NASA wants the world to vote on its new spacesuit designs.
You can go here to see what they look like.
http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/z2/
Other than the obvious “Buzz Lightyear” reaction most will have about the first suit you see, all I can think is that the average person out there knows nothing about space suit design. Why would the opinion of a yokel like me or you matter? And given that the information given is little more than a cursory look at the appearance of any of these, how could anyone provide an opinion that is worth anything? This is the lowest common denominator of American Idol being applied to something as crucial as the design of a suit meant to protect those going into outer space. This is a shallow popularity contest.
This nonsense is too goofy to be believed: “The third option is called “Trends in Society,” and with a bright color scheme mimicking athletic training gear, it’s supposed to reflect what everyday clothes might look like in the future.”
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Yeah, I agree that this is pretty dang goofy. I guess there are worse publicity stunts you could pull than this.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw the title of your post, I thought of this article: http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/04/02/297839429/-so-you-think-youre-smarter-than-a-cia-agent
It's your classic Wisdom of the Crowds example, and I was thinking the same thing could be applied to space suits.
A plumber, a soldier, scientist, stay at home mom, etc. could all potentially have useful ideas to contribute. At least that's what the Wisdom of the Crowds says, right?
However, I think you're right: this is pretty shallow stuff. It's a shame, too. Because of the connectedness Internet, my guess is you could gather some pretty smart (and varied) info from the world.