Happy New Year!!

We look forward to your joining us as EPOXI continues its two intriguing investigations with one flight proven spacecraft.

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MISSION

• EPOCH phase has ended
  During the spring and summer of 2008, the Deep Impact spacecraft observed numerous stars as part of the EPOCh portion of the mission. Those observations are now complete, and the EPOCh scientists are busy analyzing the data. Preliminary results were presented at the AAS Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) meeting in October 2008.
  Mission Status, Dr. Drake Deming
  Videos from DPS
• Interplanetary Internet
  NASA has successfully tested the first deep space communications network modeled on the Internet. The Interplanetary Internet, was successfully tested using the Deep Impact spacecraft during a month-long series of demonstrations in October of 2008.
  Using software called Disruption-Tolerant Networking, or DTN, dozens of space images were transmitted back and forth between the Deep Impact spacecraft and computers on Earth located more than 32 million kilometers (20 million miles) away.
  Mission Status, Dr. Mike A'Hearn
  Press Release

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EDUCATION

• EPOXI at the National Afterschool Association Convention
  Join NASA scientists and educators as they jazz it up in New Orleans on April 2-4, 2009. In an EPOXI session, participants will engage in hands-on learning activities developed by NASA's Dawn and EPOXI Mission E/PO programs. Learn about science activities appropriate for after school programs: Modeling in 3-D, Comet on a Stick, Find A Meteorite, and Where Are You?
  EPOXI Education Materials
  NAA 2009 Convention
• Connecting with Comets Field Study
  Are you interested in testing two comet related classroom activities? The EPOXI E/PO team offers two, standards-driven, activities designed to meet the needs of all students, including disadvantaged and underserved. To learn more and sign up for the spring field study, contact Dr. Stephanie B. Wilkerson EPOXI E/PO Principal Evaluator, Magnolia Consulting, LLC; 434.984.5540; stephanie@magnoliaconsulting.org.
  Study Announcement
• Family Science Night
  The Family Science Night (FSN) program at the National Air and Space Museum is supported this spring by the EPOXI mission. Although all our nights are booked, we can accept a few additional visitors if you would like to see whether your school would want to participate next year. For more information, contact the FSN Coordinator, Harri Vanhala, at 202-483-8833 or harrivanhala@ncesse.org.
  Family Science Night

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BIOGRAPHIES

So who works on EPOXI? Well, many are from Deep Impact and are preparing for the flyby of Comet Hartley 2. We decided that its time to feature some of the EPOCh scientists as they are working hard analyzing their data.

• Meet Sarah Ballard
  Sarah Ballard is a graduate student at Harvard who certainly breaks the science geek stereotype! Sarah is working on making the data received from the Deep Impact spacecraft (thousands and thousands of pictures from EPOXI just staring at a star for several weeks) into usable information, like how the star's brightness changes with time.
  Sarah's Bio
  All biographies

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SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

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EPOXI E-News features information about the mission, its outreach web site, and products, services, and materials available from the EPOXI Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) team. The EPOXI mission combines two exciting science investigations in an entirely new mission that re-uses the Deep Impact spacecraft. The Extrasolar Planet Observation and Characterization (EPOCh) investigation will observe stars that have known transiting giant planets. The Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI) of comets observes comet 103P/Hartley 2 during a close flyby in October 2010. The EPOXI mission is a partnership among the University of Maryland (UMD), the California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp (BATC), and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). EPOXI is a NASA Discovery mission of opportunity. See our website at epoxi.astro.umd.edu.