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Worlds Without End Blog

Telling the Story of a New Era in Space Exploration Posted at 7:04 PM by Rico Simpkins

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While NASA is still a major asset to America (and the world), its share of the national budget is continuing to shrink from 4.41% of total spending to an estimated .48% in 2012.  For the first time since the Sputnik era, NASA’s budget doesn’t even garner ½% of the federal budget.  While we all debate about whether to grow entitlements by 2% or 4%, American astronauts have to hitch a ride with the Russians just to get some weightless action.  What good is winning the space race if we’re just going to throw it all away?

We know we don’t have to make the case to WWEnders for manned space programs.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for everyone else.  That’s why the We Are the Explorers campaign is creating an exciting new ad campaign on behalf of NASA.  The goal: to increase awareness of the funding problem and inspire nerds everywhere to agitate.  They are crowdsourcing their funding and, as you can see, they have already surpassed their $33,000 goal, which gets them onto 50+ theatre screens.  With about a week left, we’d like to see them make their secondary goal of $94,000, which would expand their exposure to 750 screens (a MUCH bigger impact).  Why don’t you click over there and give what you can?

From the We Are the Explorers web site:

“When the Space Shuttle landed for the last time, many Americans thought NASA was closed for good. Nothing could be further from the truth. Right now, men and women from the space program are designing and building next generation space vehicles to go to new destinations in space, farther than we’ve ever gone before.

NASA recently made an inspiring new online video narrated by Mr. Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime (see above), to show the progress being made on these new systems, but the agency is barred by law from buying advertising time for such a spot.

Today we’re running a crowdfunding campaign to edit this video into a 30 second spot, and place it in movie theater screens around the country, starting with the premiere of ‘Star Trek Into Darkness.’

By backing this 30 second trailer in the top movie theater markets around the United States, you can show our students and young people that we’re in an exciting new era of space exploration. Now is the time to reach them – to remind them that an inspiring space program awaits, one that is worthy of their ambition.”

UPDATE: “There is no doubt now: ads for our space program will be premiering with “Star Trek Into Darkness”

Hurrah!

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