Destination Station beguiles sea-loving Boston with space—and space station
2015-07-27
Though Bostonians may be better known for New England clam chowder and seafood, the culture-heavy city demonstrated that it’s equally interested in space—not just the sea—when Destination Station (DS) made a stop from July 7 to 11. Intent on sharing International Space Station (ISS) benefits for humanity and garnering additional research interest for the orbiting laboratory, this outreach campaign included a sprinkle of spacesuits and the star power of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to reach an even wider audience.
The first day of DS Boston marked the opening of the ISS Research & Development (R&D) Conference, which had more than 500 attendees in person and many more online. New connections were made with potential partners to host experiments aboard the space station and expand the platform’s scientific studies.
Unique to this DS was the fireside chat with Musk, famed entrepreneur and one of NASA’s commercial partners, along with ISS Program Manager Mike Suffredini. The two powerhouse leaders discussed the benefits of station as a National Lab, as well as pushing technology and innovation further than ever before.
The rest of the day included technical breakout sessions and an award ceremony attended by the governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, who seconded Suffredini and Musk’s drive for innovation.
While the ISS R&D Conference was underway, the Driven to Explore (DTE) mobile exhibit was at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. More than 1,000 people stopped by the exhibit within five hours, getting new information about the investigations taking place in space that are benefiting us on Earth.
Day 2 of DS included more panel discussions and networking opportunities at the ISS R&D Conference. At the end of the day, more connections were cemented at a social event put on by NASA’s partner, Orbital ATK.
Astronauts Suni Williams and Cady Coleman made waves through the media. Both were interviewed by “Greater Boston,” a popular TV program, and met with former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee. Suffredini also spread the word about space station as he participated in an interview for the “Talking Space” podcast.
Public outreach abounded again for visitors at the DTE, which brought in nearly 2,000 eager to learn more about the laboratory in low-Earth orbit. Despite some inclement weather, there was a steady crowd throughout the day. Many were entertained by spacesuit engineer Su Curley, who worked tirelessly to give people a firsthand look at a spacesuit.
The final day of the ISS R&D conference closed July 9 with another influx of about 300 attendees. Astronauts Karen Nyberg and Williams continued sharing with audiences about the realities of living and working in space.
Over at the New England Aquarium, about a thousand took in the DTE. Inside, Williams donned gear and immersed herself in the Giant Ocean Tank for a scuba dive with reporters. After drying off, Williams answered questions from the Boston Herald, Boston Globe, Needham Press and ABC 5—and then fielded questions from a fascinated crowd. Curley was also back, bookending Williams’ talk and teaching more about spacesuits—one of the work uniforms of astronauts aboard ISS.
DS Boston once again broke with conventional outreach and went to a non-typical venue—the Bell in Hand Tavern—for Speakeasy Science Night. Kirt Costello from Johnson Space Center’s Program Science Office kicked things off, followed by engaging talks from Curley and Nyberg.
Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) were popular subjects on July 11, the closing day of DS Boston. Partnering with the Museum of Science, the DS campaign reached more than 2,000 through various means of engagement—some of which included hands-on activities with kids, who created their own astronaut characters with colorful art supplies. Curley and Nyberg’s presentations were also a big hit with onlookers, who were receptive to learning more about NASA and the space station’s potential to benefit us here on Earth. Miles away, the DTE parked at Northwestern University, bringing the STEM message to inner-city groups.
The Office of Legislative Affairs, along with the ISS program Office, Program Science Office and Center for Advancement of Science in Space, met with legislators and staffers to deliver key points about our Journey to Mars, space station, Commercial Crew and Cargo, as well as Orion and the Space Launch System. The 29 legislative guests, who included staffers from Massachusetts’ Representatives James McGovern, Katherine Clark and William Keating, as well as Senator Elizabeth Warren, were interested in Nyberg’s experience aboard the orbiting laboratory and the commercialization of low-Earth orbit.
While Boston is all wrapped up (with a figurative bow), there is still more DS to come. Stay tuned to find out where DS will land next, and who will be along for the ride.
Catherine Ragin Williams
NASA Johnson Space Center
The first day of DS Boston marked the opening of the ISS Research & Development (R&D) Conference, which had more than 500 attendees in person and many more online. New connections were made with potential partners to host experiments aboard the space station and expand the platform’s scientific studies.
Unique to this DS was the fireside chat with Musk, famed entrepreneur and one of NASA’s commercial partners, along with ISS Program Manager Mike Suffredini. The two powerhouse leaders discussed the benefits of station as a National Lab, as well as pushing technology and innovation further than ever before.
The rest of the day included technical breakout sessions and an award ceremony attended by the governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, who seconded Suffredini and Musk’s drive for innovation.
While the ISS R&D Conference was underway, the Driven to Explore (DTE) mobile exhibit was at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. More than 1,000 people stopped by the exhibit within five hours, getting new information about the investigations taking place in space that are benefiting us on Earth.
Day 2 of DS included more panel discussions and networking opportunities at the ISS R&D Conference. At the end of the day, more connections were cemented at a social event put on by NASA’s partner, Orbital ATK.
Astronauts Suni Williams and Cady Coleman made waves through the media. Both were interviewed by “Greater Boston,” a popular TV program, and met with former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee. Suffredini also spread the word about space station as he participated in an interview for the “Talking Space” podcast.
Public outreach abounded again for visitors at the DTE, which brought in nearly 2,000 eager to learn more about the laboratory in low-Earth orbit. Despite some inclement weather, there was a steady crowd throughout the day. Many were entertained by spacesuit engineer Su Curley, who worked tirelessly to give people a firsthand look at a spacesuit.
The final day of the ISS R&D conference closed July 9 with another influx of about 300 attendees. Astronauts Karen Nyberg and Williams continued sharing with audiences about the realities of living and working in space.
Over at the New England Aquarium, about a thousand took in the DTE. Inside, Williams donned gear and immersed herself in the Giant Ocean Tank for a scuba dive with reporters. After drying off, Williams answered questions from the Boston Herald, Boston Globe, Needham Press and ABC 5—and then fielded questions from a fascinated crowd. Curley was also back, bookending Williams’ talk and teaching more about spacesuits—one of the work uniforms of astronauts aboard ISS.
DS Boston once again broke with conventional outreach and went to a non-typical venue—the Bell in Hand Tavern—for Speakeasy Science Night. Kirt Costello from Johnson Space Center’s Program Science Office kicked things off, followed by engaging talks from Curley and Nyberg.
Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) were popular subjects on July 11, the closing day of DS Boston. Partnering with the Museum of Science, the DS campaign reached more than 2,000 through various means of engagement—some of which included hands-on activities with kids, who created their own astronaut characters with colorful art supplies. Curley and Nyberg’s presentations were also a big hit with onlookers, who were receptive to learning more about NASA and the space station’s potential to benefit us here on Earth. Miles away, the DTE parked at Northwestern University, bringing the STEM message to inner-city groups.
The Office of Legislative Affairs, along with the ISS program Office, Program Science Office and Center for Advancement of Science in Space, met with legislators and staffers to deliver key points about our Journey to Mars, space station, Commercial Crew and Cargo, as well as Orion and the Space Launch System. The 29 legislative guests, who included staffers from Massachusetts’ Representatives James McGovern, Katherine Clark and William Keating, as well as Senator Elizabeth Warren, were interested in Nyberg’s experience aboard the orbiting laboratory and the commercialization of low-Earth orbit.
While Boston is all wrapped up (with a figurative bow), there is still more DS to come. Stay tuned to find out where DS will land next, and who will be along for the ride.
Catherine Ragin Williams
NASA Johnson Space Center
Astronaut Karen Nyberg talks about living and working in space at the ISS Research & Development Conference in Boston.
Astronaut Suni Williams meets with participants at the ISS R&D Conference.
Spacesuit engineer Su Curley shares her enthusiasm about spacesuits with the next generation of explorers.
At the New England Aquarium, Williams goes for a dive in the Giant Ocean Tank.
Curley talks spacewalking at the New England Aquarium.
DS Boston partnered with the Museum of Science to educate kids about STEM with fun, hands-on activities.