You'll soon find more background information posted on this Web page, and photos, but this textual introduction begins the "Get Acquainted" process.

In alphabetical order, our PLANET ADVOCATES are:

Prof. RETA BEEBE of New Mexico State, for Jupiter. A member of the Galileo Imaging team, she's known as "Mrs Jupiter" for her long-standing interest in the planet. She serves on several task forces interested in opening up scientific research to educators, and is a fount of information about other online resources (such as those at NASA Ames and NASA JPL) which touch on Jupiter. Reta Beebe writes to help you decide on a planet here! and a report on Jupiter As Observed by Galileo here.

Dr. MARC BUIE of Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, on Pluto. Perceval Lowell founded the Observatory to study Mars and search for life, but the telescopes here helped Clyde Tombaugh discover the planet Pluto ( the P and L stand for Perceval Lowell!) Marc worked at STScI in its first years, and is fully aware of what the Hubble Telescope can contribute to studies of Pluto. He plans to have new Web pages online very soon, and is working with local high school students to upgrade them. Marc Buie answers your questions about Pluto here! The web site is now available to see more about his planet! Don't miss the graded list of other Pluto sites collected by his student assistant, Richard Glover.

Prof. HEIDI HAMMEL of MIT speaks up for Neptune. She was a principal force in planning Hubble's studies of the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter, but has recently been concentrating on Neptune. Like our other Advocates, she is committed to involving the general public in cutting-edge astronomy, and believes the Internet can provide unique access. She sits on the Time Allocation Committee of STScI, and is very much involved in Hubble logistics. Heidi Hammel adds more information about Neptune here! She further writes a Clarification on Hubble and why Neptune is a good target

Prof. CAROLYN PORCO, of the University of Arizona, is interested in comparing processes among the various planets of the solar system. Though she's our expert on Uranus, she's really interested in rings (and other similar processes) in all the planets of the solar system. Prof. Porco is imaging team leader for the Cassini Mission, already approved to send a very capable orbiter to Saturn, and a probe to its large and mysterious moon, Titan. A principal member of the Voyager spacecraft Imaging Team, she is delighted to be part of the first human generation to be researching the outer solar system. A self-avowed "e-mail fanatic" (see the first program) she's extremely interested in the process of involving students in research. Carolyn Porco adds "The Earth-Uranus Connection".