Article Posted on : - Nov 13, 2008

ESA channel on YouTube. ESA photo

PARIS (BNS): To popularize science, whet the appetite of space lovers and more so give a human face to the work done at the European Space Agency (ESA), the agency has launched its own YouTube site.

Officially launched on Friday last, the ESA YouTube channel is part of a new communications strategy. An official at the ESA said that the growing popularity of internet-based social media and networking channels, such as YouTube, is enabling ESA to reach important new target audiences and engage the public using ESA productions in novel ways.

Peter Hulsroj, ESA’s Director of Legal Affairs and External Relations, said that the ESA YouTube channel will send a clear signal that ESA is following world trends in communication. “We are developing new ways to share more information and increase the public’s awareness of space. Communication plays an essential role in the European Member States actually capitalising on the investment they make in us,” Hulsroj said.

He said that the ESA was sitting on a treasure trove of information that is of great interest to the general public. “It would be a shame if this treasure trove could only be seen by specialists. We are funded ultimately by the taxpayers, so we have a real duty to bring ‘space’ to them, and this new channel is one of the ways to do just that. The wonderfully inspirational aspect of space has a special relevance for the youth, and bringing the message via YouTube ensures that we reach this audience by also using one of its preferred communication tools. Clearly ‘space’ is also hip,” Hulsroj said.

The ESA official said that ESA would regularly upload new clips with coverage of space events and activities, presenting ESA in an easily recognisable style. He said that these will provide insights into space-related topics and the work done by ESA. The general public can understand it more easily even when the presenters or interviewees are space specialists. There is also a scope for the viewers to leave their comments and rate it when they engage with the ESA content on YouTube, the official said.