`Earth Today’ Kiosk Opens Today at Museum of National Science

CONTACT: Lia Unrau
PHONE: (713) 831-4793

`EARTH TODAY’ KIOSK OPENS AT MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE

Up-to-the-minute NASA data about the
condition of Earth and its space environment is now available to the
public through “Earth Today,” a computerized kiosk, the first of its
kind, developed by Rice University and the Houston Museum of Natural
Science, which premiered today.

The “Earth Today” exhibit is a freestanding triple computerized
display with connections to the Internet, featuring real-time images
of solar, space and Earth weather.

The kiosk features three programs, “Welcome to Planet Earth,”
which highlights Earth weather and resources, with hourly global
satellite weather photos, maps and forecasts; “Space Weather,” which
describes the plasma environment of the Earth and shows how the
planet’s atmosphere and magnetic field protects Earth from the
hazards of space; and “Houston Today,” which highlights local
weather information from a school-based network of weather stations
(including one at the museum). It allows users to forecast weather
based on local conditions. It will also feature information about
the Houston environment, provided by the Citizen’s Environmental
Coalition.

The kiosk is part of “Creating the Public Connection,” a Rice
University and Houston Museum of Natural Science program funded by
an $850,000 grant from NASA.

“Now the general public has very rapid access to newly released
information and imagery. We have, in fact, created the first real on
-line museum,” said Patricia Reiff, a Rice professor of space
physics and astronomy and the project director.

NASA recognizes that the public, who pays for the data acquisition,
should have an easier time accessing it,” “At the moment we have
`information elites’ who have easy access to many kinds of
information over the Internet, while the general public must wait
for magazines or a television special.