While the major goal of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is to increase scientific understanding of our planet, ESE is not limited to serving the needs of the scientific community. Rather, the ultimate product of the program is education in its broadest forms. According to the Earth Science Strategic Plan, one of the four goals of the program is to "foster the development of an informed and environmentally aware public." Within this context, contributions to the advancement of public knowledge about the Earth are key to measuring the success of the program. These contributions are being accomplished through numerous educational programs, both formal and informal.

Formal educational initiatives are designed for kindergarten through graduate levels, and include programs designed to enhance teacher/faculty knowledge and research skills; provide curriculum support in the form of instructional products; provide research experiences for students at NASA and related sites; create programs and products that use advanced technologies for education; and promote activities involving collaborative efforts with a range of partners in the public and private sectors that work to enhance education.

Informal education initiatives are directed toward educating the scientific community and the general public concerning Earth Science. Literature is being produced that answers the basic questions of why NASA embarked on the Earth Science Enterprise and what the agency hopes to accomplish concerning the environmental issues that are of primary concern to everyone. Among this literature are numerous brochures, NASA Fact Sheets, fact books, handbooks, newsletters, and World Wide Web sites—all comprising a wealth of information and images.

A museum exhibit was opened at GSFC's Visitors Center in February 1998. Additional exhibits are being planned for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Science Literacy.

Where possible, the latest multimedia technologies for interactivity and data visualization are being leveraged to couple learning about our home planet with an overview of Earth Science. The idea is to encourage a "hands on" approach that is both entertaining and inspiring.

For more details on how to obtain some of these educational materials, visit the EOS Project Science Office Web site at http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/eos_homepage/education.html; or the Earth Science site at http://earth.nasa.gov/education/.