WASHINGTON -- NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center is trying to raise its profile image by milking the public.

To build awareness of its contributions in Earth-science research, Goddard has placed public service announcements on the back of milk cartons in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Under the title, "Its Never Too Late to Save Your Skin," the Greenbelt, Maryland-based space agency touts its research saying it has yielded "valuable information about the Earths changing environmentto protect ourselves from the suns harmful ultraviolet rays and prevent deadly skin cancers with the use of SPF sunscreens."

Through grocery store chain Giant Food, Goddard placed these public-service announcements to "educate the public," said Denise McCoy who led the effort. McCoy, who works at Lockheed Martin, is a member of the Goddard Alliance, a nonprofit organization made up of 33 representatives from the aerospace community.

The purpose of the alliance is to promote the Goddard Space Flight Center, according to Goddard Alliance President Fred Hawkins of Omitron, an aerospace engineering firm in Greenbelt.

Goddard has played a pivotal role in space- and Earth-science research since its birth more than 40 years ago. But it is Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California that have enjoyed most of the attention because of their human spaceflight programs.

"A lot of people focus on the human spaceflight area," Hawkins said. "But they forget that Goddard is NASAs Center of Excellence for Scientific Research."

The alliance has been trying to spread the word that Goddard is the NASA office responsible for such things as the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble is considered second only to Galileo's first telescope in 1610 for its impact on astronomy.

Goddard is also responsible for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), which provides the most comprehensive atmospheric image, temperature and humidity profile, wind velocity data and severe storm coverage of the Earth.

Does it seems like a big leap from science to milk cartons?

"When we first approached [Goddard officials], we raised some eyebrows," Hawkins said. "We werent sure if they were ready to act or if they thought we were completely crazy."

Whats the next project for getting the word out?

"Grocery bags at Safeway," McCoy said.