"A camera would be nothing be(sic) PR."
A. Does anyone remember the oxygen consumption of Apollo 14? What is the current main data transmission rate of Voyager 1? Can anyone imagine the shape of dust storms on Mars?
B. Does anyone remember Neil Armstrong climbing down the ladder onto the Moon? Have you ever witnessed a total solar eclipse? Have you ever witnessed a launch of the space shuttle?
Which excites you the most, A or B? PR is everything. Unfortunately scientists and engineers don’t really understand that. Science does not speak for itself. If the JWST didn’t have cameras, then put them on. Figure it out; it’s NASA. Hire an advertising firm. They did it for Apollo 11 which also didn’t need the additional complexity.
And this is what Musk, Bezos and Branson understand. This is why the Millau Viaduct is widely known as having been built by Norman Foster. This is why was Trump, and why he could serve another two terms.
I respectfully yet forcefully suggest that all science and engineering courses should include marketing components. Otherwise we’re all going to end up like Nebraska.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
