Endeavour Crew To Be Interviewed Via YouTube

gabbo529 writes "Thanks to YouTube, the space shuttle Endeavour's last crew will be available for questions live, while they are in orbit. NASA announced a partnership with YouTube that will allow people to send in questions, in the form of short video clips, to PBS's Miles O'Brien, who will direct them to the Endeavour crew live from space. The whole process will be streamed live on PBS' Newshour YouTube Channel. From the article: 'The interview is scheduled for Monday May 2 at 2:15 p.m. ET. However, it could be rescheduled if the Endeavour mission is running late. The deadline for submitting a question will be April 30 at midnight ET. YouTube users will vote on which questions they want to see answered.'"

[raises hand]

[elrous0]

How is this pathetic attempt to show your modern relevance any different than any of the thousand other carefully-orchestrated canned interviews with pre-screened questions that you've done on the last 133 space shuttle missions, and why should anyone give a shit about this transparently obvious PR stunt aimed at generating just enough public interest to keep NASA's budget at the same decrepit state it's been at since the end of the Apollo missions 40 years ago?

Oh, and could you please tell us what it's like to eat and drink in space?

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[camperslo]

Well maybe, just maybe, someone will come up with some interesting questions. Not the what's sex like in zero G variety, but something really out of the box.

(putting on thinking cap)

Does the space station have any instruments that can "see" radiation in the air on Earth?
Could the space station being used to launch/release material for cloud-seeding following a nuclear accident? One of the impacts of releases that can affect a significant number (but still tiny percentage) of people long afterwards is from

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[tftp]

Why do you want to bother astronauts? You can always ask on Slashdot and get mostly correct answers. For example:

Does the space station have any instruments that can "see" radiation in the air on Earth?

No, because air is not radioactive. If you ask about the radioactive dust in air (or on ground) you need a gamma ray telescope [wikipedia.org] for that, and it doesn't need to be on the ISS. However from every point of view it's far more practical to use airplanes to take samples of air; this will pick up alpha and beta

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[demonlapin]

That's my money (and, if you're an American who pays income taxes, yours too) being spent up there. Sorry, if you're going to take my money away from me, I'm going to demand a better rationale than "That's awesome."

There are a lot of good reasons for people to stay the hell out of space, and not very many good ones to put them up there. Now, if we could drastically decrease the cost of putting things in orbit, maybe it would make sense. Until then, it's just a waste of money that could be far better spent

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[bmo]

>Sorry, if you're going to take my money away from me, I'm going to demand a better rationale than "That's awesome."

Name a pet project that you like (including defense spending) and I'll come up with the same argument you just did.

If your argument consists of "you're taking my money for what I don't like" then I suggest you go back to Somalia where there aren't any taxes - or services.

--
BMO

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[demonlapin]

I can come up with a better rationale for defense spending than "it's awesome". Can't you?

As for ".... Somalia!", it's a dull mind that can't imagine a government that fits somewhere in size between the current US govt and anarchy.

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[SlashV]

on the last 133 space shuttle missions

U mean 1337 space shuttle missions... oh wait. Funny how I really read that wrong when I quickly glanced over your post..

Hams in Space?

[siriuskase]

Will there be any hams aboard? An awful lot of astronauts are hams and spend much of there downtime chatting on the ham bands. While you must be a ham or with a ham to talk, anyone can listen if they know how.

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[RadioElectric]

Because we can finally boss around some astronauts. "PUT SPACEBOOT ON HEAD!"

Miles O'Brien

[Hatta]

I'd be more interested in asking Chief Petty Officer Miles O'Brien questions about transporter technology.

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[Seumas]

How much O'Brien?

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[Thelasko]

You jest, but this Miles O'Brien [wikipedia.org] used to be chief science correspondent at CNN, until they sadly disbanded their science reporting unit:(

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[MillerHighLife21]

"His head's on backwards!"

here cometh

[Anonymous Coward]

here cometh the most elaborate and epic rickrolls of our time -- IN SPACE!!!

Need to reschedule the election

[msobkow]

They rescheduled the debates in Canada for the hockey fans. Surely the geeks can get them to reschedule the election now to make room for this broadcast...

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[camperdave]

Sadly, we don't get NASA-TV on this side of the border.

Sex

[iONiUM]

That's all I want to know. How is the sex, and can I possibly get a video?

Honestly, if the Space program needs money so bad, why don't they just send a few porn stars up now and then and sell the zero-G porn movie to make money for the actual missions?

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[ModernGeek]

Probably because there is no way that it would be able to recoup the $300 million cost of sending up two porn stars.

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[x*yy*x]

And you can simulate zero-G on earth too...

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[JockTroll]

You can, but the Vomit Comet grants you max 25 seconds of freefall. That's scarcely twice the length of the average shot in a porn movie which is about 10-15 seconds depending on the director (Antonio Adamo goes for about 10 seconds ASL while Viv Thomas easily surpasses the 30 seconds mark). Considering that your typical porn scene averages 10 minutes from fellatio initiation to facial shot, you're racking up some valuable aircraft time. And we're not even talking about reshoots. Might as well send the whol

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[JockTroll]

Prove me wrong, loserboy. At least I do the research while you weep yourself to sleep in the locker I shoved you into after beating the crap out of you. Say hello to the cockroaches.

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[SlashV]

If you don't mind a quicky..

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[Anonymous Coward]

Probably because there is no way that it would be able to recoup the $300 million cost of sending up two porn stars.

I think you underestimate the audience for such a thing.

views

[wsxyz]

This won't be enough to get in the coveted "Top 10 Views" chart at Youtube. They'll have to either add a public humiliation and beat-down, or just go all-out straight to "The Evolution of Dance" IN SPACE!

Intelligent discussion will ensue

[Stratoukos]

YouTube users will vote on which questions they want to see answered.

I see no problem whatsoever with this statement.

How many

[Osgeld]

billions is this PR stunt costing us, and what is its invaluable scientific discovery to mankind. .. second though I guess I shouldnt bitch, we did get a pathetic 138 mil for energy research, not like we need energy or anything

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[bledri]

How many ...

billions is this PR stunt costing us, and what is its invaluable scientific discovery to mankind. ...

Huh? How does responding to a few questions on YouTube cost anything?

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[elrous0]

The interview doesn't cost anything. But prepping the set cost $700 million.

Cats abord Endeavour?

[PPH]

If not, what's the video doing on YouTube?