beth says:

Great presentation. Great points. They hit home.

To offer a NASA perspective (not a justification), consider the precise nature of the work — getting to space and back safely — and who’s doing the work. Engineers like efficient widgets. Success = widgets performing within expected parameters. No surprises. Storytellers, on the other hand, want to know who, what, why, when and how. The widget is less interesting to them than the question about why the widget matters or how the designer feels about it. Natural tension exists between the engineers who manage outcome with minimal drama vs. the communicators wanting to share the story. NASA engineers are passionate about doing the job right. Less passionate about sharing how they feel.

But social media is rattling loose some of the bolts holding down the culture manhole cover.

Just this year: @Astro_Mike embraced social media tools to share his passion for and amazement of space. He’s filming behind-the-scenes interviews with folks putting spaceships and astronauts in orbit to post on YouTube. @Astro_TJ chats frequently with followers on Twitter now that he hooked up internet access on Station. @Astro_Soichi posts Earth twitpics with pithy comments. The Expedition crew now has a 24/7 webcam inside Station. Over a dozen astronauts are tweeting actively — including @Astro_Flow (Leland) and @Astro_Bones (Bobby) from one of the last missions.

Hey, it’s a start.