NASA Misses Another Opportunity to Explain Itself
Keith’s update: I just listened to Ken Savin, the Eli Lilly representative being interviewed at the International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC). Lilly has 4 experiments that will fly on the ISS next year. I listened to this while I was out in the woods walking. These experiments are all very basic, clear-cut and rather elegant – so much so that I came up with a parallel classroom experiment for each instantly – and I am not especially talented in that regard. Savin said that he wished there was an organization to coordinate among companies to share data and information. Gee, I thought CASIS was supposed to do this. Savin was then asked if there was some sort of database where data and ISS research results were posted. He said “I am told there is one” and that someone just sent him a link to it. I am baffled as to why CASIS could not send him this stuff earlier in the process.
Savin said that his company does not plan to make drugs in space and that they are really doing these experiments to learn. That is a rather cool thing for a large multinational pharmaceutical company to say about using the ISS. It ought to be on a NASA bumper sticker. I did a quick Google search for “Eli Lilly CASIS” and only came up with a few article links – all of them inside the space community. A search for “Eli Lilly NASA” only found a few more links.
With all the moaning and groaning and self-loathing evidenced by NASA and others at the ISSRDC about not having told the public about what they are doing and why, that someone would have flagged this sort of activity and built a much larger education and public outreach effort for it. But no. NASA and CASIS would rather complain about not being able to do this than actually trying to do it.
Frustrating to hear #NASA ppl complain again & again that they do not communicate with the public – and then do nothing to fix that #ISSRDC
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) July 7, 2015
ISS program does not seem to take communications seriously. Other business and government organizations take marketing seriously. It
requires big bucks and it is how many corporate executives get to the top.
The ISSDC seems hastily thrown together. Is there any publicity for it? Or is it a technical conference? If so, where are the technical papers? A Google search doesnt seem to bring anything up.
There ought to be peer reviewed papers and offer something of technical value to industry. Or is it just NASA viewgraph engineering?
The particular PCG crystal they like to highlight is a nearly 15 year old example. Its great they have something to talk about but is this the best and most current work they have to highlight? Anything from a US research investigation? The PCG example appears to be
the result of a Japanese experiment.
And why the emphasis on lower level education in a research and development conference? I understand the significance of education, but is NASA taking their viewgraphs to teacher education conferences? Teacher education conferences do not seem to happen during summer. Those conferences are probably where they would find teachers attending who might have a genuine interest. Most teachers I know cannot afford the steep ISSDC entry fees.
NASA ought to have plenty of money and people. ISS
has to be one of the best funded science and technology
programs ever.
I could understand if they have some university academics presenting their studies, proposals, etc. I do not see a schedule for those.
NASA has been talking about fixing this problem for decades. Why can’t they fix this problem?