May 30, 2005
Want to Be an Astronaut? How One CNN Anchor Nearly Grasped the Job
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/30/business/media/30space.html?pagewanted=print
But for the wreck of the shuttle Columbia in early 2003, Miles O'Brien of
CNN might have been the first American journalist in space. And it would
have taken an unusual deal between CNN and NASA, accompanied by a hefty
donation, to do it.
Mr. O'Brien's audacious plan to see the black sky for himself began in the
1990's with conversations with the Russian space agency, but Ted Turner,
the founder of CNN, called the $7 million price tag too high. Mr. O'Brien
later made an unusual offer to NASA: He would undergo the standard two-year
training regimen to be a full participant in the mission.
Sean O'Keefe, NASA's administrator at the time, said the commitment made
the difference: "We don't have any room for straphangers." CNN, a division
of Time Warner, could not reimburse the space agency directly for the
flight, but agreed to make a multimillion-dollar contribution to a
nonprofit education organization.
Wouldn't that arrangement have raised issues of objectivity and hindrances
in newsgathering? "Huge issues," Mr. O'Brien said, adding that he worked
with CNN's ethical adviser on guidelines to ensure that he would remain a
journalist and to decide what circumstances might require him to "blow the
deal."
In September 2002, NASA and CNN had a "green-light lunch" and concluded a
new policy for taking journalists, artists and writers into space. The
program was to be announced two weeks after the flight of the Columbia.
When the Columbia broke up on its return to Texas, killing all seven
astronauts, Mr. O'Brien recalled thinking, "There goes my dream."
Mr. O'Brien was silent until last week, when he told his story to The
Orlando Sentinel. "It never felt appropriate to talk about it," he said,
"because it was such a terrible tragedy on so many greater dimensions than
my little efforts."
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post.
_______________________________________________
MEDIANEWS mailing list
[email protected]
To unsubscribe send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
