dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaChallenges in Affecting U.S. Attitudes Towards Space Science
| Authors | Howard A. Smith |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0008224 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0008224 |
Abstract
Space Science enjoys broad public support in the US. People say they follow developments with interest, and that the programs are worth their cost. This attitude seems to arise in part because of the intrinsic accessibility and appeal of the subject matter. Yet at the same time the public is often disturbingly ignorant about basic facts. In this article I summarize recent survey results, including attitudes towards basic research, and also consider some of the criticisms of the polling methods. I argue that the results imply vigorous and innovative education and outreach programs can and should be made even more effective -- but that the consequences of success for Space Science research itself are not obvious. I outline two popular education programs which address some of the new challenges facing Space Science outreach.
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"abstract": "Space Science enjoys broad public support in the US. People say they follow\ndevelopments with interest, and that the programs are worth their cost. This\nattitude seems to arise in part because of the intrinsic accessibility and\nappeal of the subject matter. Yet at the same time the public is often\ndisturbingly ignorant about basic facts. In this article I summarize recent\nsurvey results, including attitudes towards basic research, and also consider\nsome of the criticisms of the polling methods. I argue that the results imply\nvigorous and innovative education and outreach programs can and should be made\neven more effective -- but that the consequences of success for Space Science\nresearch itself are not obvious. I outline two popular education programs which\naddress some of the new challenges facing Space Science outreach.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0008224",
"authors": [
"Howard A. Smith"
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"title": "Challenges in Affecting U.S. Attitudes Towards Space Science",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0008224"
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