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Exploration

Is VSE Boring the Folks at MSFC?

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
April 25, 2006

Editor’s note: Apparently the NASA Vision for Space Exploration exhibition truck is on site at MSFC. One employee notes “It’s 20 feet away from the main buildings and instead of plugging it into MSFC, they’ve got a huge generator making a hell of a lot of noise and buring a gallons of expensive gas. No one is going into it and the guides are doing nothing but wandering around showing no interest. What a ****ing waste of money.” [Courtesy of NASASpaceflight.com]

Reader note: “I may be wrong but I think the exhibition truck is at MSFC to help support “Take Your Kids to Work” day (4/27/2006). It may be a waste of gas but I would not assume that MSFC is bored by the Vision for Space Exploration.”

Reader note: “Mr. Cowing, You’ve been had, I think, by an inaccurate statement. I walked by that truck about 2 pm and they were still setting it up. The display is in a semi trailer with multiple slide-outs and is definitely set up to go all over the country. The “power cord” is 3 inches in diameter and I would venture to guess the generator puts out nearly 25 kW.”

“That would be difficult to connect to ordinary facility power. (I’m sure much of that goes to cooling.) I mentally remarked how quiet the generator was considering its output. No one near the vehicle seemed interested in giving tours the display because they were engaged in getting it ready for later in the week.

Thursday is “Take Your Child to Work Day” and NASA MSFC is a participant and sponsor of the activity. Many people on Center have put a LOT of energy into ensuring the day will be a success. It is a great time to get young people interested in the US Space Program and at least a few will be inspired.

To the writer of the original note, did you ever think about what is involved in presenting anything to the general public? When is the last time you purchased, studied, or otherwise became interested in a subject that was not in some way advertised to you? I would say, “never”. The time, and sometimes dollar, investments are heavy, but necessary if there is anything worthwhile to say. Getting information out to people costs a lot, but the return will, hopefully, be worth it. How? In terms of public support for the program, backed up with funding to make it possible. This, in turn, provides jobs for engineers, scientists, and, well, you. They, subsequently, provide jobs and income for car salesmen, lawyers, doctors, service providers, restaurant owners, teachers, website owners, and all who get pieces of the income spent by the space workers.

Advertising is a necessary part of business and public government programs. It is fun to be short sighted and critical of things because it gets you a lot of attention, but it is counterproductive in the end.”

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.