It's pretty tough to change the culture of an organization, and from what I can gather ESA's PR efforts are probably a direct function of the science team's willingness to release data for public consumption. I suspect that they (the science teams) feel that outreach is a diversion from their research efforts, which probably have very fixed budgets & thereby limited labor hours. Therefore, the pressure point is ESA senior management, since only they can directly influence the science teams; moreover, the managers are probably more aware of the importance of PR for acquiring & maintaining project funding.

I suggest starting an online petition on some site like this & delivering the results to the appropriate office at ESA. Numbers speak-loudly. If Emily or another TPS insider could also publicize the effort this could significantly increase the number of signatures.

FWIW, it would be entirely appropriate in my opinion to encourage non-European spaceflight enthusiasts to support this cause. The results of space exploration are a gift and a boon to all mankind, regardless of who's directly paying the bill.

I'm having a serious think about this one...I want to speak to some people, consider something a bit more proactive than a petition or mass emailing. I'll get back to you

Doug

Actually you can, and you should.

If you read through the science agreements on Huygens - agreements made with NASA and imposed upon all the instrument teams, there was a general embargo on the data until May or June of 2006. At this time a general release of all of the data was contractually required. It didn't happen. First it was announced the delay would be until July, Then August, then there was a partial release in September...then nothing.

NASA provided a great deal of support on this mission, and provides communication support on virtually all ESA missions, and this usually includes both periods and limits on data embargos. These should be respected - and they are contractually required.

My US representative is aware US scientists do not have access to the data that is promised in contractual agreements. This is a reasonable place to put pressure: Live up to the contracts.

Just for a bit of a laugh...

Because I registered with the ESA Press Office in Paris for the Rosetta event...I now recieve, typically two a week, printed copies of all their press releases, by post.

Now - ignoring the madness of not just emailing these things out, the cost alone must be astronomical, I've had four so far, postage to the UK from Paris, etc etc - couple of Euros probably. If they keep up this rate it'll be something like 40 Euros a year. Multiply that by the number of press they've probably got registered....you've got a new outreach position you could pay for.

All a bit old school really.

Doug

Old-school indeed, and perhaps very illuminating. Beginning to think that the ESA PR department consists of about three people (maybe) operating under policies & procedures that were developed circa 1981 or earlier...certainly not enough resources available to cope with the current mission tempo, apparently.

There's a headline. ESA Facing Astronomical Costs.

Oh - just to make it a bit more idiotic, in each case, I've opened it, read the first line, and thrown it away because I know I read the full text about 3, 4 days earlier on the web.

Doug

I work in the business and we actually snicker and ridicule when someone asks for a press release to be faxed these days.

Hey, Dan. This is probably way too broad a question, but how do you pros conduct marketing/public outreach? Any innovative methods that ESA could employ from your experience?

That's a whole college course.

I think for now ESA needs to recruit known "science" types or or famous intellectuals to write editorials and columns touting their efforts and successes. Maybe even well known Americans, like retired astronauts, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs -- people like that the public can connect with.

According to the page at http://pds-atmospheres.nmsu.edu/data_and_s...ns/Huygens.html
the data were delivered to PDS in July 2006 but PDS has not yet validated it. So it would seem that the delay may be due to PDS and not to the instrument teams or ESA.

Good idea, Dan. Sounds like Sir Patrick Moore might be the ideal spokesman. Based on what I've heard, he's an icon throughout most of Europe. Question is, how do you convince ESA that they need to enlist him (uh, and by the way, release some <clinking> images?)

Sorry...bit of frustration, there. ESA reminds me of Sandia or Livermore National Laboratories in many ways here in the US. They do some incredible work, and although much of it is highly classified that which isn't is rarely publicized anywhere near the degree that it should be. True, they really don't need a lot of PR to stay afloat due to their criticality...but ESA sure does, and they just don't get it.

My next door neighbor works for Livermore. (The 20-something kid commutes 2 hours each way!) He can't even tell me what department he works in.

http://pds-atmospheres.nmsu.edu/data_and_s...ygens/DISR.html

http://pds-atmospheres.nmsu.edu/data_and_s...uygens/SSP.html

Everything else is there - but these two remain MIA.

Personally - with a one-off dataset like Huygens, I don't moind a delay - but I do mind not being told when it will actually be available and what the problem is.

Doug

Again, I can't tell if the data have not been delivered to PDS or if they have been and the datasets are still stuck in the review process. In any event, DISR is a mostly-US experiment so blaming ESA for any lack of data release doesn't seem appropriate to me.