Far Out Math! is an inquiry -based math/science curriculum developed by TOPS Learning Systems as part of the Education and Public Outreach program for NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope mission. Far Out Math! explores the conceptual tools which have enabled scientists and engineers to launch satellites like GLAST into space, and to make sense of the data received. In this curriculum , students will measure, scale, graph and problem solve, using examples derived from GLAST, which is planned for launch in 2006. They will compare quantities as orders of magnitude, become familiar with scientific notation, and develop a concrete understanding of exponents and logarithms; all skills needed to understand the very large and very small quantities characteristic of astronomical observations. Students who experience Far Out Math! should lose all fear of logarithms, thus becoming better prepared for further physical and space science studies. In this workshop, participants will try some of the many hands-on activities in Far Out Math! and will receive free NASA materials.

The NASA/EPO group at Sonoma State University is creating the GLAST Ground-Based Telescope Network (GTN). The GTN is a series of small telescopes and observers which will support the science and education goals of NASA's Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope. The GTN is a collaboration with the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), other amateurs, schools, and professionals. GLAST will observe gamma rays from high-energy sources such as active galaxies (including blazers and quasars). The ground-based telescopes will observe GLAST targets to provide a multi-year baseline of optical variability characteristics before, during, and after the mission. During the mission the network will observe these targets simultaneously with GLAST to provided needed multi-wavelength coverage of flares and other micro-variability events.

Because of recent improvements in the availability of high quantum efficiency CCD detectors and the improved reliability of computer controlled (robotic) telescopes, amateurs and students are now able to conveniently obtain professional quality scientific data, and can make substantial contributions to the science goals of space observatories such as GLAST.

The other major goal of this project is to provide an educational opportunity for high school and college students to use real astronomical data. Participating classes will be able to request new image data by submitting observing requests to the telescope network, will have access to existing image and magnitude data, and will be shown how to reduce and analyze telescope network data. Amateurs can contribute to this effort by obtaining needed image data or by mentoring students and classes.

Because of the unpredictability of blazar variability it is extremely important to obtain as many observations as possible as often as possible for a wide range of objects. Thus, a distributed network of committed observers is ideally suited to this task. Indeed, such a network is essential to accumulate the intensity of data that will be needed to ultimately understand the variability mechanism and the production of the gamma rays in the jets produced by this type of active galaxy. Amateurs are ideally suited to provide this type of coverage. This is especially true since professionals are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain telescope time on small to moderate size telescopes.

We will describe the resource materials and tutorials that are available through the GTN and the AAVSO, the blazar image archive that has been established, the AAVSO international database of magnitude estimates and measurements, and the various levels of contributions that can provide the required science data ( adopt a blazar, a blazar a week, etc.). We will also show comparisons of blazar data accumulated by professionals, by the AAVSO, and by students. Finally we will provide a status report for the 0.3 meter robotic telescope system being established by the GTN at a dark site in the coastal hills of northern California .