Astrobiology Is At A Pivot Point
A Twitter sequence about the present and future of Astrobiology.
Sometimes Twitter is a better way to encapsulate a thought than a simple narrative.
The diversity of the attendees at #AbSciCon19 is literally a world away from what it was at the birth on #Astrobiology in the late 90s in terms of gender, ethnicity, geography and academic discipline. This suggests a bright future for this field. 1/5 #AbSciCon19 pic.twitter.com/sfJakPSswA
— Astrobiology (@astrobiology) June 26, 2019
Alas, just as #Astrobiology has started to come into its own, @NASA seems to be shy about talking about it and not using the word "astrobiology" in press releases and websites about missions and research searching for life elsewhere. 2/5 #AbSciCon19 pic.twitter.com/4rELxO1G4A
— Astrobiology (@astrobiology) June 26, 2019
While research into life's origins and presence in the universe is studied across @NASA and at universities the agency is incapable of coordinating all #Astrobiology research into a coordinated plan that is presented in a public-facing fashion. 3/5 #AbSciCon19 pic.twitter.com/FGKvFule1H
— Astrobiology (@astrobiology) June 26, 2019
So long as #Astrobiology at @NASA is a fragmented, "stove piped" endeavor, it will fail to rise to the top of the agency's overall priorities in terms of funding and impact on mission design. 4/5 #AbSciCon19 pic.twitter.com/jL3fZQf2Ld
— Astrobiology (@astrobiology) June 26, 2019
The nearly 1,000 astrobiologists at #AbSciCon19 represent a powerful potential force for initiating change in this regard. If @NASA does not provide leadership then the #astrobiology community must step forth at do so. If not us, then who? 5/5 #AbSciCon19 pic.twitter.com/OKRVjeBVQO
— Astrobiology (@astrobiology) June 26, 2019
