STS-125 will be the forth and last Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Hubble has been able to catch the attention of the general public as the space asset which brings the universe into focus and in times when every last Shuttle mission is needed to complete the Station it was decided to keep Hubble moving forward. While these decisions have been politically heated there still may be some ambivalence and ignorance with respect to the general public. So, how do we get people fired up about this mission? this question was posed to the Next Generation Exploration Conference and they came up with a brand: iHubble. So, goodbye NASA nouns of Hubble, Shuttle, and Station, and hello to verbs like iHubble!
To contribute, please join the brainstorming.
February 19th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Can we turn the control of the hubble over to the general public for certain time periods? Can iHubble my local neighborhood or the Rose Bowl’s Olympic-sixed swimming pools?
February 21st, 2008 at 3:37 am
I really think that to get the public motivated, NASA needs to embrace the idea of winning or receiving a “piece of Hubble” where the public can get the chance to own something expendable that comes off STS-125 post-flight (preferably from the telescope itself). Or partner with a another group to fly something collectible (like they did twice with the USPS). At one time in its history, NASA understood how great a public motivator flown-in-space stuff was; not so much now (or at least not outside its own workforce).
February 21st, 2008 at 2:41 pm
I really like the idea of a SFA for the public in which they can provide a tangible item for people. It would be even better if they were able to do a “design contest” in which the public was able to participate in the decision/design for the commemorative item.
February 24th, 2008 at 4:42 am
I’m eagerly awaiting my “space flow” alcohol. You know how much people would pay to drink stuff from space. Heck, even the sweat turned water would be worth quite a few bucks to collectors!
February 27th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Alan, your wait is over, but you’ll need make a left at Albuquerque to taste it.
http://www.microgravityenterprises.com/CometsTail.htm
February 27th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
I wonder how they are doing as a business…