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Randy, 1:05 PM 9/2/9...,KidSat     2

about their own environment, or their own backyard.  References to the rest of the world's environments and associated problems are best appreciate if related to their own surroundings.

Finally, young people appreciate being a part of projects, especially in cases where they feel as if they "own" a part of something.  Success stories have include Nickelodeon, Kid space, etc.  Adult Earth remote sensing scientists support this idea through their actions -- scientists are usually most familiar with data sets from instruments that they have developed.

Linking these ideas has lead to KidSat, a Space Station-based Earth observation instrument set designed, built and operated, and data analyzed by kids.  KidSat gives students their own piece of the space program.  By focusing on Earth observations, the emphasis will be on the environment and the data can relate directly to students own "backyard".  By attaching KidSat to the Space Station and including astronaut observations and educational programs about the Earth broadcast from the Space Station, we hope to attract a larger fraction of the young population that is currently involved in existing educational remote sensing programs.  We hope work done with KidSat will lead students to use existing and future remote sensing instruments, such as SeaWifs, EOS and AVHRR, in a larger number of applications as these students decide what they really want to be when they grow up.

KidSat has only recently become feasible with the addition of Russia to the international Space Station team.  With this new program, the inclination of the station will be 51#161# to match Mir thus making the majority of the United States accessible to remote sensing instruments.

Components

KidSat is a set of Earth remote sensing instruments that will eventually be based on the International Space Station.  Early pathfinder missions will be carried out on the Shuttle, and prototype instruments will be mounted on Mir as part of the joint US/Russia Space Station prgram.  In fact, Mir already has a number of remote

Printed for sride@ucsd.edu (Sally K. Ride)     2