Comicpalooza Brings the Drama, Moon Plans to Sci-Fi Crowd
by Catherine Ragin Williams | 2019-05-17
A convention centered around science fiction, anime, gaming, comics and pop culture was not only a natural fit for geeks (and we mean that in the best way)—it was also the perfect venue for NASA.
From May 10 to 11, representatives from NASA’s Johnson Space Center convened at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston to celebrate sci-fi and share the agency’s Moon to Mars vision with attendees, many of them suitably costumed for such missions, at this year’s Comicpalooza. More than 50,000 people visited to take in the sights and hear from their favorite celebrities.
NASA offered up its own celebrities for the weekend: astronauts Stan Love and Serena Auñón-Chancellor, both who signed autographs and engaged with Comicpalooza guests. Auñón-Chancellor joined actress Gates McFadden for one of NASA’s panel sessions. McFadden, who is best known for playing Dr. Beverly Crusher in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” television series and in the four subsequent films, added some star power to the discussion.
In addition to the well-attended panels, NASA’s exhibit space attracted visitors and media attention alike. Some of the visuals that created a memorable backdrop for an abundance of photo opportunities included a real Apollo moon rock, spacesuit display, Space Exploration Vehicle, Space Launch System and Orion capsule models, and other high-impact graphics like a lunar panorama. Boeing hosted a virtual reality activity that swept participants up into the excitement of human space exploration, putting them in the middle of the (virtual) action.
If you happened to be one of the few not in attendance this year, you might have seen Johnson’s influence in the media, like on KHOU’s morning show, or through social media. NASA’s presence at the convention drew nearly 10,000 likes on Facebook and Instagram, and tens of thousands of views on all the major platforms: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Enjoy more images from the event, below.
