Space Outreach: Communicating with the Public

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Space Outreach Communicating with the Public

• Alex James Oli Wheeler
• 6th December 2007

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Index

• Space public perceptions
• Really dull things
• So what about space?
• Media opportunities
• Commercial opportunities
• Online opportunities
• Relevance to everybody
• Whats in our favour
• What we can look forward to

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Space exploration - popular perceptions

• Er, I know that we went to the moon once
• The Space Shuttle goes to the space station
• The Mars Beagle thing didnt really work out
• Theres a rumour we might go to Mars one day
• Isnt Branson doing something?

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Isnt it time we moved on?
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Really dull things

• Even REALLY dull things can be made interesting

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?
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So what about space?
Media
Content
Consumers
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Media opportunities

• Science and space related features

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Commercial opportunities
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Online opportunities

• Websites that bring space closer to us
• eg www.heavens-above.com
• When to look up at the sky to see the space
  station
• Forecasting of iridium flares, visible to naked
  eye
• Pictures and maps of the stars above your house
• More stars in the sky than flowers on the earth
  

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Makes telling the time by the sun rather dated ...
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Relevance to all of us

• Google Earth phenomenon
• Banking and finance - instant global data
• GPS and trackers on cars, planes, boats
• Communications broadcasting, internet mobiles
• Crisis and disaster management

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Whats in our favour?

• Technology/innovation
• Content is becoming more interesting
• Private investment
• Pressure on projects to raise money
• Space tourism
• Todays Appleton Lecture from Will Whitehorn

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What can we look forward to?

• Mars exploration and coronal mass expulsions

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Space Outreach Communicating with the Public

• Alex James Oli Wheeler
• 6th December 2007