The marketing and public relations campaign developed for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) combines expanded use of the pre-existing interactive NASA educational Web site, NASAExplores.com, with the development of a nationwide science curriculum for use in grades K û 12 in the American public school system. The goal of the program is to increase awareness of NASA's scientific contributions among a new generation of Americans and to engage school-age Americans in a meaningful scientific study, working to improve learning outcomes by means of enhanced use of technology and a curriculum that addresses national standards (NASA exploresà., 2004).
The proposed time frame for the project includes a one-year pilot study, followed by no less than 5 years of program delivery. Cost for the program is estimated at over $10 million per year, once start-up costs for development have been expended. It is anticipated that a well-known spokesman (such as a former astronaut) and other NASA staff will be involved in the program, which will be launched in partnership with the National Association of Science Teachers and the State Education Departments of the nation. The project will seek to capture the participation of science teachers and to incorporate new use of existing technology to leverage economies of scale while maximizing investment of the online site maintained by NASA.
Cutlip, Center and Broom (2000) noted that in any public relations (PR) campaign or marketing effort, it is necessary to build-in a crisis management component. For NASA, an organization that has experienced any number of serious crises in its history (NASA rocketsà., 2002), crisis management takes on enhanced meaning. In the case of the planned PR campaign, crisis management will largely be likely to consist of ensuring that the Internet site is up and ready when needed, that all
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