A series of educational kits  for students and teachers  Produced by the  FUSE Public Outreach and Education Program

One problem commonly encountered in education is the disassociation of content material from real world applications, and the lack of enthusiasm that can derive from purely academic exercises. In the first kit, students will see how the study of light and its properties link to the work of professional astronomers. In the second kit, students will learn about gravity, centripetal force, optics, and satellite control and communication.  Many exciting discoveries about the nature of the universe are unfolding on an almost daily basis, largely because of our ability to launch telescopes into orbits above most of the Earth's atmosphere. Astronomy is unique among the sciences in its ability to appeal to a wide audience. People of all ages and backgrounds are fascinated by what we have learned thus far about our place in the universe. Topics in astronomy can be used effectively as a "hook" to capture students' interest, and to communicate many basic scientific principles that have a wide range of applications. It is hoped that these kits, and others in this series, can be used as an effective tool toward this end.

FUSE, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer satellite, was launched in the spring of 1999. This mission opens a new region of the electromagnetic spectrum to intensive scientific scrutiny. Access to the far-ultraviolet range (which extends beyond the range accessible to the Hubble Space Telescope) permits the study of many important atoms, ions and molecules existing in the Universe that can not be investigated by any other means. The launching of a space telescope such as FUSE provides an excellent opportunity to generate enthusiasm for science in young people, and to direct this excitement toward their education.

This series will help educators introduce basic principles of physics, mathematics, and astronomy, and link them to the scientific objectives of the FUSE mission at levels appropriate to middle and high school science curricula. The Fact Sheets (background information) and the activities in this series were developed to conform to the National Science Education Standards (National Academy Press, 1996),  the Benchmarks for Science Literacy (Oxford University Press, 1993),  and Principles and Standards for School Mathematics ( National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000).