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Flagging because overly-harsh armchair criticism towards a piece of the world's most advanced precision engineering operating in deep space that isn't really ev

Flagging because overly-harsh armchair criticism towards a piece of the world's most advanced precision engineering operating in deep space that isn't really even fully operational yet. President of the world's most powerful country at least coming out to talk about it. Only really one image to release because said device is brand spanking new. What exactly do you want? Kanye West and a load of confetti?

anigbrowl 4y ago
The telescope is great. The presentation was a joke. I waited an hour, went to the kitchen for a couple minutes, came back to find it had just ended and couldn't be replayed. Found a direct link to the science page myself. Ever wonder why lots of people don't give a hoot about science funding? This is why, you promise them something important and exceptional and then deliver a low quality product. Again, I refer to the streaming event, not the telescope/science team.
- gizajob 4y ago
  And yet, oh look, the images online for instant access, forever, without having to leave the kitchen.
  - anigbrowl 4y ago
    I knew to look for that because I'm a nerd, as are most people here. I'm talking about the impression this makes on those who are not predisposed to be interested. Those people vote too, and when NASA delivers the sort of experience stereotypically associated with the DMV it influences their outlook.
Osmium 4y ago
In fairness, some of the criticism isn't armchair: some of us work in science, may know what good science communication can look like, and can then be fairly critical of what is a wonderful opportunity for effective communication with a large audience being mishandled. These opportunities do not come every day, so it's important to make the most of them. I imagine the NASA conference tomorrow may give more clarity, e.g. perhaps today's announcement was a last-minute press op that wasn't sufficiently planned? Maybe the full NASA briefing will be better. With that said, I think it's fair to keep this discussion separate so as not to overshadow the very real and tremendous accomplishment we're witnessing today. Obviously the manner of the announcement is insignificant compared to the result itself, and I hope everyone involved is very rightly proud.
- yupper32 4y ago
  > Obviously the manner of the announcement is insignificant compared to the result itself Not really, I'd argue it's just as important. Without solid PR for current projects, future projects get less funding.

anigbrowl 4y ago

The telescope is great. The presentation was a joke. I waited an hour, went to the kitchen for a couple minutes, came back to find it had just ended and couldn't be replayed. Found a direct link to the science page myself. Ever wonder why lots of people don't give a hoot about science funding? This is why, you promise them something important and exceptional and then deliver a low quality product. Again, I refer to the streaming event, not the telescope/science team.

gizajob 4y ago
And yet, oh look, the images online for instant access, forever, without having to leave the kitchen.
- anigbrowl 4y ago
  I knew to look for that because I'm a nerd, as are most people here. I'm talking about the impression this makes on those who are not predisposed to be interested. Those people vote too, and when NASA delivers the sort of experience stereotypically associated with the DMV it influences their outlook.

Osmium 4y ago

In fairness, some of the criticism isn't armchair: some of us work in science, may know what good science communication can look like, and can then be fairly critical of what is a wonderful opportunity for effective communication with a large audience being mishandled. These opportunities do not come every day, so it's important to make the most of them. I imagine the NASA conference tomorrow may give more clarity, e.g. perhaps today's announcement was a last-minute press op that wasn't sufficiently planned? Maybe the full NASA briefing will be better. With that said, I think it's fair to keep this discussion separate so as not to overshadow the very real and tremendous accomplishment we're witnessing today. Obviously the manner of the announcement is insignificant compared to the result itself, and I hope everyone involved is very rightly proud.

yupper32 4y ago
> Obviously the manner of the announcement is insignificant compared to the result itself Not really, I'd argue it's just as important. Without solid PR for current projects, future projects get less funding.