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Astronauts

Allowing Urban Myths To Perpetuate

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
February 13, 2007

Prayers and questions aplenty in astronaut case — but few answers, Houston Chronicle

“But [NASA Watch.com editor Keith] Cowing said rumors are circulating on the Internet and even around NASA, and he’s worried that NASA, which has struggled with image problems, won’t be able to stop a new perception of its astronaut corps as being wild and promiscuous. A recent “Saturday Night Live” skit full of sexual innuendo poked fun at the situation, with an actor portraying Oefelein explaining it by saying “Look at me, I’m a hunk!”

“Unfortunately, the impression you get is that the astronaut office is a bunch of frat boys on prowl at ‘Girls Gone Wild’ because we have just one data point to make judgment.” The silence of most astronauts raises more questions, he said. Morin was the only one, out of dozens of astronauts, who returned a call seeking comment.

“It’s incumbent on the astronauts corps, for its own integrity, to (address) this,” Cowing said.”

Editor’s note: Just to be clear: I was refering to the impression that the media gets – and then shares with the public – when an event like this happens and no one at NASA tries to dispute the characterizations that are swirling about and provide a picture of the actual situation.

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