NASA hoping Bass will inspire future astronauts

[Kemara]

Pop star Lance Bass ’N fusing stodgy NASA with cool, kid appeal; some grumbling ensues

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer
SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) — Quicker than a hot boy band sinks, NASA is being ’N fused with much-needed kid appeal this week as its first celebrity space tourist, pop star Lance Bass, trains to become the youngest and coolest person ever to hit orbit.
The stodgy, middle-aged space agency is jumping on the ’N Sync singer’s bandwagon, even though not everyone is thrilled about Russia’s bid to send a 23-year-old with barely a high school education to the international space station this fall.
Bass may not be the most scientifically savvy or most experienced guy to go through space training. But he certainly is one of the most artistic and definitely the most appealing to the hard-to-impress, under-20 crowd. Even the children of NASA workers who were ho-hum about space travel are taking a sudden interest and seeking the performer’s autograph.
‘‘What’s exciting about this is getting a creative person up there,’’ said Duane Carey, a space shuttle pilot and father of two teens. ‘‘Maybe some songs or some poetry or some type of inspiration can come out of it.
‘‘One day, it’s going to be fascinating to get gymnasts and dancers up there,’’ Carey added. ‘‘Imagine what they could do.’’
Before Bass can be considered a full-fledged member of Russia’s next crew, TV producers need to wrap up a deal with the cash-strapped Russian space program. Unlike the first two space tourists, California businessman Dennis Tito and South African Internet tycoon Mark Shuttleworth, Bass is rounding up corporate sponsors to pay his $20 million fare and that’s causing a holdup.
A Los Angeles production company has plans for a TV show following Bass’ space adventures.
Despite the singer’s off-again, on-again status over the past several months, NASA politely agreed to accept Bass for a week of space station training at Johnson Space Center. He’s learning alongside a Russian and Belgian assigned to the lifeboat-swapping mission scheduled for a Kazakhstan liftoff Oct. 28. The three men showed up Monday after working together at cosmonaut headquarters in Star City, Russia.
After 1 1/2 months of debating Bass’ qualifications, NASA and the other space station partners signed off Tuesday on his trip. The ink was barely dry when NASA’s public affairs machine began cranking out news releases about the singer’s participation in a press conference and an Internet chat with school children on Thursday. Shouted one NASA headline: ‘‘Students to share thrill of space exploration with Lance Bass.’’
Astronomy students at Clinton High School in Mississippi, which Bass attended in the 1990s, say his flight is sure to spark interest in space, although probably more among the 10- to 12-year-old set.
The popularity of boy bands like ’N Sync — best known for the hit ‘‘Bye Bye Bye’’ — is fading. Still, Brooke Bradley, a 17-year-old senior, said it was easier to relate to someone Bass’ age ‘‘than someone older going up.’’
The fact that he’s a music star makes it more appealing, too, noted Angela Wilson, a 16-year-old junior.
Tito was 60 when he became the world’s first paying space tourist last year. Shuttleworth, who rocketed to the space station in April, was a much younger 28, but a dry, technical type and ‘‘about as creative as the rest of us astronauts,’’ said Carey.
‘‘You get a guy up there (like Bass) whose whole life has been built around the right half of his brain and creativeness and everything, it’s going to be really interesting,’’ Carey said. ‘‘I hope he fills the shoes that he’s been given.’’
At this astronaut training base, which turned Tito away last year because of its bitter opposition to space tourists at the time, grumbling still echoes in the hallways. Some see Bass’ flight as a burden, others as a distraction or side show.
‘‘He didn’t compete for it, he’s buying it, and there’s something deeply embedded in the NASA culture that finds that difficult to accept and very hard to embrace,’’ said a pro-Bass space agency official who did not want to be identified.
Bass is probably the polar opposite of John Glenn, who, by the way, opposes the idea of vacationers at the international space station.
‘‘We have spent tens of billions of dollars putting the station up there, and it was to be used for basic research, not for other things,’’ Glenn said last February on the 40th anniversary of his first orbital flight.
‘‘John’s not in sync,’’ Mercury astronaut Wally Schirra joked in response to his friend’s tough stand.
Before he even showed up at NASA, Bass had been quietly criticized for sounding unintelligent because of his frequent use of the words ‘‘like’’ and ‘‘OK,’’ and for being woefully undereducated by NASA standards. Carey found himself defending the singer.
‘‘That’s how the teenagers talk,’’ Carey told his astronaut colleagues. ‘‘He’s probably a pretty bright guy and, according to my daughter, he’s got a real clean reputation.’’
Lori Garver, a former NASA official who’s mounting her own space tourist campaign, said that when she went through Russian cosmonaut training with Bass earlier this year, he outperformed her in almost everything.
Although he left Clinton High during his junior year to become the fifth member of ’N Sync, he eventually earned his diploma through correspondence classes, according to Garver and others in the know.
And, she noted, ‘‘He’s had one job and it’s been very public.
‘‘I sat in a press conference with him where nobody cared about the articulate things that I was saying,’’ she said. ‘‘But when he made a move, 50 cameras went off. I believe in the power of Lance Bass to communicate.’’
NASA is coming around to believing in that power, too.
———
On the Net:
NASA: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov
Bass: www.lanceinspace.com

[Boomerang]

I'm all for publicity and encouraging intrest in space but this isnt the way to do it in my opinion. So far the only people getting to fly to space are rich millionaires or people who are famous enough to gert corporate sponsors. The fact hes getting sponsors is rediculous to me in the first place since i'm sure he could easily afford the trip. I harken back to the 80s when their were promises of everyday people flying in space not just millionaires and rockstars. If NASA or some private company would pay for a common person who isnt a millionaire or famous and if they really advertised it and put put a national search i think it would get better publicity. Unfortunately NASA abandoned that idea after the challenger accident and the only people who will launch civillians charge 20 million dollars a trio.

[Richasi]

I guess you have to take what is offered. There's a lot of truth to that article. Yes, younger people may now pay more attention because someone their age is going. While I wish it were me, and while I despise any boy-band, the experience might just touch him and something inspirational will come from it.

It's also better that someone is actually accepting civilians. Yes, it's expensive but so is launching something. And when it's all about money instead of the science or fulfillment of wonder... then you find that only the rich people can afford the ride up. I figure my day will come eventually... I might be 70... but I figure it'll happen someday.

[Boomerang]

Well i'll admit that it might help to generate intrest among young people in the space program. The question is how much will NASA take advantage of the new found intrest. If they dont then the intrest may go away as soon as the flight is over. In some ways i hope NASA will take advantage of it to get more people intrested in space flight again but historicly NASA isnt known for its advertising and marketing. Anyone remember John Gleens return to space a few years ago it brought alot of intrest back to the program as did the movie Apollo 13 but only for a short time because NASA didnt take advantage of it to the fullest. Now most of the people whos attention was grabbed by these two things have gone back to a who cares attitude.

[Richasi]

The only problem with it all is that NASA is a government agency. It's not as if they have the funds to market themselves. They're not a private company with a staff dedicated to market the product. So they have to take what they can get. NASA should do all that it can to promote it, but in the end it is limited in what it can do... which is why the John Glenn thing disapeared.

Problem is how many times can you hear about John Glenn? It probably got to a "okay, enough" point with people that they tuned it out. I know that happened to me with the WTC. You know, it was tragic and all but how many times do I have to hear about it...?

[Boomerang]

Well im not sating to dedicate millions to advertising or anything but. Some advertising would be good. Also most shuttle launches arent in prime TV periods of the day and NASA could probably get some kind of coverage of launches on Betwork TV if they really wanted to.

[Richasi]

What would be the point then? They'd have to have millions to buy network time... they'd have to have a marketing department to handle the development and creation of the advertisement and then distribute it. They're not only not budgeted for that, they're not chartered for that.

The networks here (and not all, but those who are respected) show live coverage of launches of the shuttle and our cable news channel (by Time Warner and the local paper) shows all live launches.

[Boomerang]

Well if the networks their show it your lucky. Its most likely because your so close to where they actually launch them so its news down their. Unfortunately where i live the most coverage is about 3 minutes on CNN. If we're lucky the coverage starts about a minute before launch sometimes not even that long. The coverage most times continues only through the SRB seperation and then it ends. Not to mention the whole time your watching you have to listen to Miles O'brien the reporter not the star trek guy giving commentary. Personally i'd rather hear either NASA public affairs or the actual ground communications between the shuttle and MOCr. But the nly place i can do that is to watch NASA tv on the web where their is always a delay in the picture and audio and its always jumpy. Now you can see why i'd like them to work something out to have networks cover them. Unfortunately it would interupt peoples precious soap operas and we wouldnt want that would we. Around here you cant even get the night launches that take place early in the morning where the only interuption would be to Ron Popeil trying to sell you his roticery oven. Sorry for my venting here but this is the way it is in most of the country. You're lucky to live where you do and can get decent coverage.

[Kemara]

That's why I'm glad I get the NASA channel. They show (or they used to before Sept. 11) the whole launch starting hours before. And you can pretty much count on getting a live feed from ISS control or Earthviews the rest of the time.

[Boomerang]

I know even the NASA tv coverage after september 11th isnt nearly as good. You use to see the crew boarding the orbiter as it was happening from both the white room and the cockpit. Now you get pre recorded coverage of the walkout and almost no white room or onboard coverage. atleast you still get the ground communicatians via NASA TV, Just wish the pictures while watching on the web would be real time and better quality.

[Traveler]

You know, I hope they shove Bass out the airlock...idiots have no business going along for a joyride. Someday civilians should be able to go but until its safer and they wont get in the way of researchers who are actually being useful up there they shouldn't go. To not only put a person who has nothing useful to contribute to the mission but to make it an idiot from a boy band...im getting sick.

[Boomerang]

While i'll agree he shouldnt be allowed on the ISS i dont know about shoving him out an airlock either. I dont think the russians have the right to sell spots on the ISS flights to tourist. They have every right to send them into space on a soyuz and just orbit if they want but they are the only ones bennefitting from these tourist trips to the ISS so why should they be allowed to send people their and no other international partner benefit. Plus the ISS isnt ready to host tourist. Its not completed yet and sending barely trained tourist up their is asking for trouble.

[Richasi]

Considering they're not letting him go now... I guess we don't have to worry for a while

[Boomerang]

Is that official now that he isnt going? I haven't looked at space.com in a few days maybe i should check out their news headlines more often.

[monkeynautt]

He hasn't paid so there kicking him out!!!! WOHOOO!!!!!!!!!!

[Boomerang]

Yeah i read the article right after i posted that last post.