October Recap | Out of this World

Featuring:

Stephanie Schierholz

NASA Press Secretary

and her presentation

“Out of this World:

Telling the Story

of Space Exploration”

Meatball or Worm?

Regardless of which logo you envision on that astronaut training program acceptance letter you are still waiting on, most star-gazers would agree that the US space program’s special place within the American identity, the global consciousness and human existence is one of great importance. Though we may not always think of it when we look to the stars, we can’t help but acknowledge the role that NASA, and the images borne from its 58-year mission, have played in our understanding of the universe.

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower established this independent agency of the executive branch of the federal government in 1958, he and the agency’s supporters likely fathomed how its “distinctly civilian (rather than military) orientation encouraging peaceful applications in space science” would shape space exploration and fuel our collective fascination with the unknown and undiscovered.

Helping shape the public’s understanding of the agency and fulfilling its mission to “provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof,” Stephanie Schierholz outlined some of the strategies and tactics she uses, as well as some of the lessons she’s learned, as an early adopter and leader of social media for public relations, content distribution, and audience engagement & mobilization for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Review the slides of Stephanie’s presentation, here: