Teaching the Invisible: Education and Public Outreach for the MMS Mission

The goal of the MMS EPO team is both to help inspire the next generation of scientists and to improve scientific literacy in the public, with reconnection as the principal science theme. Missions with spectacular images can readily captivate the public; missions that depend on subtle difference between measurements at four locations require more clever techniques. The MMS mission will use weather front analogies to demonstrate why four spacecraft are needed to determine boundary orientation and motion; and data sonification techniques to allow vision-impaired learners to hear each boundary being crossed. Student summer programs to reach underserved communities, special courses for teachers, student-created web pages, games, and immersive planetarium shows are all part of the MMS EPO effort.