Planetary Society Congratulates Itself By Giving Itself Awards (Again)
Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, & Fans Celebrate Past & Future of Space Exploration at Planetary Society’s 35th Anniversary
“Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and 19-year Planetary Society Board Member, received The Planetary Society’s Cosmos Award for Outstanding Public Presentation of Science. Tyson, Director of New York City’s Hayden Planetarium, hosted Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey, a television series that paid tribute to Carl Sagan’s original Cosmos program. “Every day, Neil deGrasse Tyson inspires this and the next generation of explorers,” Nye explained. “He encourages us all to use the process of science to ask questions, to seek answers to nature’s mysteries, to keep searching, to know the cosmos and our place within it. Neil inspires the students among us today, who will carry on with the search for life on Mars and Europa. They will solve cosmic mysteries that many of us have yet to even imagine. It’s an honor to know him.”
Keith’s note: Once again the Planetary Society’s own mutual admiration and self-indulgent society awards one of its members with an award invented just for them – an award even more grandiose than the last one they gave him. Meanwhile Neil Tyson has already started to blast another movie he is not involved in. Sooner or later they are going to run out of award to give on another.
According to “Neil deGrasse Tyson on ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Star Trek’ and ‘StarTalk’,” Wall Street Journal: “Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson hasn’t gotten around to watching the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” trailer yet–and he also doesn’t think the “Star Wars” franchise takes science seriously enough to be worth his time. “When you are that kind of storytelling, I don’t spend time analyzing what you’re doing,” Tyson says.”
So I guess that we can expect a torrent of Tysonisms about how Luke’s light saber wont work or how Jedi mind tricks will never happen (recent articles in Science and Nature challenge that but who reads those papers before tweeting,eh? )
Meanwhile Bill Nye was on live TV from the White House last week during Astronomy Night doing is best jittery David Byrne Talking Heads impression and singing the praises of the Obama White House and its devotion to science – the source of so many of Nye’s selfies – while Nye’s Planetary Society employees Emily Lakdawala and Casey Dreier were simultaneously and rightly ripping The very same White House on Twitter regarding White House’s inexplicable cuts to planetary exploration that Nye glossed over so as to get another selfie.
Nye had a perfect perch from which to make these concerns known to a national audience of millions – from the White House Lawn – but he choked. No mention. Just his standard jittery commentary until the next speaker showed up. Of course had Nye criticizes the White House on space policy on the President’s front lawn he might not be invited back to take more selfies. And its all about access for photo ops and selfies.
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But when Neil Tyson is paid to be part of the pre-release viral marketing for “The Martian” then he’s all cool with it and downplays the science things (those impossible winds on Mars etc.). Sounds like an ad hoc low key protection scam: like up the space nerds and give them a little visibility and they’ll pass on the sciency stuff.
This whole Tyson/Nye/Plantetary Society Passive/Agressive approach to space movies, missions, and cultural events does have an underlying plan. And it does not involve sending humans anywhere other than a control room where they control a robot who has all the fun. But what it does include is a lot of selfies at the White House and snarky tweeting about movies that the public otherwise loves. This is more about them than it is about membership in the organization. How very unfortunate.
More to follow
I was a member of the Planetary Society for years, joining shortly after it was founded. I quit after I got fed up with their hostility to any form of human spaceflight and their non-democratic structure. At the time, and for all I know currently, had a self-perpetuating board who chose the society officers without any form of input from the members. My letters protesting this went unanswered. I did keep my L5 Society membership.
The original Cosmos program was hosted by a real, practicing scientist – unlike the current one. Carl Sagan was no saint and had his detractors in the astronomy community, but everyone realized that his outreach efforts to the public were very valuable. I’m not so sure about the current host – despite his support for human spaceflight.
If the Society is against human spaceflight, I’m with them. More broadly speaking, I wish there were better representatives for science than NdGT and BNtSG(R)(TM)(C).
As a long time Sagan basher, I have to agree with you completely. I believe his work as a planetary scientist is overrated, and much of the scientific work credited to him was actually the work of his students. But his.work popularizing and promoting science was extraordinary. I just have trouble when people assume someone who is great at popularizing science must be a great scientist.
Love the GIFs. We need more humor, especially as we see the deterioration of the space program.
Although the Planetary Society has particular interests focused mainly on robotic exploration, and other people (including me) are interested more in human spaceflight, I think it is counterproductive and shortsighted to disparage them. Young Americans need to develop more interest in science and learning if our nation is to even have the resources for human spaceflight. I feel Bill Nye and others in the PS are helping in this, not hurting. We do a horrible job of exciting the public about space. We don’t need to be attacking anyone who is at least willing to try.
“We do a horrible job of exciting the public about space”.
Actually I think if people learn a little about space flight, space systems, and space exploration, they will be excited enough.
I think we do a horrible job of informing and reaching the public, and particularly informing students, about space.
I think if you look at it from that perspective, the Tyson’s and Nye’s are only reaching a very small percentage who already have some interest. Its not to say their efforts are of no value, its just that there are ways to reach a far larger population.
So far the space societies and NASA are failing miserably at this.
I do have doubts about awards given from an organization to one of its own board members. But saying the society “awards one of its members with an award invented just for them” does not seem to be correct. I quick search shows that this award was first given to James Cameron in 2005, and also to Paula Apsel in 2007 and Steven Hawking in 2010. I haven’t checked, but I don’t think they are on the Planetary Society’s board of directors.
Bill Nye has been a hack for a long time. He seems more concerned with liberal politics than science these days. This is just more proof of that fact.
Good grief – its clear you have an opinion, its just not clear its supported by facts. The reality is, if you go back to the Mars workshop, press release and report that the PS put out earlier this year – with Bill Nye actively involved (I was there); it was ALL ABOUT getting humans to Mars – or at least Phobos – as quickly as possible (Phobos was more affordable and success there was seen as likely to lead to either more money for a US landing or more international contributions.
I will admit that Tyson is oddly snarky in how he approaches science FICTION and Nye is too polarizing on non-space topics but to characterize them as opponents of human spaceflight is just plain wrong. (I will not say the same for Emily Lakdawala’s blog but hey, it’s a free country…)
[citation needed]
>Jedi mind tricks will never happen (recent articles in Science and Nature challenge that
I get both of these journals and I don’t recall any papers or news briefs about validating esp, telekinesis or whatever. What did I miss?
I guess you missed the papers on mind-to-mind communication, erasure of memories, ability to directly control robotics via brain waves, and implantation of false memories. Just go to Science and Nature. They have online indexes and search functions.
>papers on…
Ooookaay.
Those all involve instrumentality of some sort interacting with actual measurable fields in the brain.
For some reason I did not make the connection with Jedi magic superluminal telekinesis ‘n stuff.
STOP THE MOVIE! THERE’S NO SOUND IN SPACE!
These losers are not genuine scientist. They are a joke and embarrassment to science. Planetary Society…collaboration of rejects…nothing more.
Hmmm, that’s an idea.
Perhaps Keith should have an annual NASAWatch “Worst/Useless/Dumbest” award list?
Worst Failed PR Opportunity. Most Useless Advocacy Event. Dumbest Comment About Space/Science By Someone In A Position Of Power Over Space/Science. Etc.
The Watchies.
Surely the New Horizons team should be top of the list this year? If not, then why not Andy Weir for The Martian, or Ridley Scott and Drew Goddard for the faithful adaptation.
You only award internally when you have no external events worthy of listing. Clearly this is not such a year.