NASA has suspended all spending for education and public outreach.
NASA has suspended all spending for education and public outreach because to the sequester cuts.
The list of programs suspended are as follows:
- Programs, events, and workshops.
- Permanent and traveling exhibits, signage, and other materials.
- Speeches, presentations, and appearances, with the exception of technical presentations by researchers at scientific and technical symposia.
- Video and multimedia products in development (and renewal of existing products).
- Web and social media sites in development (excludes operational sites).
- External and internal publications, with the exception of Scientific and Technical Information as defined by NPD 2200.1B.
- Any other activity whose goal is to reach out to external and internal stakeholders and the public concerning NASA, its programs, and activities.”
I am sure this list excludes the normal public relations press release operation. If so, it seems to make a great deal of sense to me. Most of this stuff is really unnecessary and has literally nothing to do with NASA’s primary goal of developing new technology for the exploration of space.
And if the cuts also include press releases, that won’t be much a disaster either. I am sure we can live without. It will just mean that science writers will have to do some digging to get their stories, rather than wait for NASA to tell them what’s important.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
NASA has suspended all spending for education and public outreach because to the sequester cuts.
The list of programs suspended are as follows:
- Programs, events, and workshops.
- Permanent and traveling exhibits, signage, and other materials.
- Speeches, presentations, and appearances, with the exception of technical presentations by researchers at scientific and technical symposia.
- Video and multimedia products in development (and renewal of existing products).
- Web and social media sites in development (excludes operational sites).
- External and internal publications, with the exception of Scientific and Technical Information as defined by NPD 2200.1B.
- Any other activity whose goal is to reach out to external and internal stakeholders and the public concerning NASA, its programs, and activities.”
I am sure this list excludes the normal public relations press release operation. If so, it seems to make a great deal of sense to me. Most of this stuff is really unnecessary and has literally nothing to do with NASA’s primary goal of developing new technology for the exploration of space.
And if the cuts also include press releases, that won’t be much a disaster either. I am sure we can live without. It will just mean that science writers will have to do some digging to get their stories, rather than wait for NASA to tell them what’s important.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Since the traveling exhibits are already on the road why not just let the next place that wants them come up with the cash to bring it to them?
You know, let private industry and donations support the project like everything else is done.
I am a little conflicted because some of this stuff is cool to watch but I don’t think they do a particularly good job at it overall.
It is telling that NASA chose to cut this part of their budget instead of Cross Agency Support, who’s budget is hovering just below $3b a year.
“Keith’s note: This is just insane. How much money will this actually save? NASA’s response to the sequestration is to go out of its way to not communicate with the outside world? Is any other agency doing this? ”
Oh up to $138m depending on how much they suspend.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2013/03/12/senate-offers-its-own-take-on-fy13-nasa-budget/
Ooh, the Muslims aren’t going to like that.
Actually this makes some kind of sense. I suspect of these traveling exhibits and presentations are aimed at telling audiences things like “In 2015 NASA will send a spacecraft to Mars … in 2018 NASA will …. in 2020 NASA …”
And now all those dates and missions are in shambles, and nobody knows if things are going to be patched up again later this year, or perhaps next year, or maybe not till long after Obama is out of office and the country feels prosperous again. What’s the point of telling children “Men will be at ML-L2 in 2021, and on Mars 2035!” when all those wonderful plans may be dead by December?