NASA’s oceanography program is coming to life in Baltimore and Annapolis,
Md., through a series of events planned to coincide with the stopover of the
Volvo Ocean Race April 17-28. NASA is teaming with the Volvo Ocean
Adventure, the educational component of the yacht race, to teach
schoolchildren and adults about oceanography.
The Volvo Ocean Adventure is a free, web-based environmental education
program for young people world-wide designed to educate, excite, stimulate
and motivate them have a positive impact on the environment.
The Chesapeake area events include:
o April 17: A special video file on NASA-TV. Dr. Eric Lindstrom and Dr. Gene
Feldman will discuss NASA’s participation in this event and the NASA
Oceanography program. Air times are scheduled for 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6
p.m., and 9 p.m. EDT. For more information, call Rachel Weintraub at
301-286-0918.
o April 18: NASA Oceanography programs will be the topic of a discussion
given by Dr. David Adamec of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,
Md., and Dr. Victor Zlotnicki of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif., during an evening event at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore.
This event is being hosted by Volvo Cars in collaboration with National
Geographic. Media are invited to attend this event by contacting Jessica
Nelson at this international number: 011-46-70-595-9595. Media may also
contact: Christine A. Rowett at 410-545-5980, crowett@MDSCI.org.
o April 19 and April 22-25: Youth Week at the Maryland Science Center and
the National Aquarium in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. NASA, National Geographic
and Volvo will bring 1000 elementary school children to the museums for a
day-long ocean adventure learning experience, including lectures by NASA
scientists and Volvo Ocean Race sailors, and a dolphin show.
o April 26-28: NASA oceanography exhibits including images from the SeaWiFs
instrument at the ocean race village at Annapolis Harbor, Md.
o April 27-28: NASA oceanography exhibits including images from various
spacecraft at the ocean race village at Sandy Point State Park, Annapolis,
Md.
NASA is participating in the Volvo Ocean Adventure by providing satellite
data of the ocean regions being traversed by the racing yachts. The SeaWiFS
(Sea-Viewing Wide Field Sensor) global ocean color monitoring mission
provides environmental research content, images and near real-time maps of
ocean color of wherever the eight yachts are in the world’s oceans
throughout the nine months of the race.
The race consists of eight yachts sailing through some of the most demanding
ocean conditions as they travel 32,000 miles to circle the globe over nine
months. The race began in Southampton, England, with stops in Cape Town,
South Africa; Sydney, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil; and Miami. The yachts are scheduled to arrive in Baltimore Harbor on
April 17. On Apri l26 they will head to the Annapolis City Dock for their
last U.S. stopover before departing for La Rochelle, France, on April 28.
The next stop is in Göteborg, Sweden, and finally to Kiel in northern
Germany where the race will end in June.
The Maryland Science Center is the largest provider of informal science
education in the state of Maryland, reaching close to 300,000 students a
year. The center is particularly interested in the Volvo Ocean Adventure and
the connection with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center since the Science
Center is developing new informal education initiatives in the Earth science
arena.
NASA studies oceanography as part of the Agency’s efforts to better
understand and protect our home planet. By studying the vital role oceans
play in global change we can better live on our home planet.
More information about NASA’s ocean programs and the Volvo Ocean Adventure
is available from following web sites:
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/04052002volvoocean1.htm
http://www.VolvoOceanAdventure.org
