{"id":18251,"date":"2010-05-18T19:13:43","date_gmt":"2010-05-18T19:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/euvolution.com\/futurist-transhuman-news-blog\/how-to-make-nasa-cool-again\/"},"modified":"2010-05-18T19:13:43","modified_gmt":"2010-05-18T19:13:43","slug":"how-to-make-nasa-cool-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.euvolution.com\/futurist-transhuman-news-blog\/nasa\/how-to-make-nasa-cool-again.php","title":{"rendered":"How to Make NASA Cool (Again)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhat do you want to be when you grow up?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I was growing up, asking a classroom full of kids that question almost always included the answer \u201cI want to be an astronaut!\u201d\u00a0 Space was cool. Space was something new, innovative and entrepreneurial. Inspiration was clearly NASA\u2019s main value proposition.<\/p>\n

Compare that with today.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

What inspires tomorrow\u2019s explorers, engineers and business leaders? From my personal experience, it has less and less to do with NASA, and more and more to do with other, well let\u2019s just say \u201ccooler\u201d things.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow\u2019s leaders want to work for the \u201ccool\u201d company. They want to work for the next Google. The one that is open to new ideas. And so I wonder, how do we make NASA cool again? How do we use our space program as a catalyst to pass along that innovative, entrepreneurial, American spirit that got us to the moon in less than 10 years and launched a generation of innovators? Or better yet, how do we communicate all the cool things NASA is actually doing? Because, whether you know it or not, NASA does some amazing things!<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s simple.\u00a0Let them participate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think about it. Isn\u2019t going to space so much cooler when you get to actually go?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that lunar rover so much better when you actually get to build it and then drive it?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that classroom outreach visit by the astronaut so much more relevant when they answer your question and then ask you one?<\/p>\n

People want to be personally engaged. People want to see how they fit into the big picture. People, of all ages, want to be inspired. So that\u2019s our challenge. We call it\u201cparticipatory exploration\u201d<\/a> – creating a government agency that engages the American public in its mission and inspires the next generation of explorers, no matter what they want to be when they grow up.<\/p>\n

How do people participate in what you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are in an organization, with a great product, that is having a tough time convincing your customers of your value proposition, you are not alone.\u00a0I challenge you to think about how you can create a platform for participation in your organization. Don\u2019t settle for mediocrity by just exposing people to or educating them about your product, collaborate with them to make it better.<\/p>\n

If you want to attract the best and the brightest, open up your doors to new ideas and use participatory initiatives to attract the best and brightest earlier by allowing them to participate in your company.<\/p>\n

At NASA, we know that business models are not eternal and we\u2019re challenging the way we\u2019ve always done things by working to make participatory exploration a core part of our business model. Whether NASA is designing the next exploration missions, using social networks to allow students to interact directly with astronauts living in space or creating a cutting edge Cloud Computing Platform to give the public unprecedented access to scientific data, NASA is engaging the American public in its mission.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t mention a few of the successful initiatives that are leading the way at NASA:<\/p>\n