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How a Cartoon Series Helped the Public Care about Rosetta and Philae
Bauer, M.; McCaughrean, M.; O'Flaherty, K. S. +5 more
Once upon a time... is a series of short cartoons that have been developed as part of the European Space Agency's communication campaign to raise awareness about the Rosetta mission. The series features two anthropomorphic characters depicting the Rosetta orbiter and Philae lander, introducing the mission story, goals and milestones with a fairy- …
"Hello, World!" Harnessing Social Media for the Rosetta Mission
Bauer, M.; McCaughrean, M.; O'Flaherty, K. S. +8 more
The European Space Agency's comet-chasing Rosetta mission was launched in 2004, before social media became a popular tool for mainstream communication. As it reached its destination ten years later, new audiences were reached and inspired by this once-in-a-lifetime event by harnessing a range of outlets for communicating the key messages. These in…
Live Blogging Science News: The Rosetta Mission
Clark, S.
When one of the world's most popular online news websites decides to cover a space science event live, you know that something big is brewing. Stuart Clark reports on how live blogging can be used for science reporting and how an idea that was triggered by his observations during the Rosetta flyby of the asteroid Lutetia and the landing of the Cur…
Ambition: A Risky Adventure in Science Communication
McCaughrean, M.
This article explores how the European Space Agency made a short science fiction film about the Rosetta mission to engage audiences in the core scientific and philosophical questions of the mission, and to manage expectations regarding the risky landing of Philae on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The Strategy and Implementation of the Rosetta Communication Campaign
Bauer, M.; McCaughrean, M.; Landeau-Constantin, J.
The communication campaign for Rosetta has been the biggest success in the history of European Space Agency outreach, resulting in global awareness for the agency. The mission itself is an extraordinary operational and scientific success, but communicating only the operational and scientific firsts would likely not have brought the Rosetta orbiter…
An Historic Encounter: Reviewing the Outreach around ESA's Rosetta Mission
Lorenzen, D.
The Rosetta mission is a milestone in terms of science and public outreach. The European Space Agency and the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt in particular did a marvellous job of sparking global public interest, driven by various events throughout the mission. In contrast, the actions of the Max Planck Society research group in charge o…
Behind the Scenes of the Discovery Channel's Rosetta Mission Documentary Special
Ayres, S.
On the evening of 12 November 2014, the Discovery Channel documentary Landing on a Comet: Rosetta Mission was broadcast around the world. This was the culmination of months of preparation and behind-the-scenes lming. Shelley Ayres, the producer, director and writer of the one-hour special recounts how this came about and re ects on her experience.
Using Competitions to Engage the Public: Lessons Learnt from Rosetta
Bauer, M.; McCaughrean, M.; O'Flaherty, K. S. +9 more
The year 2014 was an historic and challenging time for the Rosetta mission. On 20 January the spacecraft awoke from a 957-day hibernation; by August, it had arrived at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko; and in November, the lander Philae was deployed to the comet's surface. These milestones were communicated by traditional outreach channels -- on we…