Dwayne Johnson, star of 'Planet 51', touts the US space program

Dwayne Johnson, the actor formerly known as “the Rock”, has cut a public service announcement for NASA just in time for a tie in for his new animated film, ‘Planet 51’. While getting Dwayne Johnson was a good catch for NASA Public Affairs, the thrust of the PSA left something to be desired.

For decades, even before the Apollo program ended, NASA has tried to seem “relevant” by touting technological “spin-offs.” “Spin-offs” are technological innovations, developed for space exploration, that have come to have more Earthly applications.

But NASA Public Affairs seems to miss the whole point of having a space program. One does not maintain a space station or propose returning to the Moon, at considerable expense, in order to develop freeze dried fruit.
“Spin-offs” are certainly real and are a valid argument when discussing the cost/benefit of having a national space program. But one would wish that NASA Public Affairs would talk more about the direct benefits of exploring space, particularly with human beings. Many of those benefits are in the future, of course, but that makes the argument for maintaining (and even expanding) a publicly funded space program all the more cogent.