NASA in crisis: The space agency's public relations efforts regarding the hubble space telescope

Abstract

This study examines NASA's public relations efforts regarding the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990. It proposes that NASA's poor public relations exacerbated the problems caused by the telescope's spherical aberration. To a great extent, NASA brought the crisis on itself. It oversold the telescope before it was deployed; it failed to developed a clear plan for dealing with first-light images and early release of photographs; it provided misleading flight reports; and it reported prematurely and incorrectly that the Hubble could not produce photographs. NASA's poor handling of the Hubble, coupled with its poor handling of the Challenger explosion, suggests the agency must improve its crisis communications if it hopes to maintain the trust and support of Congress and the American people into the twenty-first century.