USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO INCREASE THE PROFILE OF SPACE MISSIONS

摘要

Social media offers unique opportunities to reach and engage new audiences with space missions. This paper explores some of the most successful uses of social media to promote space activities ranging from robotic missions and satellites, to individual astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It explores what makes them work and which audiences they are reaching. The changing media landscape means that a growing number of people, especially young people, rely on their social media networks for news. That fact, coupled with the lack of mainstream media attention for "everyday" space activities, such as life on the space station, means that relying solely on traditional news outlets to get messages out to the public is no longer enough. In order to react to this change, space agencies must evolve their press activities to ensure that they continue to reach the largest number of people. Social media requires a different skillset, more in line with public outreach than a formal press statements and space organisations need to understand the nuances of the digital landscape in order to best get their messages across. There is a lot at stake when you have people representing your brand in real time, so this paper also discusses the need to ensure sufficient training and support is given to staff who are at the frontline responding to comments from the public. The paper focuses on four different social media case studies - NASA's Mars rovers, in particular the Mars Science Laboratory, astronauts on the ISS. (looking at the successes of Chris Hadfield), ESA's Rosetta mission, and in-person social media events such as NASA Social and ESA's Social Space. It will conclude with some points to be considered when planning social media campaigns.