Starship Asterisk*

Thank you for posting all the wonderous photos through out the years - Yes, these images have sent me to inquire about further info. on the NASA site many times. I love this window into our larger world, and I certainly hope that NASA will continue to educate the general public.
Greater global connections and appreciation of the wonder of our cosmos is paramount in the times. I applaud this effort and want to see it flourish.
julie perkins

Just love APOD. I come here almost every day at lunch time. What a great break from the regular routine of the day.
My understanding of the scope of work NASA undertakes has increased immensely because of APOD. Many of the missions that are not news headlines are now on my radar.
Thanks for the very interesting and informative site!

While I cannot say that APOD has, in general, increased my interest in NASA, it has increased my interest in specific NASA Centers. You see, my father worked as a Civil Servant for NASA-JSC from 1965 until his retirement in 2006, and I have worked for NASA-JSC as a contractor for nearly 20 years. As a kid, I always dreamed of seeing the "Star Trek" fantasy come to fruition, always dreamed of seeing humans explore the cosmos. To be a part of that is intoxicating when things go right. And while the ever-changing moving target called “NASA’s mission” and the red tape are maddening, and being under the charge of a non-scientific community (i.e., Congress and the Executive Branch) can be demoralizing at times, I cannot imagine doing or wanting to do anything else. Because of that, I think that APOD always REAFFIRMS why I stay here and continually shows others why we need to keep going. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope."

Beautiful and wonderful. And closer to God are we.

I have been interested in NASA since watching the Gemini Project on grainy B&W TV as a child - APOD has not so much increased my interest as helped maintain it in the face of creeping apathy from the media. APOD, to me, is not so much a forum for NASA as an amazing window on our amazing universe displayed in many ways by various sources.

bobmacw wrote:There is one thing I see missing on the APOD page - a durable link for re-posting. There are many great APODs that I want to share, and in so doing get other people interested. But it seems the only way to do this is to wait until it's archived, and share the archive link. But maybe I'm just not seeing it.
Keep up the great work.

You can get the permanent link on the day of posting by clicking the backward and forward navigation links (the less than or equal to and greater than or equal to signs). For instance, today's (Tuesday's) link is http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120626.html.

I voted: AGREE
Since I've always had a fairly high interested in NASA, there wasn't much APOD or anything else could do to make it much higher, so I couldn't really vote Strongly Agree. However, APOD often tells me about things I didn't know NASA was doing, and I often follow links to learn more details about these NASA missions, programs, educational events, etc. APOD also sometimes opens up a conversation with other people, so I can spread a little interest in NASA and astronomy in general. Just one of the many benefits of APOD. So, keep up the great work!

I voted "strongly agree" but also feel that it could be misleading. The APOD site reinforces my interest in NASA, and gives me a tool with which to interest others, but it would be quite a feat to increase my interest.
Thanks to all who have a hand in this project. It is a daily delight!

I have a daily cron job on my computer that fetches the latest image and makes it my wallpaper, but I always check the site manually so I can read the blurb.

I don't know that the site has increased my interest in NASA - I've been a fan since I was an 8-year-old boy following every detail of the Apollo program! But APOD certainly maintains my interest by keeping me informed about NASA's current missions.

Another John P

I look forward to every photograph -they are all fascinating

John P

one of the best site ever. a gift to mankind! congratulations to all the people involved!

The greatest information I get about our place in the universe is a combination of this site (APOD) and science, astronomy documenteries on the Science, Histories, NASA, Discovery cable channels. Along with Scientific American, and Astronomy magazines.

Look!.. Up in the sky!... it's a moon, a planet, a sun, a star...! No.. It's Super Nova!

R. Hickey

I respectfully decline to answer the poll because the literally correct answer for me would be "strongly disagree", since my interest in NASA isn't likely to increase without becoming full blown OCD, and following APOD isn't likely to induce psychological disorders.

EveningStarNM wrote:I can't say that APOD has increased my interest in NASA because I've always been very interested in NASA. But APOD is an absolute delight, and it's often my launch pad into other discoveries on NASA's web site. Thank you!

Ditto for us. We are both interested in NASA and astronomy in general. APOD has made NASA delights more accessible.

I share the APOD in our daily community e-newsletter.

Thank you.

Curious poll; NASA in general or NASA missions?
I think APOD is an excellent channel for promoting interest in Astronomy and related sciences; not so much NASA as they have their own mission pages. Actually it gives visibility to less well known research organizations of which most of the general public is unaware.

I visit this site every day. The photos, info and links are most inspiring and interesting. I can't remember when I first discovered APOD but I've been through many computers since I did.

Thank you for a most wonderful site.

Beautiful stuff; I've been reading since shortly after its inception.

At a rate of one quarter of one penny per tax dollar spent by the average taxpayer - the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an example of the best money spent.

Imagine what would happen to our technological capabilities if we increased that from one quarter penny to one half penny !

Please add to this list of best monies spent, USGS, National Park Service, National Forest Service, National Weather Service, United States Coast Guard and others.

Glenriven wrote:I wish I could find a NASA web page that was built like JPL's web site. JPL shows missions, then breaks them into past, present and planned, then when you select a particular mission, it gives you options like launch vehicle and continues through the science etc.. Where is Voyager 1? how far away now? That sort of thing.

http://www.nasa.gov/missions/index.html

I wish I could find a NASA web page that was built like JPL's web site. JPL shows missions, then breaks them into past, present and planned, then when you select a particular mission, it gives you options like launch vehicle and continues through the science etc.. Where is Voyager 1? how far away now? That sort of thing.

Am always excited about space, especially with the Planetary Resources stepping up.

The handling of mission science info by NASA, not so much.
I cant get any info on basalts, and they finally released some of the geology mapping.
I can't get access to any of the reports that were at the SRI convention ?
They are being led around by the SLS, and can't keep commercial crew funded.
We are pouring all our money into Mars and Jovian, and can't get an ice planet program together.
I liked the NEO direction we were headed, and including the moon as a test bed for long term and eqpt testing is more essential right now, than another gas tester at mars or jupiter. We need to 3D print in space, lets learn how to do it NOW !

I used to go to unmanned spaceflight alot.
but with the minute amount of info released in drops by the lead scientists, is just frustrating.
Except the Cassini info, a bounty !

Thank you so much for teaching me something new every day. Keep up the amazing work!

I'm with jvv and her/his comments. Although I strongly agreed that the APOD has increased my interest in NASA, that is really not true. I have been maximally interested in NASA and its missions since it was birthed out the NACA. What APOD does for me is 1) to show me in a very minor way the breadth and depth of the research carried on under the NASA aegis; 2) to show me the profound beauty in this science (to balance the profound beauty I see in the biological sciences wherein I do my own research) :fishy: , and last, but not least, to assist me in keeping a proper balance, focus, and perspective. To everybody involved with APOD, THANK YOU!!!

Love the site and all the beautiful photographs. Unfortunately NASA is a lost cause due to budget cuts and general shortsightedness of too many people. If humans are to survive long term we must expand beyond this planet. Few understand this.

I fall between jvv and zorks ... (and i was tempted to answer "disagree".. i think the survey question is poorly worded for most of us).. and i'm still willing to freeze my toes.
APOD (by itself) doesn't increase my interest in NASA. It helps maintain it.
It *does* cause me to appreciate that NASA is still allocating resources for public outreach in the popular vein.
It *is* one of our "start the morning" sites (along with EPOD and Earth Observatory page of the day)

Love the site and greatly appreciate the effort