… at Third Rock Internet radio, an allusion, of course, to Earth as the third rock from the Sun:
According to David Weaver, associate administrator for the Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, ”NASA constantly is looking for new and innovative ways to engage the public and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. We have led the way in innovative uses of new media and this is another example of how the agency is taking advantage of these important communication tools.”
Pat Fant, RFC Media co-founder and chief operating officer, adds: ”Today’s 4G audience craves new music and enjoys finding it. We’ve pulled out the best songs and the deepest tracks from a full spectrum of rock artists across many styles and decades. NASA features and news items are embedded throughout the programming alongside greetings by celebrity artists.”
– Paul Scott Anderson, “Third Rock – NASA’s Cool New Internet Radio Station” ( Universe Today, December 13, 2011)
What bothers some of us, who remember Apollo 11, is that in those days NASA didn’t need to bother providing this kind of entertainment.
The prospect of personally gathering a moon rock was sufficient to motivate many youngsters to stick with maths and sciences in those days – and they looked elsewhere for mere entertainment.