I know many of you who read my posts frequently are either students in a science-related field, or work as scientists yourself. Chances are therefore good that you have been writing a paper or a thesis and thought to yourself “who the hell is going to read this crap anyway?!?” I certainly have had that experience, more than once. Writing a good paper or thesis takes a lot of time and is something one often puts all of one's creativity, heart and soul, into writing. Nothing then seems more pointless than the idea that nobody, outside of your tutor and your mum, will actually end up reading it. I bet most of you steemians who write high-quality posts or make great art can relate to this as well.
The Book: “Mission to Mars, My Vision for Space Exploration” by Buzz Aldrin
Anyways, during my stay at the International Space Univerity in 2012, I co-wrote a paper called “Space – One giant leap for education”. The paper is one of the final outputs of our Team project aimed to address the question of how Space, with its innate ability to inspire young minds, and the way in which it covers practically all the different “stem” disciplines, could be better used to improve the quality of, and interest in, stem-education globally (stem is short for science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The paper was a collective effort by 34 space professionals and students from 18 different countries during the ISU Space Studies Program 2012. I was proud to be the one to make the final presentation of our findings and recommendations at the very end of the program.
The project went really well, and the presentation kicked ass. I have always done a lot better with oral presentations than in written examinations, so the fact that there were a lot of people watching the stream, and some famous names in the space sector sitting in the audience, did not put me off! Anyhow, the feedback we got was great, and the team behind the report were happy and satisfied. So now what? Having put a lot of effort into discussing, planning, researching, writing and presenting our work, we could of course, present our findings at some relevant conferences and events. But with the programme coming to an end, most participants were going back to their jobs or to finish their degrees, and while some of us wanted to stay in touch to see if we could do some follow-up work in the future, we had no direct plans going forward.
Group photo of "TP STEM" the team working on the topic of space for education during the ISU Space Studies Programme in 2012
It was only a year later that things really got cool, when Buzz Aldrin published his book “Mission to Mars, My vision for Space Exploration” (a great book by the way!). Buzz is of course known worldwide for being one of the first two men to walk on the Moon together with Neil Armstrong with the Apollo 11 mission. Buzz is still very active in promoting space exploration and is considered one of the most influential voices on the topic of human spaceflight and the prospect of sending humans to Mars. It was therefore very special to be messaged by a friend who was in the same project, telling me that our work had been mentioned in his new book! Needless to say I bought the book immediately. I was surprised to see that Buzz had spent no less than 3 pages quoting and discussing our work. A demonstration of the ego that lies in us all perhaps, I was most proud when I saw that one of the parts he had chosen to site and discuss was something that I had written and also said in my presentation. A small chapter, called "STEAM Power", highlighted how collectively going to Mars could also have worldwide impacts on education and inspire a new generation of students to become scientists and engineers.
I'm still curious about how Buzz came across our report. It's also fun to think about how someone like Buzz, who is continuously asked to attend conferences or give his opinion on this or that, found the time to sit down and read something that we wrote, let alone be inspired to include some of it in his book.
me presenting our findings in a Jetson style uniform. Expected to be very trendy in 2040!
So perhaps you can keep this little story in mind the next time you’re putting in that last piece of effort to finish a paper or a thesis, or indeed a post on steemit, and you wonder if it will make any difference, or if it will even reach the eyes of anyone. It can be worth remembering that you never know where it might end up (especially when put on the blockchain!), and thus find that extra bit of motivation to push yourself over the finishing line. Telling this to myself and thus pushing up my standards for what I want to leave my name on has certainly helped me a lot at times!
Long story short: Steem on :)
You can read our final report here: Space - One Giant Leap for Education
Awesome costumes!
Thank you. I totally can say "yes" to what you said about "you never know". Writing articles in the spirit that it might be worth for some one whom you do not know or haven't thought about is good to keep in mind.
Actually this reminds me on a little anecdote: I worked back then in an agency as a Public Relations consultant. Eventually I quit my job and turned my way to another profession.
Some of my legacies stayed in the office. This included items such as scissors, punches and tackers, all of which I had pasted on with small notes and which contained a funny saying about my "ownership". For example,"Watch out, if you hold this punch in your hand, you're a thief. It definitely doesn't belong on your desk. Bring it back, you bad guy": -)
A colleague, whom I had only got to know for a very short time, wrote to me on Facebook years later that the things still haunt the office and make people smile.
Another much younger colleague thanked me several years later for my lessons in "Powerpoint" and said that he had learned a lot from me.
This can be done with texts and publications. Once on the net: Who knows who will stumble upon it?
Thank you very much for this good advice and the motivation!
I'm glad you liked it! Thank you also for contributing to the post with your own experience! I would say we leave bits and pieces of ourselves everywhere we go that stays behind after we've left. It's a good thing to have in mind what bits of you one would like other people to find and appreciate :)
Yes, it's the same with keeping in mind that we are always role models to others, as well to friends but also to strangers.
I would like to be remembered positively by other people, it is sometimes a strange but also very useful thought to think about how people talk about you when you are already dead. With this ulterior motive in mind, some of the arguments in my life would have developed differently:)
Thanks so much for this encouraging example of "being noticed." :D
Although my personal fortunes and "popularity" here on Steemit have waxed and waned, I hope to be here for the long haul.
Why?
I believe that the Steemit blockchain has the potential to persist far into the future. If it does, then my writing will also be preserved. I hope that Steemit will be a durable archive of my thought for my children and future generations to see, long after I've left the scene.
😄😇😄
Yes my traffic has also gone down in recent months compared to when I was the most active in the summer. I suppose it may be due to a period with decreasing STEEM prices where less people seem to spend as much time-on site knowing their expected dollar value payment is lower.
I am also very optimistic when I see how much work is being put into different projects that are potential mega-hits. And it only takes one to go mainstream for a whole lot more traction to come this way. then having an early adopter position which helps enable you to be seen by the onboarding users will be very valuable indeed.
I'll give you a follow and perhaps then we can leave something worth inheriting on the blockchain together! :)
Thanks, my friend. I'll be looking over your blog as well.
I am a huge STEM enthusiast myself, attending the local STEM fairs and the San Diego Maker Faire as often as possible. I exhibited at the Maker Faire here a couple of months ago.
I appreciate your response! Take care, and Steem on. :D
OK then, a quick peek at your blog tells me that I resonate with what you are doing and writing about... Followed! ;) :D
Very exciting project! Just read the abstract to your paper and found your focus so encouraging. what child isn't excited by space - even us aging children? Helping students see how STEM are relevant to their interests and lives is the way to engage them in learning. Even those who don't go into related fields will learn critical thinking skills that are sorely lacking, at least here in the US. thanks for sharing!
This year I had the pleasure of attending presentation/interview of two amazing men, two of the twelve moon walkers, Gene Cernan and Buzz Aldrin. Gene Cernan was such a gentleman on the stage, telling stories, answering questions and hopefully inspiring the young ones in the audience with his "never give up on what you want to achieve".
Whereas Buzz Aldrin was a little more into telling stories about his own achievements and I got that he still carries the grudge for not being selected for the first to set foot on the moon. I did like his story about when he was talking to someone who had just climbed Mt Everest and asked Buzz if he would do the climb. Buzz responded by saying he had climbed a higher mountain.
It is sad to think we will soon not have any of the moonwalkers to share their fascinating experiences of walking on the moon as they are getting old. When are we going to meet some new moonwalkers?
Hello @thefutureishere and thanks for your great comment!
Yes, considering how most we see in technological advancements are just growing exponentially year by year, it is a bit disappointing that we still marvel at what we did in the sixties...
At the space agency here in Europe we do have a General Director who want to see us back on the Moon. The moon-village plan involving international and private + public collaboration looks like an ideal path forward to me. I hope we'll see it starting to take shape in the 2020s. :)
This is so inspiring and cool.
You have changed me today with simple lesson you shared at the end of the post, from this moment on everything I do has to make a positive difference in someone's life.
Thank you so much for this
Hey @gotgame! Thank you for writing that! Yes, I too try to be mindful every day on what small thing I can do to lift someone else up or make someone reach a tiny bit further. It's very rewarding, just like receiving these positive feedbacks such as your own :)
Steem on!
That is very nice of you to do. The world would be a better place if people cared to uplift other people as you are trying to do. Keep it up brother. Steem on
This is really a motivation. I really lose motivation when I post and it wasn't seen and it affected me today because i didn't post today because my previous post didn't reach out to people. But nevertheless, am motivated to do more regardless of what comes. Slow and steady wins the race. Thanks for this motivation!!
Proud Member of STEEMSTEM
Some times we're unlucky and things don't go our ways, other times we get lucky and the right person happens to notice what we do. However, luck only benefits the persistent and the hard-working, so keep it up and I am sure you will get what you deserve!
Happy if I could help inspire you today my friend!
Thanks for the advice...
Thanks anyway... 🙏
Awesome story, so glad to see you continue your growth on Steemit. Its no surprise that the passion you have for your work has a way of grabbing others. Its all about that unseen energy and vibrations that connects us all.
That is really nice of you to say @azfix, and I'm very happy to hear it from you. Yes, when one loves what one does, you can't help but share it with the world, and when people see someone who loves what they do, they get curious, or at least I do :)
What a wonderful story! Buzz is one of my heros as well, congratulations on getting your work noticed!
Glad you liked it! Yes it's hard for me to work in the space sector and not have Buzz as a hero :) I was totally taken by surprise!
This is so cool, Fredrik! Thank you for this much needed reminder to be patient and put in the work, regardless of expectations. It is part of personal ethics and discipline, but on top of it, who knows? Maybe part of your work will reach the ears (or eyes) of someone who truly appreciates it as the little gem it is and wants to share it on a big scale, like it happened with you and Aldrin. Cheers to that!
I now need to see you in action, speaking in front of a crowd :D
Some comments to your post are amazingly... amazing... :/
Agreed on both points :-)
@roelandp may add him to the list of potential speakers at Steemfest no. 3 though.
I hope this will be realized! Having someone working close to science as a speaker would make my day :)
wow that's huge!
That example is really inspiring. I'm sure I'll remember that when I don't feel like running the extra mile.
thanks @fredrikaa
Oh, wow. That would be hugely exciting. Just added the book to my reading list. Great feeling to have your work noticed by someone like Buzz. I can't imagine.
You did? That's really cool :) You should tell me what you think about some of his ideas once you've read it!
I have nothing but admiration for the hard work that you do. Block chains are the future and hope to be able to assist you in any way possible. Thank you for the informative read. Take care!
Thank you for the positive and encouraging comment. Let us build this future together my friend :)
This is awesome! I'm incredibly happy for you, it's my dream to be remembered for something I've said or written (in a good way, hopefully!)
Thank you! Yes, we all want to leave our mark. And I think most people do, one just has to focus more on making an impact around oneself where one can, and not be obsessed with doing "something big", which seems to only distract someone from the opportunity to get noticed for the small things every day.
Dude, that's awesome! Congrats! That's so exciting to hear. I can picture your smile as you found out about this. :)
Yeah it really was awesome and quite unbelievable at the time. I was smiling the most when I got the book and read the chapter :)
Good for your, @fredrikaa, and (past ego) for your ideas. As a writer, I firmly believe words have a life of their own and find their readers. Onwards and upwards, my friend _/|_
How exciting! Congratulations! I am not a scientist; in fact, I never got to finish college, but I've always maintained a fascination with science and astrophysics and I try to learn as much as I can about it in my free time. I love space and my dream is to become a science fiction writer. Maybe some day I'll get noticed too :)
I am so sad that I live in Croatia because awesome stuff like this doesnt really happen here. I wish I live in the states, here nobody will hear your voice or ideas...
I am from Norway and wrote this publication whilst attending the International Space University. People from all over the world attend its programs and are given a voice. Also, now that you are on steemit nobody can prevent you from expressing yourself.
I hope it can provide you with an opportunity to share your ideas and get heard. If you let me know a bit more about your areas of interest and what you would like to share with the world, perhaps I can help you get heard.
Steem on my friend!
Very inspiring story - thank you!
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.
You are a great inspiration here on steemit.
That's very kind of you to say @rocksg, I only try to be the best me that I can be :)
Awesome! Congrats Frederik!
Nice
You can learn something new each day if you seek knowledge. Good post thank you for the information.
i wish to go to mars once in a life
What a wonderful story!
damn, good job man
Thanks mate!
Congrats....nice...
I wonder how much you pay to promote this post. If I may know
Nothing. I did not receive any votes from any of the vote selling services, which you can see a list of here, and see that none of them upvoted my post. It is also visible on the blockchain that I've never purchased any post promotions which anyone can see here.
I have actually never made use of a vote-buying service and would not recommend you to do so either. It is better both for you and the steem ecosystem to instead help manual curation projects succeed to elevate high-quality content. You'll get noticed for it.
I must say that I was really taken by surprise to see the number and size of upvotes on this post. I've written many that have taken me a lot longer to write that received only 1/5th, or less, of the expected rewards. But if I have learned one thing from observing successful bloggers, then it is the fact that it is not just quality of content that gains traction and make people want to support you. It is just as much (if not more) based on whether you through transparency and storytelling come across as someone people would like to help succeed, or like to follow on one's journey.
Well said, Fredrik!
I have come to realize this as well, by noticing that most of the successful users whose content I enjoy (like you, of course!) never use this kind of service themselves. I tried using booster a handful of times, but found that it really doesn't make a difference. Also, by reading more abut how bought votes can negatively impact the platform (the evidence is there that at least it's not improving the quality of the content posted) I was finally convinced to stop using them altogether.
I have a similar experience, some posts that I really put a lot of work into don't give me anywhere as much ROI as I hoped, however I have been surprised by articles that I thought were just OK suddenly skyrocketing and getting lots of rewards and engagement. I guess the key is to stay consistent and just put our work out there, let the audience be the judge!
I´m Sorry for you guys but, no one ever put a foot on the moon and any kind of knowing ship can move on the vacum of space. Easy to prove wirh paper boat, balloon and vacum machine.
I'm sorry that you think that. We live in an amazing time where space is becoming accessible to more people as private companies, and not just governments, are now capable of reliable and effective launches. You are loosing out on an exciting time to be alive.
By the way, please do an experiment with a paper boat, balloon and a vacum machine which you think disproves the ability to move through expelling mass in space. I would love to see that.
I really hope that was ironic, If not then invite me for that experiment as well, would not mind seeing that
I am not sciency in day to day but I do love science fiction and the pull of space is always going to be in mankind
Hello ! I just read your content, I love it. I thank you for this kind of publication. Follow me @meranie and I follow you too!
I can see you have not been here long, so this is friendly advice
please do not beg for follows or post useless replies
contributes with actual thought through answers or articles
If you continue along this route people will start downvoting you and your reputation will go down a lot and you will not get any rewards
An example, just to start:
Seeing as you consider YouTube video as sufficient evidence to form an opinion:
Here's another video to prove that the moon landings could not possibly have been faked. Check-mate!
On a more serious note: Rockets can fly easily in a vacuum as long as there is mass/propellant left to exhaust. People get it wrong when they believe that there needs to be mass or air for the rocket to push against. The combustion in the combustion chambers exhausts mass in the opposite direction of the movement of the rocket and builds a force against the walls inside the chambers that it then pushes against in the direction of the rocket's trajectory. Sufficient to create movement in the desired direction.
obviously, he never do or see any experiment where anything can´t move in the vacum, no matter how strong it is.
Since you seem so adamant about believing stuff you didn't witness first hand, have you done any experiment where you observed that things cannot move in the vacuum?
well, if you talk about "witness", I assume that you were there (in the moon) and you know what you talking.
I put a video above with the experimet. Here is more:
That video show how desperate they are. Is funny, the crazy woman the clown dress guy, and all kind of explanation for kindergarden.
May I ask you who you are thinking about when you say "they"?
Who is it that is desperate? And desperate for what?
first of all, NASA are they, who get 50 millions each day from your taxes.
@fredrikaa That's the big mystery here, even assuming that it was the case, who is "they" and what could they gain from keeping up with such a monumentally complicated and unfathomably expensive lie for decades?
@pepekuri But what about the points they made? Any rebuttal to those?
ok, they say the shadows must be parallels and I agree but, the original photos show otherwise:
Hello ! I just read your content, I love it. I thank you for this kind of publication. Follow me @meranie and I follow you too!
Congratulations @fredrikaa, this post is the seventh most rewarded post (based on pending payouts) in the last 12 hours written by a Hero account holder (accounts that hold between 10 and 100 Mega Vests). The total number of posts by Hero account holders during this period was 258 and the total pending payments to posts in this category was $3780.74. To see the full list of highest paid posts across all accounts categories, click here.
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Great job man! carry on.
thats good.
A big achivment from thier side aperciated him
My post book writing ☺ Wonderful
Big up to my main man Buzz Lightyear!
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STOPThis is excellent @fredrikka! And thanks so much for linking to the full ‘Giant Step’ paper
This is a very good content and quite interesting. Thanks.
Yes I always read your publication. I follow you. Follow me too, please @meranie
Congratulations @fredrikaa!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
Nice Info
Is Elon Musk right?
I wish I was on mars
I am encouraged reading your post. I often wonder if any of it matters. Thank you.
Great post thank you for sharing.
Wow, sometimes I cannot distinguish between noise and real world value/ content. This is cool.
everyone comments on Steem for the win
Awesome story, so glad to see you continue your growth on Steemit. Its no surprise that the passion you have for your work has a way of grabbing others
You just copied someone else's comment.
Its makes me inspired and hope you are doing very well. Good luck with that.