All Of NASA’s Explorers Can Be Potent Ambassadors – If NASA Would Only Let Them

Keith’s note: I just sent this off to a bunch of people at NASA. Not really expecting a response. Then again …

Its me again. Complaining. I guessed a few emails so sorry if they bounce. I am ignoring NASA PAO since they show little interest in what I have to say. You have three female NASA scientist/engineer/explorers with real world expeditionary expertise – in the field – or in orbit – or training to go to the Moon. And many more I am not mentioning. Little if any effort is given by NASA to cross over boundaries and stovepipes to bring the full scope of this wide breadth of pure expeditionary expertise together – for the sake of pure exploration – to show that NASA’s reach crosses all boundaries and borders on Earth and in space. A soft power projection bonanza is thus left unrealized.

Maybe it is just my interest in Astrobiology (www.astrobiology.com) Or maybe it is having been on 3 month-long analog expeditions to NASA HMP on Devon Island and one to Everest Base camp with an astronaut with an Astrobiology experiment in my back pocket for someone at ARC. Or maybe it is this “Risk and Exploration” event I did for NASA in 2004.

I see snippets of bountiful exploratory and expeditionary things every day on your sites that never get the proper (wider) exposure that they deserve OUTSIDE of the space bubble. Moreover the diversity of scientists – women, people of color, LGBTQ+ etc is encouraging. Yet despite good intentions, NASA just fails to use the vast outreach potential that it can bring to bear.

Y’all post one little thing here and there – and that’s it. One part of NASA does not think to cross pollinate with another. Often, the individual researcher ends up doing the bulk of their own outreach – often from the field – with little if any amplification by NASA PAO. @NASA and the other larger social media accounts with their multi-million follower reach are never brought in to expand the visibility of much of what NASA people do. There is a vast underserved and untapped audience out there that you are simply overlooking.

And the accomplishments of NASA extend vastly beyond our shores and inspire the entire world. Indeed, at a time when we seem to hear nothing but bad news 24/7, NASA’s stories are an uplifting and potent source of soft power projection – if only NASA took the time to make that happen. India is beside itself right now. NASA just signed a MOU with them and did the whole Artemis Accords thing with them. Use those tools as a way to lift all boats.

Morgan Cable’s EELS exploits are one stunning example. You now have a female WHOI submersible veteran Loral O’Hara on the ISS. And you are going to send an arctic/antarctic (over winter veteran) female astronaut (Christina Koch) to the Moon. No real mention is made of the expeditionary and exploratory chops that these three NASA women have at https://www.nasa.gov/women or https://twitter.com/WomenNASA – or how all of their individual efforts – and those of others in the space community – all blend together into a much larger, multifaceted program of true exploration – one wherein everyone, everywhere can now observe or participate in.

Again, just another complaint from Keith. As I have for decades, I am doing my best to promote this stuff on the web and on global TV (when I have a chance). I just wish y’all would take a little more interest in the vast appeal and soft power potential that this sort of expeditionary researcher – Morgan Cable – and so many others can have – and that it is not just for boys any more or just for rich country astronauts. Yes, you have done a lot – but there are SO MANY opportunities begging for further promotion. Every person at NASA is a potential ambassador.

I’ll shut up now. AdAstra, Dare Mighty Things, Beam Me Up, etc.

Keith Cowing
NASAWatch.com
SpaceRef.com
Astrobiology.com

• Daring Mighty Things Then, Now, And In The Future
• My Star Trek Episode at Everest