Florida Today published an article Wednesday describing last month’s Moon-Mars Blitz on Capitol Hill. The article is mostly a straightforward account of the lobbying efforts of private citizens, and the uphill battle they face to get funding for the Vision for Space Exploration. However, the article does have a goofy headline, “Space junkies push Congress”: it makes the participants seem a little like oddballs. It doesn’t help that two of the participants profiled are a husband and wife whose wedding had a “space theme”. The danger here is that space advocates may get marginalized, perceived as a fringe group not representative of a wider section of the American public.
The best quote from the article, though, comes from young Jake Hicks of Alabama, who believes that at least the Congressmen from his state will come around to support the plan. “If they are from Alabama, they sure like them votes.”
I notice during the Aldridge commission hearings a few of the Mars Society go a bit over the top. They need to focus their message for the audience. In general I think headlines have wondered a bit from true journalistic quality into the realm of the World News headlines. I think with general elevated support that we will slowly move in the right direction. As much as some of you dislike O’Keefe, I fear that anyone that replaces him will not get us out of low earth orbit for several decades but my fears my be unfounded.
I was partnered with the Andreas’s on Tuesday morning – they’re very nice, but they are Mars Society people, so don’t quite have the passion for private space activities that the NSS side did.
The space advocacy community faces the same problems as anti-war groups. If you go to a congressman with dreadlocks, sandals, tiny-framed circular glasses and off the wall sensibilities, which will hinder any valid arguments you might have. Similarly, if your license plate is MSTRYODA and you have a space themed wedding, you look like a kook, not a concerned, informed citizen.
To have any impact, you have to first speak their language and appear to be something like the general public. Keep things “down to Earth” so to speak. Wearing a t-shirt with a picture of the galaxy with the text “You are here” will get you as much credit as if it had a picture of a leaf with “legalize it”.
I’m not saying the Moon/Mars blitz people were like that but we would do well to keep this in mind.
The space advocacy community faces the same problems as anti-war groups. If you go to a congressman with dreadlocks, sandals, tiny-framed circular glasses and off the wall sensibilities, which will hinder any valid arguments you might have. Similarly, if your license plate is MSTRYODA and you have a space themed wedding, you look like a kook, not a concerned, informed citizen.
To have any impact, you have to first speak their language and appear to be something like the general public. Keep things “down to Earth” so to speak. Wearing a t-shirt with a picture of the galaxy with the text “You are here” will get you as much credit as if it had a picture of a leaf with “legalize it”.
I’m not saying the Moon/Mars blitz people were like that but we would do well to keep this in mind.
whoops, posted twice. Three times if you count this.
Well, everybody there was very nicely dressed – no t-shirts, no dreadlocks and sandals. You can see the participants in these photos:
http://www.nss.org/images/MMB04/
In particular in this big one:
http://www.nss.org/images/MMB04/participants.jpg
The Andreas’s (with the space-themed wedding) are in the front row – she’s the right-most of the 3 women in a row, and he’s next to her with the blue shirt and patterned tie. 2 more to the right is Bob Zubrin, and in front of him (leaning forward) is Jake Hicks, also mentioned in the article.
Seems like a respectable looking bunch of folks to me.
I don’t know what all the hullabaloo is about. The journalist got a little provocative in their writing, such as using loaded terms like junkie. Big deal. I learned long ago to be very, very careful about what’s said to journalists. I’ve sometimes wondered if they’ve been at the same event I was, or if the person they’ve claimed to have interviewed was actually me.
What’s wrong with a “space-themed” wedding? Seems a lot more mainstream than say a Wiccan wedding, or a Druid wedding, or doing silly things like jumping over broomsticks.
Seems to me that the space community should be rallying in support of these folks, yet all they get is grief. Or as my Pa used to say, “No good deed goes unpunished”.
Loretta and I signed up Mr. Andreas to the NSS back at the ISDC, so you could say he is mainstreaming. LOL
NSS-NT is actually looking forward to working with the local Mars Society chapter, of which the Andreases are officers, as well as other local space-themed organizations. We’re working the educational outreach angle and we need all the help we can get.
Taking space to the people. Reminding them of how important technology and energy are to our culture and civilization. Encouraging greater knowledge of engineering and science to maintain our future edge. Advocating a return to the Moon and on to the asteroids to secure a supply base of strategic materials for our nation. On to Mars to do whatever exactly it is that the Marsophiles want to do.