Nasa Project

The Public Relations of NASA

Westley Casey

Jacksonville State University

The Public Relations of NASA! 1

Table of Contents

Abstract 3

History 4

Birth 4

Early Years 4

Resistance 5

Apollo Program 6

Shuttle Program 8

Current 9

PR Strategy and Crisis Response 11

Media 14

Private Sector and the Future 15

References 16


Abstract

For ages, we have thought of reaching the heavens and exploring news worlds. Today,

the organization leading the way in this quest is the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration. For nearly 70 years, NASA has been on the forefront of space

exploration, technology development, engineering and propulsion breakthroughs, and

inspiring people all over the world to shoot for the moon – and beyond. Their journey

has not always been smooth and trouble-free. Tragedy, failure, close calls, and

condemnation have dotted its fascinating history. Public Affairs (NASAʼs public relations

department) has been responsible for interacting with media and getting NASAʼs

messages out to their publics and the general public at large. This work will study the

history of NASA, its media relations, public relations strategies, crisis responses, and

the challenges the administration faces for the future. Whether in the mist of a crisis or

its planned missions, NASAʼs public relations has helped shape the space industry and,

thus, the world.


History

Birth

" The history of NASA begins after World War II. President Eisenhower approved

the launch of a scientific satellite into Earth orbit in 1955 and for the continuation of the

Defense Departmentʼs efforts to advance jet and propulsion technology (Greene).

Tackling this feat was the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics along other

military programs. The Soviet Union, though, was hot on Americaʼs heels.

" In 1957, Russia launched the satellite, Sputnik. Many in America, especially

those in the government and military, were sent into panic-mode. No country had ever

sent an object into space before, thus, the implications for military use were frightening.

In response, the US Congress and President Eisenhower created the National

Aeronautic and Space Administration on October 1, 1958 to streamline research and

development of rocket and aeronautic technology (“Defining events” n.d.). With its

inception, NASA incorporated, according to its History Program Office,:

" three major research laboratories-Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, Ames !Aeronautical

! Laboratory, and Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory-and two smaller test facilities. It

! quickly incorporated other organizations into the new agency, notably the space science

! group of the Naval Research Laboratory in Maryland, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

! managed by the California Institute of Technology for the Army, and the Army Ballistic

! Missile Agency in Huntsville, Alabama, where Wernher von Braun's team of engineers

! were engaged in the development of large rockets (Garber & Launius, 2005)


Early years

" Only days later NASA conducted its first launch, Pioneer I. The Pioneer program

was intended for planetary exploration, but Pioneer 10 and 11 are remembered today

for leaving the Earthʼs orbit and venturing outside the solar system. The popular

Mercury missions in the early 1960s were largely responsible for determining how man

would fare in space (Garber & Launius, 2005). During these significant missions, Alan

Shepard (on Freedom 7) and John Glenn (on Friendship 7) became the first Americans

to enter space and to orbit Earth, respectively. With Russia making faster

advancements in space missions at this point, America was finally starting to catch up.

" 1962 was a pivital year, not only for NASA, but for communications. NASA

launched the Telstar satellite on July 10 1962 aboard Echo 1. This satellite carried the

first telephone and television from space. Designed by Bell Telephone Laboratories, this

feat set the foundation for modern wireless technology (Telstar, n.d.).

" Gemini continued the progress with a successful space walk by Edward White,

Jr. in 1965, the first by an American (Garber & Launius, 2005).

Resistance

" Some Americans, especially some in government, were not so pleased about

spending vast sums of money on something they thought might not yield substantial

returns. “How can the government justify giving millions of taxpayersʼ dollars to flight

projects when so many people are poor and hungry?” This was the question on so

many minds throughout the space program.

" For some, apathy was prevalent rather than distain. After the first missions of

Shepard and Glenn, some became disinterested in space exploration. When networks


interrupted the regular programming to cover a Gemini Launch, people called in to the

stations to complain about missing The Viginian or Batman (Makemson, 2009, p.108).

Othersʼ attitudes were ones of anger. The “Poor Peopleʼs Campaign,” created by the

Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was heavily opposed to sending people to

the moon. A SCLC leader, Hosea Williams said, “Why should we be worrying about

sending three men to the moon when here are [a mother and her children] dying of

starvation? If we can spend $100 a mile to send three men to the moon, canʼt we, for

Godʼs sake, feed our hungry?” (Makemson, 2009, p.182).

Apollo Program

" By 1966, NASA was preparing to enter into the moon-exploration phase. The

Mercury and Gemini projects had been leading up to an end goal of landing men on the

moon. In May, 1961, John F. Kennedy gave a landmark speech in which he declared: "I

believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out,

of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth" (Greene, n.d.). This

may have been responsible for the publicʼs outcry. Although, unknown to many

Americans, the Russians had already successfully sent an unmanned probe to the

moon in 1959 and made the first controlled lunar landing in 1966 (Cavendish, 2009),

slightly ahead of Americaʼs first unmanned landing. This only solidified NASAʼs

determination.

" Apollo 1 was to be the first in a series of important scientific endeavors. This

mission, however, collided with tragedy. During a routine test on the launch pad, a fire

broke out in the astronautsʼ capsule due to exposed wiring and the highly oxygenated


air. Some accounts give the cause of death as burning and others as smoke inhalation.

Nevertheless, the astronauts perished and NASA subsequently made several changes

to improve crew safety (Agencies, 2014).

" Apollo 7 returned Americans into space in 1968. Apollo 8, 9, and 10 were

manned missions to prepare the final steps and analyses for lunar landing. On July 20,

1969, two of the three-man crew of Apollo 11 touched down on the moonʼs surface. Neil

Armstrong made his giant leap for mankind onto the dusty soil, followed by Edwin

“Buzz” Aldrin. Samples were collected, pictures were taken, and a flag was placed as

the two men marveled at the scene and the experience. After 21 hours on the moon,

Aldrin and Armstrong rejoined orbiting crew member, Michael Collins, and returned to

Earth (Launius & Gibson, 2012).

" The world watched the events live at home on television. Stories are now abound

of people forgetting disputes between enemies and feeling a sense of pride and unity of

the human race. This project is largely credited for getting a generation interested in

science.

" Five more successful Apollo missions were carried out through the early 1970s,

with a multitude of tests and experiments undertaken. The lunar rover was introduced

on Apollo 15 – a longer, expedition-like mission (Launius & Gibson, 2012). The most

dramatic Apollo mission (other than, perhaps, Apollo 11) was Apollo 13. During the

journey to the moon, an oxygen tank exploded which presented a drastic problem.

NASA scientists and engineers formulated a plan to conserve the crewʼs oxygen supply

and sling-shot around the moon and back to Earth. The mission was technically a

failure, but the country rallied around the astronauts for making back safely.


" By 1973, the mission to the moon was over – or at least put on hold. NASA

embarked on other ventures such as Skylab and the Pioneer and Voyager probes which

sent back images and information from their journeys through the solar system and

beyond (Launius & Gibson, 2012).

Shuttle Program

" Throughout the 1970ʼs NASA experimented with idea of a reusable spacecraft

that could glide back to earth with no propulsion assistance. This project came to fruition

in 1981 with the birth of the Space Shuttle Program (Garber & Launius, 2005). The

Space Shuttle Columbia was the first to launch (A prototype, Enterprise, was the first to

be constructed for test purposes). The Space Shuttle Challenger was next to debut.

Among the crew was astronaut Sally Ride, who became the first female American in

space.

" Discovery and Atlantis were put into commission in 1984 and 1985, respectively.

NASA proceeded to perform many successful missions with satellites and research

craft, such as Spacelab, until disaster struck once again (National Geographic, n.d.).

Garber & Launius (2005) explain:

“On January 28, 1986 a leak in the joints of one of two Solid Rocket Boosters attached

to the Challenger orbiter caused the main liquid fuel tank to explode 73 seconds after

launch, killing all 7 crew members. The Shuttle program was grounded for over two

years, while NASA and its contractors worked to redesign the Solid Rocket Boosters and

implement management reforms to increase safety” (n.p.).


" The Space Shuttle Program enjoyed over decade of relatively smooth sailing with

its remaining three shuttles; a fourth was introduced in 1992 – Endeavor. Missions

included construction of the International Space Station and the launch of the Hubble

Telescope.

" The third major, and most recent, NASA disaster occurred in 2003 involving the

shuttle Columbia. Columbiaʼs research tasks on microgravity were completed and the

shuttle was able to reenter the atmosphere and prepare for landing. Due to damage

sustained from foam debris during take-off, the heat-resistant tiles failed and the ship

broke apart into fiery pieces, killing all seven members (Agencies, 2014; Launius &

Gibson, 2012).

" President George W. Bush announced the retirement of the shuttle program in

2004. The shuttle missions pressed on until 2011 when Atlantis flew the last shuttle

mission in July, 2011. Bush did, though, recommit our vision for space exploration. He

said, the “cause of exploration and discovery is not an option we choose; it is a desire

written in the human heart” (Launius & Gibson, 2012).

" Although, not part of the shuttle program, the Mars missions deserve notable

mention. NASA executed the most successful mission to Mars in 1997 up until that time

with the Mars Pathfinder. Previous expeditions had been undertaken in the past, but the

1997 mission (along with orbital data collection later that year) gave the world a host of

new Martian information (Missions to Mars, 2014). Subsequent Martian-lander missions

have added to our wonder and understanding of the Red Planet.


Current

" Mars, also, is in the sights of NASA for the future. Manned expeditions are still on

the agenda, though it has pushed back through the years. The administration is working

on a Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) and a heavy-lift rocket to take loads deeper

into space than manned missions have ever gone (National Geographic, n.d.).

" Orion is the most recent venture by NASA. It is a MPCV designed to take

payloads or crew members beyond low-earth orbit. The first Orion launch is due in one

day, at the time of this paperʼs completion. Although, designed to be paired with the

developing Space-Launch-System (SLS), it wonʼʼt actually fly upon one until 2018

(Dean, 2014).


PR Strategies and Crisis Response

" Public relations at NASA is a constant work in progress, just as at almost any

organizations. In the administrationʼs early years, the public relations (PR) function first

put to the test with the launch of the Soviet satellite, Sputnik. In what, by modern

standard, had seemed like the right PR move, NASA presented all of its (failed) satellite

information to the public. Ridicule and embarrassment befell NASA for not producing as

successful a satellite as the Soviets. Makemson explained the attitudes of many

Americans:

In a sampling of person-on-the-street opinions compiled by the New York Times, a

bartender said that Vanguard (a failed, televised rocket launch) “should have been kept

top secret. The rest of the world will think weʼre damn fools in view of what the Russians

have done.” A Wall Street stock Broker added, ʻI think the way the whole thing was

handled was very stupid. We should have kept our mouths shut, the way the Russians

did, until we got our missile aloft. A professional public relations representative noted,

“We put out a lot of advanced publicity, so this failure makes us look foolish. Had we kept

quiet until we made a successful launching, we would have inspired the

world” (Makemson, 2009, p.35).

This illustrates the difficulty from a PR perspective concerning issues which have

national and global political impact. NASA started to keep a tighter lid on things for

about a year (Makemson, 2009, p.50).

" During the Mercury program, it became increasingly apparent that the hushed

lips of NASA could not be maintained and keep a good relationship with the media and

the rest of its publics. Walter Bonney, a top public affairs official brought to NASA an


open-information environment. This honesty and a healthy relationship with a free press

was what separated America from the Russian, to whom everyone seemed to be

looking at as ahead in the so-called” space race” (Makemson, 2009, p.51). This strategy

was the basis for PR operations throughout Mercury and Gemini.

" The Apollo 1 tragedy found NASA officials in heated contention with the media.

After the deaths of three astronauts during a routine test, officials made many mistakes.

The most immediate mistake was taking to long to even acknowledge an accident had

happened. They reported “a fatality” instead of “three” or “multiple” giving the wrong

impression and false hope (Dalton, 2013). An audio tape tape which recorded the

events of Apollo 1 were also extremely damning as it contradicted what officials had

said in previous days (Makemson, 2009, p.137).

" The Apollo 13 crisis was handled very differently. Having learned from the

previous fiasco, NASA PR made timely statements, invited journalists into mission

control, and continued to keep open communication with the media and the public

(Dalton, 2013).

" Throughout the late 1960ʻs and 1970s astronauts appeared regularly in television

shows and magazine features, such as Life. Drumming up support was key NASA to

continue its missions and keep its funding up (OʼCallaghan, 2014).

" After Apollo, the public seemed to lose interest in space. Even with the creation

of the new space shuttle, enthusiasm was down. The Challenger explosion, once again,

prompted NASA to react quickly and honestly. Public favor with NASA wavered, but

eventually restored after the administration took almost three years off to improve safety

standards (Launius & Gibson, 2012).


" The 2003 tragedy involving Columbia was handled relatively well by NASA. If

nothing else, NASA conducts thorough investigations and testing to determine causes

of mishaps. In respect to the Columbia crisis, a case study by Emily Schult concludes

that NASA was responsible and cooperated expertly with the media (2006, p.55). and

CNN correspondent, John Zarrella asked, “Would there have been more national

support for the shuttle program, for NASA, and would there have been more public

outcry about the end of the shuttle program if NASA had done a better job promoting

itself? I donʼt know the answer to that, but itʼs worth asking.”


Media

" The history of NASA/media relations has a few low spots of note. One significant

dispute was between ABC and the administration in 1965 and 1966. ABC claimed

NASA was withholding too much information about its Gemini project. A sour personal

relationship between ABCʼs president and one or several NASA officials may have been

a factor (Cressman, 2007, p.133).

" CBSʼs Walter Cronkite was especially fond of NASA and the space program and

had no qualms about showing it on air. He often made it a point to show models and

demonstrations of various technology and spacecraft (Makemson, 2009, p.189-90).

" During the shuttle era, the press seemed to lose some of the interest it had in

NASA in the 1960s and 1970s. In fact when Challenger exploded, CNN was the only

channel to cover it as it happened (Stelter, 2011). Despite the surge of coverage

afterwards, coverage waned throughout the 1990s. The news rooms were convinced

the space program was stagnant and that NASA was not doing a good job of promoting

itself (Stelter, 2011).

" It does seem, however, that Nasa is pushing its new Orion project with strength.

Demonstrations, NASA-hosted media days, and increased coverage are more common

today (Media Day . . . 2014). Perhaps it is only the start of something new and novel

with another coverage decline in the future.


Private Sector and the Future

" The researcher assumed going into this study, that NASA and the private space

industry were at odd and were competing for the lone spot in space and major

propulsion. This does not seem to be the case. NASA has always relied on the private

industrial sector. Since the retirement of the space shuttle, NASA has not had much a a

choice but to contract companiesʼ rockets to ferry their equipment into orbit. Although, if

government funding were larger, NASA could once again monopolize the space industry

in America. (Crane, 2014).

" As for the future, Mars is next on NASAʼs radar. Another moon landing has been

proposed as a stepping stone to the Red Planet. The Orion mission just might

revolutionize the way human beings travel in outer space.

" Neil DeGrasse Tyson sums up the spirit of the cosmic perspective – that is, the

vision of unity that NASA and all others who wish explore the universe have – and

shares the common desire for discovery: “The cosmic perspective not only embraces

our genetic kinship with all life on Earth but also values are chemical kinship with any

yet-to-be-discovered life in the universe, as well as our atomic kinship with the universe

itself” (Tyson, 2012, p.260).


References

Greene, N. (n.d.). History of National Aeronautic and Space Administration.

" Retrieved from http://space.about.com/cs/history/a/nasahistorya.htm

Garber, S. & Launius, R. (2005, July 25). A brief history of NASA. NASA History

! Program Office. Retrieved from: http://history.nasa.gov/factsheet.htm

Launius, R., Fries, C.,& Gibson, A. (2012, Jan. 3). Defining events in NASA history,

" 1958-2006. Retrieved from: http://history.nasa.gov/Defining-chron.htm

Agencies (2014, Oct. 29). Five worst accidents in NASAʼs history. The Telegraph.

! Retrieved from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/11194485/Five-

" worst-accidents-in-Nasas-history.html

Stelter, B. (2011, July 8). A demonstration of science seemingly made for TV. The New

! York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/us/

" 09coverage.html? _r=1&

National Geographic (n.d.). Space Shuttle Program: Cosmic commuters. National

! Geographic. Retrieved from: http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/

" space/space-exploration/space-shuttle-program/

Telstar (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica online. Retrieved from: http://

" www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/586427/Telstar

Cavendish, R. (2009). The Soviet Union is first to the moon. History Today, 59 (9).

! Retrieved from:http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/soviet-union-first-

" moon

Missions to Mars (2014). The Planetary Society. Retrieved from: http://

" www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/space-missions/missions-to-mars.html


http://space.about.com/cs/history/a/nasahistorya.htm

http://space.about.com/cs/history/a/nasahistorya.htm

http://history.nasa.gov/factsheet.htm

http://history.nasa.gov/factsheet.htm

http://history.nasa.gov/Defining-chron.htm

http://history.nasa.gov/Defining-chron.htm

Dean, J. (2014, Dec. 4). NASA scrubs Orion launch after multiple delays. USA Today

! online. Retrieved from: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/12/04/nasa-

" orion-test-launch/19879129/

Makemson, H. (2009). Media, NASA, and Americaʼs quest with the moon. New York,

" NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.

Dalton, D. (2013, July 3). Actually, it is rocket science: NASAʼs professional crisis

" management. MP Star Financial. Retrieved from: http://www.mpstarfinancial.com/

" small-business-blog/actually-it-is-rocket-science-nasas-professional-crisis-

" management/

OʼCallaghan, J. (2014, April 24).Nasa's Mad Men: How the agency sold the Apollo

" missions to the public and inspired a golden age of space exploration. The Daily

! Mail Online. Retrieved from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/

" article-2612074/Nasas-Mad-Men-How-agency-sold-Apollo-missions-thr-public-

" inspired-golden-age-space-exploration.html

Schult, E. (2006). Itʼs not rocket science: NASAʼs crisis communication efforts as a

" public sector organization following the Columbia shuttle disaster. Thesis.

" Retrieved from: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-06042008-133647/

" unrestricted/ Schult_thesis.pdf

Cressman, D. (2007). Fighting for Access: ABC's 1965-66 Feud with NASA. American

! Journalism, 24 (3), 133-51.

Media day at Johnson to explore NASA's journey to Mars. (2014, Nov. 7). PR Newswire.

" Retrieved from: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/media-day-at-

" johnson-to-explore-nasas-journey-to-mars-281973411.html


Crane, R. (2014, Oct. 29). Will rocket's 'catastrophic failure' set back the private space

" industry? CNN. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/29/us/rocket-

" explosion-private-industry-effect/

Tyson, N. D. (2012). Space Chronicles. New York, NY: Avis Lang.


Nasa Project

Documents

Transcript of Nasa Project