Lobbying

Watch out, @whitehouse: tweeps want to #saveNASA

It seems some NASA supporters took the news about a potential across-the-board budget cut in FY2011 (which may or may not happen, and may or may not include NASA) pretty hard: on the microblogging service Twitter, the news generated a flurry of tweets in the last day or so, all tagged with the search term “#saveNASA”. While it’s not clear just in how much jeopardy NASA’s budget is, it hasn’t stopped people from rallying that something needs to be done to, well, save NASA.

What that something is isn’t clear: most of the tweets are actually “retweeting” other posts, most of which cite the technological spinoffs created by NASA (good if you’re trying to justify technology development, not as effective if you’re trying to save human spaceflight). An example: “If you don’t think we should #SaveNASA, please throw away ur pacemaker, dialysis machine, cancer detection technology, cell phone, etc. Thx!” Then there are the electoral threats: “Dear Obama. I voted for you. I in fact managed to get my whole family to vote for you (amazing!) Now is your time to keep my vote. #SaveNASA”

What these “space tweeps” plan to do to convince the White House to save NASA isn’t clear yet. One person has created a social networking site whose stated goal is to “convince the Obama Administration to maintain NASA’s funding” (wait, what about that $3-billion-a-year increase space advocates had been supporting?), but other than that there’s no focus, nor any reason why this should exist rather than joining existing groups and efforts. Perhaps the plan is to inundate the White House with pro-NASA tweets: after all, @BarackObama is big on Twitter. (What’s that, you say, President Obama says he’s never used Twitter? Time for a #planB.)

7 comments to Watch out, @whitehouse: tweeps want to #saveNASA

  • Robert G. Oler

    Dear Barrack. If we dont go back to the Moon the right wing will implode…Obama girl

    (sorry couldnt resist)

    Robert G. oler

  • I enjoy reading SpacePolitics.com and was pleasantly surprised to see a post about us already. Thanks for taking notice. However, I wish you had reached out to me before publishing your post so you could get the whole story. After all, the site’s only been up for ONE day and we are clarifying our Mission Statement and working on content.

    Easiest way to reach me is via Twitter (@SaveNASA or @NealWiser), or sign up ans send me a message. I’d be happy to talk with you.

    Thanks,
    Neal Wiser

  • Jeff Foust

    Neal,

    I’m sorry that you felt that you had something more to say that wasn’t communicated on the site. (I did look around and didn’t see any contact info beyond a @SaveNASA Twitter account; it’s useful to have an email address and/or phone number for those communications that can’t be condensed into 140 characters!) Moreover, with a social media movement like this, I’d assume that you would be transparent and put “the whole story” out there for anyone who comes across the site. What am I (and other folks) missing?

    (PS: yes, I’m on Twitter, too: @jeff_foust.)

  • Nasa should be dumped. it has one function and one function only and that is the weaponization of space and the proliferation of microwave and scalar weapons as well as facilitating the hundreds of weather modification programs that are used to destabilize regions around the world and manipulate weather to put small farmers out of business. Nasa has virtually no benevolent function left. the launching of the worthless space shuttle has been responsible for a 10% loss of the ozone layer. any fans of nasa are not aware of what it has sunk to.

  • also, nasa monitors chemtrails that are used to manipulate weather and to test biological weapons on populations. check out their skool programs that now have kids counting and monitoring chemtrails while they invoke mind control by teaching kids that they are real clouds. NASA sucks

  • Major Tom

    “Nasa… has one function and one function only”

    It does? Then why do you list four functions in the same post?

    Can’t you count?

    “and that is the weaponization of space”

    Evidence?

    “and the proliferation of microwave”

    Evidence?

    “and scalar weapons”

    You’re kidding. Tesla weapons?

    http://www.angelfire.com/oz/cv/scalarweapons.html

    Someone’s been reading way too much scifi and conspiracy theory garbage.

    “as well as facilitating the hundreds of weather modification programs that are used to destabilize regions around the world and manipulate weather to put small farmers out of business.”

    Evidence?

    “the launching of the worthless space shuttle has been responsible for a 10% loss of the ozone layer.”

    We’ve known since at least 2003 that the rate of depletion of the ozone layer has been slowing down and that ozone levels probably stabilized in 2005.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_layer
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_depletion

    “nasa monitors chemtrails that are used to manipulate weather and to test biological weapons on populations. check out their skool programs that now have kids counting and monitoring chemtrails while they invoke mind control by teaching kids that they are real clouds.”

    Another conspiracy theory?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail_conspiracy_theory

    Please, take your meds and put the tin foil hat down.

    Lawdy…

  • […] are affiliated with a group at ERAU called Save NASA”, which appears to be separate from the “#saveNASA” meme that swept through Twitter in November but has since appeared to die […]

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