The NVO would be a "Rosetta Stone": linking the archival data sets of space- and ground-based observatories, the catalogs of multi-wavelength surveys, and the computational resources necessary to support comparison and cross-correlation among these resources. The NVO will benefit the entire astronomical community. It will democratize astronomical research: the same data and tools will be available to students and researchers, irrespective of geographical location or institutional affiliation. The NVO will also have far-reaching education potential. Astronomy occupies a very special place in the public eye: new discoveries fascinate both the large number of amateur astronomers and the general public alike. The NVO will be an enormous asset for teaching astronomy, information technology, and the method of scientific discovery. Outreach and education will be key elements: the NVO will deliver rich content via the Internet to a wide range of educational projects from K-12 through college and to the public.