Planetary Image Archives
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/
This image archive, supported by the NASA National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), features photos taken during NASA space missions (Apollo, Gemini, Mariner, Voyager, and others) and the Soviet Venera probes to Venus. The photo... Full description

Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology
http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/
The web page of the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University of Technology of Melbourne, Australia provides links to news articles and information on research programs and educational programs for univers... Full description

Core List of Astronomy Books
http://ads.harvard.edu/books/clab/
This book list is intended to assist librarians and collection-development librarians in building collections of books in astronomy and astrophysics. It also serves as a resource for researchers and as a guide to teaching faculty ... Full description

Cosmic Journey: A History of Scientific Cosmology
http://www.aip.org/history/cosmology/
This site provides an introduction to the history of scientific cosmology: the study of the universe, its contents, structure, and evolution from the beginning of time to the future. The topics are arranged into two categories, "I... Full description

Eclipses of the Sun and Moon
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/UpcomingEclipses.php
This page provides access to downloadable eclipse visibility maps for solar and lunar eclipses from 2004 through 2009. The solar maps show locations of first and last contact, greatest eclipse, and times where the eclipse begins a... Full description

Galax Lux: Astrophotography
http://www.intersoft.it/galaxlux/Index.htm
This image gallery features photos of astronomical phenomena taken by an Italian photographer. The images include nebulae, star clusters, Messier objects, comets, night landscapes, and atmospheric phenomena (such as the "green fla... Full description

Google Video: National Archives Videos
http://video.google.com/nara.html
This web site features selections from three National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) film-video collections: NASA History, United Newsreel, and Department of the Interior. The NASA films (1962-1981) include the "Headqu... Full description

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/
The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) combines the resources and research facilities of the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory to pursue studies of those basic physical proces... Full description

Imagine Mars
http://imaginemars.jpl.nasa.gov/index3.html
The Imagine Mars Project is an arts, sciences, and technology education initiative in which students work with scientists, engineers, artists, and civic leaders to design and share a futuristic Mars community for 100 people. They ... Full description

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network
http://lcogt.net/
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGTN) features a comprehensive science research program and an innovative astronomy-education program featuring state-of-the-art instructional materials appropriate for students ... Full description

Live from Earth and Mars
http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/
This project, which ran from 1995 to 1997, provides educational materials that use real-time and archived data to explore atmospheric science and the environments of Earth and Mars. The teaching tools page features a series of mod... Full description

Mars Exploration Rover Mission
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html
The Mars Exploration Rover mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term program to explore the planet with the robotic rovers Spirit and Opportunity. The mission's home page features press releases, imagery, and... Full description

Memphis Astronomical Society
http://www.memphisastro.org/
Web site for amateur astronomers offering free "Getting Started with Your New Telescope" article (PDF), monthly newsletter, weblog ("MemphisAstro"), and information for ordering inexpensive out-of-print amateur's guides to finding... Full description

NASA for Educators (Grades K-4)
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/k-4/features/index.html
The NASA Education Division provides an extensive selection of online educational resources for younger students. The Featured Materials, Featured Sites, and "Have You Seen?" pages include lesson plans, activities, educators' guid... Full description

NASA Human Spaceflight
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html
The NASA Human Spaceflight site provides information on all crewed NASA missions, especially the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. Materials include realtime data and tracking information, updates for ongoing missions... Full description

NASA Kids Club
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html
This site provides interactive features, games, images, videos, and other multimedia resources for younger students (grades K-4). The teacher's page --accessed by rolling over apple sitting on the "desk," describes each resource a... Full description

NASA Quest
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/
NASA Quest provides interactive and hands-on materials intended to bring NASA personnel and science to classrooms through the internet. These materials include Quest Challenges--interactive explorations designed to engage students... Full description

NASA Space Science Mathematics: Weekly Math Problems
http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/weekly/weekly.html
This page features weekly mathematics problem sets that are designed to teach intermediate and upper-level students about space weather. The downloadable problem sets include one or more math problems to be solved using the inform... Full description

NASA's Imagine the Universe!
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html
NASA's Imagine the Universe site features educational material for older students (14 and up). The materials include news articles, podcasts, multimedia presentations, and interactive features on astronomy topics, satellites and t... Full description

NASA's Mars Exploration Program
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/
This site provides information and resources on the NASA Mars Exploration Program, a science-driven program that seeks to understand whether Mars was, is, or can be a habitable world, as suggested by the presence or absence of liq... Full description

National Space Society
http://www.nss.org/
The National Space Society (NSS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. The NSS web site features information about the organization, its mission and vision, membership information, an... Full description

Odyssey
http://www.odysseymagazine.com/
Odyssey is a science magazine for students in grades 5 through 10. The online version features news articles and journal articles on general science topics, an ask-an-expert feature, a mystery photo feature, and information on con... Full description

On the Edge, at NASA's Imagine the Universe
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/features/topics/gwaves/gwaves.html
The "On the Edge" features at NASA'S Imagine the Universe site examine some of the research groups putting together the pieces of high-energy astronomy. There are four "On the Edge" features, focusing on 1) gravitational waves; 2)... Full description

Pancam
http://marswatch.astro.cornell.edu/pancam_instrument/index.html
The Pancam is a high-resolution, digital stereo camera carried by the Mars Exploration Rovers and used to take color photographs of the Martian surface and sky. Pancam images depict surface morphology, lithology, distribution, sha... Full description

Parallax Project
http://digital.library.pitt.edu/parallax/
The Parallax Project is a digitized collection of the Publications of the Allegheny Observatory of the University of Pittsburgh, representing 10 volumes of star parallax data and calculations made by researchers at the observatory... Full description

PBS Online NewsHour: Hubble and Webb Telescopes
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/hubble/
In-depth coverage of the Hubble Space Telescope and the next generation of orbiting observatories. Includes interactive on orbiting telescopes, slide show of Hubble images, and reports on the debate over keeping Hubble operating a... Full description

PBS Online NewsHour: Mars Exploration Rovers
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/science/marsrover/
In-depth coverage of travels and discoveries made by the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, together with instructional materials. Includes a lesson plan titled "Planets in Proportion," an interactive on rover tools, a slide show... Full description

PBS Online NewsHour: Pluto Debate
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/science/pluto/
In-depth coverage of the decision to declassify Pluto as a planet, together with instructional materials. Includes lesson plan titled "Planet Categorization" and worksheet questions; timeline of Pluto news; and reports on the demo... Full description

PBS Online NewsHour: Studying Space Storms
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/science/space_storms/index.html
In-depth coverage of the NASA-sponsored THEMIS mission (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms), which enlisted the help of Alaska high-school students and teachers to learn more about the aurora borea... Full description

Phases of the Moon WebQuest
http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/phanover/moon_webquest_home.htm
In this WebQuest, students use online resources to view light and shadow as they are cast on the Earth and Moon in real time. Using these resources, they will attempt to predict what Earth looks like from the Moon, what the Moon l... Full description

Photojournal: NASA's Image Access Home Page
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/
Photojournal is the interface to NASA's Planetary Image Archive (PIA), which features thousands of high-resolution images and other products generated by various Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) missions. The home page features an ... Full description

Planetary Society
http://www.planetary.org/home/
The Planetary Society is a nonprofit, nongovernmental space advocacy group dedicated to involving the public in space exploration through outreach, projects, and education. The organization's web site provides information on its i... Full description

Planetary Society: Explore for Kids
http://www.planetary.org/explore/kids/
Educational activities related to space exploration suitable for elementary to middle-school students, including an opportunity to remotely drive (via home computer) a robotic Mars rover made of LEGOs. Instructions provided for ob... Full description

Project Apollo Image Gallery
http://www.apolloarchive.com/apollo_gallery.html
This image gallery features photos taken throughout the history of NASA's Apollo program, the initiative to put humans on the moon. The collection is organized chronologically by mission and includes both on-board photos, training... Full description

Project SEDNet
http://www.christa.org/SEDNet/index.htm
Project SEDNet is a professional development program that provides a physical and space science curriculum for younger and intermediate students and support for teachers who use these materials in the classroom. The curriculum con... Full description

Rainwater Observatory
http://www.rainwaterobservatory.org/
The Rainwater Observatory, located in French Camp, Mississippi, features astronomy workshops for educators and educational programs for the public. It also hosts an informal astronomical association and an annual amateur astronome... Full description

SciCentral: Earth and Space Science News
http://www.scicentral.com/S-02eart.html
This site provides links to Earth and space science news articles from a variety of outlets and journals. Sources featured on the site must be freely accessible to online readers and are ranked by the editors based on reliability,... Full description

Science of Spectroscopy
http://www.scienceofspectroscopy.info/
This Wiki-based resource provides an introduction to spectroscopy for advanced high-school and postsecondary students. The site uses real-world applications of spectroscopy to involve students and provides links to external resour... Full description

SEGway: Science Education Gateway
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/SEGway/
SEGway is a science education and public outreach (E/PO) organization of educator-scientists working to present the latest astronomy and space science research to students, teachers, and the general public. For educators, the SEGw... Full description

Sky and Telescope: Essential Magazine of Astonomy
http://skyandtelescope.com/news
This is the online version of Sky and Telescope, the astronomy magazine for the amateur and enthusiast community. Materials include news articles, observing tips, information on products and equipment, how-to advice, and other fea... Full description

Space Audio
http://www-pw.physics.uiowa.edu/space-audio/
This site offers the "sounds of space" processed from signals received by University of Iowa instruments on various spacecraft. The collection includes sounds from Saturn collected by the Cassini probe, sounds from the edge of the... Full description

Space Science and Engineering Center
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/
The web site of the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison features information on Center's past and present research programs, satellite imagery, remotely sensed data products, and link... Full description

Space Today Online
http://www.spacetoday.org/
This online magazine is intended to provide accurate information on past, present, and future human activities in and about space, including space science, history, research, space flight, solar system exploration, deep space astr... Full description

Spaceflight Now
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/index.html
This portal provides access to news articles on space research and exploration from NASA and other space agencies and research organizations around the world. Materials include articles, interviews, videos, and imagery about Space... Full description

Spacesounds
http://spacesounds.com/home/index.html
This site features historic recordings from the U.S. space program, including President John F. Kennedy's famous "Moon" speech and streaming audio of NASA ground and spacecraft communications from the Mercury, Apollo, Gemini, and ... Full description

Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/
The Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum (SECEF) is intended for educators, students, and the general public, sharing with them discoveries and knowledge generated by space missions related to the solar-terrestrial connection. The... Full description

Total Solar Eclipse: Live from Turkey
http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/2006/index.html
On March 29, 2006, a team from the Exploratorium filmed and broadcast live the total eclipse of the Sun as seen from Side, Turkey. The web site created around this event includes streaming video of the eclipse, a slide show from f... Full description

Traditions of the Sun: Explore the World's Ancient Observatories
http://www.traditionsofthesun.org/
This online exhibit allows visitors to explore traditions of solar observation and ancient astronomy practiced by the Chaco and Mayan cultures of the New World. There is a brief discussion on the development of solar observation a... Full description

USNO Eclipse Portal
http://www.eclipse.org.uk/eclbin/query_usno.cgi
The United States Naval Observatory (USNO) Eclipse Portal provides information on all solar and lunar eclipses from 1501 through 2100. Users can enter a year in the search box and access information on all eclipses for that year, ... Full description

Virtual Amateur Astronomer
http://www.jupiterscientific.org/virtualastronomer/
The Virtual Amateur Astronomer is an archive of high-quality images of all varieties of astronomical objects. The images, hosted on the Virtual Amateur Astronomer web site and linked from other web pages, include high- and low-res... Full description

W. M. Keck Observatory
http://www.keckobservatory.org/
The W. M. Keck Observatory, located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii, takes advantage of its high altitude and stable atmospheric conditions to engage in advanced research into the deepest regions of the universe... Full description