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From: BRUC@MIT-ML@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: NASA's exposure via the media and the future of space
Message-ID: <4840@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 2-Sep-83 21:14:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.4840
Posted: Fri Sep  2 21:14:00 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 5-Sep-83 22:10:17 EDT
Lines: 19

From:  Robert E. Bruccoleri <BRUC @ MIT-ML>

	With the space shuttle making space travel routine, the
coverage of space activies by the major news media is disappearing. I
am really fearful that this will result in the old apathy about space
among the general public which will make it easier for space budgets
to be cut. 
	There is a way to circumvent this problem, namely getting a
space channel established on a major cable TV company. The NASA feed
is already there, NASA has a transponder on SATCOM IIa which is used
to broadcast all of NASA's video (you can't listen in on it with the
usual satellite receivers since the signal is weak and requires a 30
foot dish). Has anyone ever had any experience try to convince a cable
company to add a new channel? Does anybody know the addresses of the 
major cable companies so that I could write them a letter?
	By the way, when I was in Washington sightseeing in April, I
asked some people at NASA headquarters about their satellite links,
and the most important thing they said relating to rebroadcast is that
anyone would be free to do it.