|
Schierholz said the public generally has a strong positive reaction to NASA, but is unfamiliar with a lot of its work. That is particularly true at Langley. Among other things, the center's research has resulted in wing design that allows airplanes to use less fuel. It's currently testing whether a craft designed to send astronauts into deep space can survive falling into the Pacific Ocean. The work is important, but it rarely generates public excitement. "We really do live in a visual society and people want to be able to see things," said Rob Wyman, Langley's news chief. "One of our challenges here is that there's a sort of latency to the work that we do here. There's a very deliberative process that research follows that tends to take a lot more time." Illustrating the center's lack of fame, one participant at last week's tweetup from Maine was late because he thought the center was across the state in Langley, Va., the same place that's home to the CIA. It's a common mistake. Even for those who live near one, opportunities to visit a NASA facility are limited. "It's a good chance to actually see Langley. Just dropping in is one of those things you don't do much," said Langley tweetup participant Matthew Francis of Richmond. "This kind of thing is very cool." Those who followed along with tweetup participants could watch Langley test the Orion space capsule
-- what NASA plans to send astronauts to Mars in -- and also found out that the center is working on a new air traffic control system, among other things. Those are exactly the kind of tweets the center's research director was hoping for. "I often am told that we within Langley don't do a good job of telling the world all the great things we do, so maybe you can do that for us today," Charles Harris told the group. ___ Online: NASA social media accounts:
http://www.nasa.gov/connect/
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2011 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor