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Artemis

How Will NASA Build "The Artemis Generation"?

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
May 23, 2019
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How Will NASA Build "The Artemis Generation"?

Keith’s note: Jim Bridenstine made repeated mention of the “Artemis Generation” today. In the press briefing after today’s presentation by Bridenstine I asked HEOMD AA Bill Gerstenmaier what this means. There are just under 80 million K-12 and college students in America. That’s a lot – nearly 1/4 of all Americans. Back in the 60s when Gerst and I were growing up you could not escape mention of Apollo. NASA did an excellent job of making sure that all students knew what was going on and it was linked to the need to study math and science. NASA had to actually create whole new areas of study in universities since the specialties needed to study the Moon hardly existed. So how will NASA step up to create the Artemis Generation? Will it take an active role or is this just buzz words that NASA hopes someone elese will run with? Gerst gives a good reply – as does Mike Gold from Maxar. What I am really interested in hearing is what Jim Bridenstine thinks this means and what he envisons as NASA’s role in creating, shaping, and supporting the Artemis Generation.

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

11 responses to “How Will NASA Build "The Artemis Generation"?”

  1. tutiger87 says:
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    What about us in the middle? I sometimes think folks believe we have nothing to contribute.

    • fcrary says:
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      Well, it’s safe to say NASA failed to inspire me. Having Challenger explode when I was in high school wasn’t exactly inspiring. I suspect the loss of Columbia made a similar impression on people about 20 years younger than me. I think those of us in that age range, and who are interested in spaceflight, are also very cynical about NASA and how it does business. If they’re trying to recruit a fan club, we’re not the best target audience.

      • tutiger87 says:
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        Military planes go down regularly. Yet folks sign up to fly military planes with vigor .

        Wow. Its safe to say that you, like so many other Americans,have such a sad and limited understanding about whats been accomplished by the Agency over the last 30 years.

        Probes to every planet in the Solar System. Multiple rovers on Mars. Hubble. Chandra. Spitzer. Kepler. A whole host of Earth observing spacecraft A manned laboratory continuously manned since the start of the century. As the quote from Gladiator goes: Are you not entertained?

        • fcrary says:
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          No, that was not my point. I do know the risks of manned spaceflight and the success of robotic missions. I was talking about how NASA and the image NASA tries to project influenced my views.

          NASA has always tried to project an image of careful attention to details and infallibility. As a child and later a high school student, and someone excited by spaceflight, I believed that myth.

          Challenger was a real shock for me. My knight in shinning armor turned out to be a guy with a pot belly with second-rate armor and a rusty sword. That was extremely disillusioning.

          That is not what NASA should do, if they want to inspire people. Failing to take the risks clearly is a mistake. Not admitting those risks is also a mistake. Saying there are risks, but also the possibility of great achievements is inspiring. And NASA has definitely done great things. I just don’t thing overselling the results and downplaying the risks is a viable way to inspire.

      • ed2291 says:
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        And even with we older folks: We landed on the moon in 1969. That was magical, but it was also a long time ago. Space X is taking dramatic innovative steps, NASA seems focused on remaining on a gravy train and constantly putting real progress off for 10 to 15 years.

        • tutiger87 says:
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          You blame NASA.

          NASA operates at the pleasure of Congress and the President. Blame them.

          • Michael Spencer says:
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            There’s plenty of ‘blame’ to go around, none of it particularly useful. We have a lot to learn from aviation and medicine, both of which look coldly at all errors- and learn from them. And that is why aviation is so safe today.

            I didn’t have the sense about NASA that Dr. Crary shares until I learned about the O-rings. That was disillusioning. It pissed me off.

  2. Donald Barker says:
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    Talk and power points will never truly inspire children. Actions and results and showing them that there is a pseudo-stable long-term life path that they could follow will inspire them. Paying teachers what they deserve for the jobs they do in directing children will help them to do the job of inspiring children. When a teacher has to worry about their pay for food or buying school supplies because the system does not provide the basic learning tools then they are too distracted to think about inspiring anyone about anything as remotely esoteric as spaceflight. This has been and will be an ongoing problem until we respect and take education seriously in this country.

    • Daniel Woodard says:
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      I agree. After Sputnik the federal government responded not just with Apollo but with actual funding for improving science education in American public schools.

  3. ThomasLMatula says:
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    Simple, create jobs. Nothing is as inspirational as a big paycheck.

    • Michael Spencer says:
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      I don’t often agree with you, Dr. M., but reading the above I heard myself say “Ain’t that the damn truth!”