COMETS, ASTEROIDS & METEORS EDUCATOR CONFERENCE
 
The July collisions of fragments of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with the
planet  Jupiter are a once-in-a-lifetime event and an extraordinary scientific 
opportunity.  Much media coverage has been focused on this but the results
of these impacts and interpreting them for the classroom cannot be done in the
popular press.
 
The same is true of the first close-up pictures ever taken of asteroids. 
The Galileo spacecraft, enroute to Jupiter, has flown close by the asteroids
Gaspra and Ida and returned high resolution images.  New ground-based radar
techniques have been used to image asteroids that have flown close to Earth.
 
Earth is impacted daily by small bits of cometary and asteroidal debris, 
periodically by vast swarms of material and, on rare occasions, by objects
that result in cataclysmic changes in the evolution of life on Earth.  All of
these types of objects form a tapestry that adds to the richness and complexity
of our solar system.
 
In view of these events, the NASA  Education Division, the Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory (JPL) Public Education Office and the JPL Public Services Office
cordially invite you to attend the COMETS, ASTEROIDS & METEORS EDUCATOR 
CONFERENCE.  The conference is scheduled from 12:00 p.m. on Friday, August
12 to 12:00 noon on Sunday, August 14, 1994 and will include the following
events:
 
EDUCATORS CONFERENCE 

Scientists will describe the Shoemaker-Levy 9 collisions and the early
results of its effect on Jupiter.  Project scientists and engineers will discuss
the Galileo spacecraft's observations of the events and the data from the
asteroid flybys.  Astronomers will describe meteor showers and the 
contributions of all of these small objects to our understanding of the 
formation and evolution of the solar system and Earth.
 
EDUCATORS RECEPTION

A special reception featuring a briefing on the Galileo mission to Jupiter
will be held for all educators.
 
TEACHER WORKSHOP

This workshop will provide information on applying comet, asteroid and
meteor science in the classroom.
 
Special Notes:
   o  Participation in the COMETS, ASTEROIDS & METEORS EDUCATOR CONFERENCE is 
limited to 400 persons. The conference will be opened to the general public
only if space permits on August 3.
 
   o The conference will take place at Ramo Auditorium on the Caltech campus.
 
   o Registration fee: $65
 
For additional information and a registration packet, contact the Public 
Services Office, Mail Stop 186-113, the Public Education Office, Mail Stop
CS-530, or e-mail David M. Seidel at d.m.seidel@jpl.nasa.gov