Présentation faite dans le cadre de la conférence annuelle de l'IAF à Naples en Octobre 2012. Travail réalisé par Planète Sciences Midi-Pyrénées et le CNES

1. Blogs and social media:
new tools for outreach, education and
training on space applications:
Know-how and experience of
Planète Sciences and CNES
Gil DENIS (Planète Sciences Midi-Pyrénées)
Séverine KLEIN (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales)
Bérengère GUEGUEN (Planète Sciences Midi-Pyrénées)
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 1

2. Planète Sciences: key figures…
• Non profit organisation, born in 1962.
• More than 1.000 volunteers and
specialised educators.
• 100 full-time employees. Annual budget: 6 M€.
• 10 regional entities.
• Works with 100.000 young people every year
(much more with the large public events).
• Proposes activities in more that 700 schools.
• Organises scientific summer camps.
• Organises training and education sessions
for teachers and educators.
• Partnerships with scientific and research
organisations, industry and cultural
organisations.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 2

3. Planète Sciences: our pedagogic approach
• Objective: raise interest of young people in
sciences and techniques
• Original pedagogical approach:
– Activities at school and during extra-curricular
time with hands-on activities, projects or
workshops, science schools.
– A scientific and technical component: young people
live a real experimental practice: ask questions and
make assumptions, imagine an experimental device,
set up a metrology, exploit the results, etc.
– A methodological dimension: project approach and
team work, similar to industrial methods.
• Focus on activities fostering a multidisciplinary work:
space, robotics, astronomy, environment, meteo, etc.
• Benefits: complement school activities, raise interest for
scientific and technical careers, educate the future citizens.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 3

4. CNES: education and outreach activities
• CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) is the French space agency.
• Created in 1961, CNES mission is to maintain independent access to
space and develop innovative missions in telecommunications, earth
observation and exploration of the Universe.
• Raising awareness of space activities, education and training is also one
of the priorities of CNES.
• CNES’ Youth and Education department is active in three main areas:
– Raise awareness and provide space culture information (web, events)
– Develop and provide educational tools and facilities for hands-on experiment
projects (satellite data, technical equipments, parabolic flights, experimental
balloons and rockets, etc.)
– Train teachers and scientific communicators.
• CNES works in close cooperation with education, teachers and
specialised associations (such as Planète Sciences) to achieve this target.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 4

5. A typical example : un ballon pour l’école
Impressive results obtained with young pupils :
more pleasure and interest for maths and physics
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 5

6. A strategic objective: raise awareness of space activities
• Still a very low awareness of the potential of
the space tools by the operational users and
the general public.
• When it succeeds, space is hidden ! (GPS)
• One major drawback: the need fro long term
continuity is not well understood (e.g. GMES
budget and decision-making issues).
• Space mainly perceived as a tool for science
and research.
• Improving this situation requires a long term action.
• This action plan shall include effort in the communication, education and
professional training domains.
• Addressing this issue only for higher education levels is too late:
Awareness to science shall start early with the youngest people. Space
is a subject that excites young people from the early age.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 6

7. The growing use of social media: new opportunities
for communication, education and outreach activities?
• The social media: a disruption in communication and Internet
• Roles of CNES and Planète Sciences:
– Similar objectives and long term partnership between CNES and Planète
Sciences (1962): propose educational activities for children and teachers.
– Beyond the classical tools (rockets, satellites), increasing interest for
spaces applications and services in the daily life : new opportunities for
education and training activities.
• Increasing presence on social media with different objectives and
means:
– For Planète Sciences: extend the perimeter of its traditional educational
activities on the digital media, where young people are very active.
– For CNES: this new trend is a part of the communication strategy, in order
to reach a wider audience.
• Exchanging the first lessons learnt: an opportunity to better analyse the
results of the two actions.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 7

8. Planète Sciences and the blogosphere
• Rationale: same objectives, new tools, new users.
• Triggered by the impact of EO images on young
children and teachers.
• Attractive support to address either the scientific
and technical issues or the application domains.
• Interpretation of satellites images is also a good
opportunity to understand the importance of
scientific and critical examination.
• Planète Sciences works usually in the classroom.
• Social media: an experiment in order to reach
a wider audience and to evaluate the value of our
methods in a virtual world.
• Part of a wider scientific and technical program
based on hands-on activities and targeting young
people and teachers.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 8

9. “Un autre regard sur la Terre” in a nutshell
• Non-profit education initiative in the field of
scientific and technical culture, especially for
young people, teachers and educators.
• Started in April 2010. Cruise speed as from
September 2010.
• Main objectives: inform, raise awareness
and curiosity of the young public.
• Focused on the role of earth observation
satellites and their environmental
applications.
• Provides education tools for the discovery
and study of space techniques,
environmental issues and sustainable
development.
• Managed and animated by volunteers.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 9

10. Typical contents on “Un autre regard sur la Terre”
• Structure:
– The image is the starting point.
– An attractive text, with input of scientific and
industrial partners (CNES, ESA, Astrium, research,
etc.)
– For more information: a selection of reference links.
– Suggestions for exploitation in the classroom:
environmental and societal issues, technical or
scientific concepts (light, orbits, atmosphere).
• Two access levels:
– Awareness and discovery: users find an article
while browsing the Internet.
– In-depth understanding: more detailed explanations
and resources.
– Challenge: create a flow between the 2 levels.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 10

11. CNES and social media: experience and strategy
• The first steps of CNES in social media
– Facebook page created in 2008.Twitter feed in 2009.
Regular but low level activity.
– 2010: social media are included in the CNES
communication strategy. Growing activity and interactions.
– Livetweets with space events (Q&A with CNES experts).
– First "Tweetup" in 2011: bloggers meet a panel of experts.
• 4 main objectives:
– Information dissemination: reach a wider audience (18-35).
– Means of influence: through fans and enthusiast people. Community of
ambassadors and spokesmen. New spheres not directly involved in space
technologies.
– Image vector: CNES innovates in space technologies but also in
communication.
– A social tool: develop interactivity and address new communities, beyond
the “space club”.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 11

12. Evaluation of impacts
Planète Sciences – Un autre regard sur la Terre
• Increasing traffic: 300,000 viewed
pages and 150,000 unique visitors
in 09/2012.
• 341 articles and 24 static web pages.
• Increasing duration of visits. Interest
of the users goes beyond the triggering
event.
• French language but visits from 164
countries.
• Statistics and messages confirm the
interest of teachers and education actors.
• Google is the main traffic source.
• Access through social media is still marginal but highest traffic
evolution, with Facebook and Twitter. New and promising action on
professional networks.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 12

13. Evaluation of impacts – CNES
• In 2012, Facebook and Twitter are the 3rd and 4th sources of traffic
on the CNES web site, right after Google and direct access (5th and
16th positions in 2011.
• Social media bring more traffic than other CNES sites, industry, space
agencies and research organisations.
• Driven by events: 10% of visits to the site during Curiosity’s landing on
Mars, the traffic generated by social networks represents, 2% on
average.
• In August 2012, the CNES has over 8000 fans on Facebook and
nearly as many followers on Twitter.
• CNES is also regularly active Dailymotion and Flickr. Lower and
experimental presence on Instagram, Scoop.it, Tumblr and
SoundCloud.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 13

14. Profile of the Internet users
• Each social media has a specific function.
• Facebook:
– A discovery tool, where “friends” share
their preferred content.
– Mainly neophytes.
– Contents are shared with kindness and
even enthusiasm, but are not often subject
to debate and interaction.
Other (incl. local Journalists, media
• Twitter: actors around
CNES centres
and communication
professionals
24% 31%
– A tool for information distribution to
opinion leaders.
– More opportunities for conversations and Scientists and
students IT specialists
interactions. 21% 24%
Profile of CNES Twitter users
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 14

15. Lessons learnt
• The event is a catalyst:
– Greatest impact and viral effects with major space events (Ariane 5, MSL).
• The image is a very powerful lever:
– Easy and fast reading (even better than video).
– Images from space (earth observation, astronomy, human flights): powerful
source of information for communication or education activities.
• It is difficult to pass background messages...
– Links to files, detailed articles are contents raise
less interest, at least for the non-informed public.
– CNES events: even when users are highly engaged
during an event, they are absorbed by the event
and not very receptive to core messages.
– Planète Sciences Midi-Pyrénées objective: transform
the short term interest in a long lasting curiosity.
– Some blog pages become very popular, well after
the initial event itself.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 15

16. The best of all worlds? Tricky issues and risks
– High speed propagation of unofficial or not validated
Speed means information.
visibility: – Lower responsiveness of professional organisations
– Understanding the role of bloggers and influencers is
only emerging.
– Border between the private and professional information.
Use of social
– Charter of good practices,
media by
employees: – Raise staff awareness: risks attached to an improper use
of these networks.
– Attacks, rumours or incidents with impacts on reputation.
– E-reputation monitoring (daily sensing, detection of weak
Managing the signals).
e-reputation:
– Identification of spheres of influence.
– Integration of these new media in crisis communication
procedures.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 16

17. Conclusions and recommendations
• Social media: key components of the new digital communication.
• Their growing role shall be taken in the communication strategy.
• No single model: specific solutions for each situation and each
objective.
• Social media will not replace the usual digital tools. Clear objectives to
each platform or tool.
• This approach is meaningful only if part of a long-term strategy.
• A solid knowledge of the culture of the organization is required for the
management of an online community.
• One issue often underestimated: resources and manpower are needed
(initial investment is not enough. Without a sustainable effort, it can
quickly become counterproductive.
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 17

18. More information
gil.denis@planete-sciences.org severine.klein@cnes.fr
www.regard-sur-la-terre.over-blog.com www.image-cnes.fr
www.facebook.com/RegardSurTerre www.facebook.com/pages/CNES
www.twitter.com/RegardSurTerre www.twitter.com/CNES_France
IAC 2012 - E1.7.13 - New Worlds - Innovative Space Education and Outreach - 18