NASA official Aug. 5 statement: “It has become clear that certain cosmic nicknames are not only insensitive but can be actively harmful. NASA is examining its use of unofficial terminology for cosmic objects as part of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion….The Agency will be working with diversity, inclusion, and equity experts in the astronomical and physical sciences to provide guidance and recommendations for other nicknames and terms for review.”
“NASA will no longer refer to planetary nebula NGC 2392 as the “Eskimo Nebula.” “Eskimo” is widely viewed as a colonial term with a racist history, imposed on the indigenous people of Arctic regions.” – “NASA will also no longer use the term ‘Siamese Twins Galaxy’ to refer to a pair of spiral galaxies.”
Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters in DC: “Our goal is that all names are aligned with our values of diversity and inclusion, and we’ll proactively work with the scientific community to help ensure that.”
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Reaction was swift: “Seriously: Is this what is holding us back in space? Is the Sombrero Galaxy anti-Mexican? Is the Bullet cluster too violent? Should we now say “holes of color”? wrote Eric Weinstein. “Isn’t this mostly just wallowing?” he added. “Dwarf stars will henceforth be known as volumetrically challenged stars,” a Twitter critique noted.
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By: Marc Morano – Climate DepotAugust 8, 2020 11:08 AM with 0 comments
Climate Depot Special Report
NASA has dove into identity politics in recent months with two high profile NASA scientists shifting the focus from science to politics. NASA scientist Dr. Kate Marvel links ‘climate change’ to ‘white supremacy’ – ‘We’ll never head off climate catastrophe without dismantling white supremacy’ – Calls for climate & racial ‘justice’
In addition, other fields of science are going woke as well.Ornithologists Call For Allegedly Racist Bird Names To Be Changed – Some names ‘represent colonialism, racism and inequality’
Full NASA Statement:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-to-reexamine-nicknames-for-cosmic-objects
NASA to Reexamine Nicknames for Cosmic Objects
Distant cosmic objects such as planets, galaxies, and nebulae are sometimes referred to by the scientific community with unofficial nicknames. As the scientific community works to identify and address systemic discrimination and inequality in all aspects of the field, it has become clear that certain cosmic nicknames are not only insensitive, but can be actively harmful. NASA is examining its use of unofficial terminology for cosmic objects as part of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
As an initial step, NASA will no longer refer to planetary nebula NGC 2392, the glowing remains of a Sun-like star that is blowing off its outer layers at the end of its life, as the “Eskimo Nebula.” “Eskimo” is widely viewed as a colonial term with a racist history, imposed on the indigenous people of Arctic regions. Most official documents have moved away from its use. NASA will also no longer use the term “Siamese Twins Galaxy” to refer to NGC 4567 and NGC 4568, a pair of spiral galaxies found in the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. Moving forward, NASA will use only the official, International Astronomical Union designations in cases where nicknames are inappropriate.
“I support our ongoing reevaluation of the names by which we refer to astronomical objects,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters, Washington. “Our goal is that all names are aligned with our values of diversity and inclusion, and we’ll proactively work with the scientific community to help ensure that. Science is for everyone, and every facet of our work needs to reflect that value.” …
The Agency will be working with diversity, inclusion, and equity experts in the astronomical and physical sciences to provide guidance and recommendations for other nicknames and terms for review.
Many made jokes about NASA’s new initiative. “Dwarf stars will henceforth be known as volumetrically challenged stars,” a Twitter critic noted.
“This is silly. As long as Uranus doesn’t get changed I’ll be able to sleep at night though,” wrote another on Twitter.
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NASA has dove into identity politics in recent months with two high profile NASA scientists shifting the focus from science to politics. NASA scientist Dr. Kate Marvel links ‘climate change’ to ‘white supremacy’ – ‘We’ll never head off climate catastrophe without dismantling white supremacy’ – Calls for climate & racial ‘justice’
A NASA Jet Propulsion Lab climate scientist has linked race and climate issues during the racial protests sweeping the nation. NASA’s Peter Kalmus wrote:
“Here’s why race justice and climate justice are one & the same: The oppressive extractive plutocracies that colonize and kill black bodies and colonize and kill our planet are one and the same.”
Kalmus (peter.m.kalmus@jpl.nasa.gov) was responding to the protests and riots springing up across the country in the wake of allegations of racism in law enforcement. Kalmus added: “They’d literally rather have a race war than charge even one cop for murdering an innocent black man.”
And NASA’s Dr. Kate Marvel declared on June 1: “Climate justice and racial justice are the same thing, and we’ll never head off climate catastrophe without dismantling white supremacy.” Marvel is an Associate Research Scientist at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City.
In 2018, Marvel (katherine.d.marvel@nasa.gov) replied “DAMN RIGHT” when she tweeted out a Newsweek article titled: “Science Should Be A Feminist Institution.”
According to a 2018 article at Think Progress, “Marvel said she admires what Ocasio-Cortez and the Sunrise Movement activists are doing with appeals to support a Green New Deal.” According to Marvel: “What I do admire about that is the fact they are using new language. It’s not just, ‘Look at the sad polar bear,” Marvel said. “This is not talking about climate change like it’s this isolated issue. It’s talking about it in the context of all these other things that people care about. And I think that’s absolutely the right way to look at it,” she said.
Climate Depot Note: Climate activists have tried to link Racism and “white supremacy” to climate change for years. See: Identity politics invades climate change debate
Does Dr. Marvel also believe the “white man’s science” is different from other branches of science? See:2019: ‘White People’ blamed for causing Cyclone Idai in Africa – ‘Even the white man’s own science corroborates what we blacks know’
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NASA adopts policies of loony left. Pretty soon it will be impossible to talk at all without offending someone.
OK, change the names of celestial bodies, (can I say that?) but leave the bird names alone. If I can’t make puns about Great Tits that’s half my act gone. And don’t get me started on Hornbills. Oh yeah, and Swallows (snigger)
Just as soon as you think that the Stupidity has peaked, they go over the top yet again.
It’s all over the place, these people don’t have enough to do. As I recently wrote an officer in a scientific society, it is getting more difficult to defend universities. It is also getting more easy to offend them, increasingly deserved.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-018-0108-y
“In the wake of the pandemic, institutions elsewhere should consider adopting diversity quotas, Maas says. “Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion should be mandatory for institutions,” she says. “There should be concrete numbers and targets that institutions have to set for themselves. It was already urgent, but it’s more urgent in this moment.””
And they rely on some really strong statistics–“An analysis of preprints submitted to the servers arXiv and bioRxiv suggests that female productivity was affected during the early months of the pandemic. For example, in March and April 2020, the physical-sciences repository arXiv received 6.4% more submissions with male first authors than in the same period the previous year — but only 2.7% more submissions with female first authors.”
Something weird going on – Looks like there are basically two copies of the same report in the text.
So Disney’s Lady and the Tramp needs to be burned as well, right? Not only is it derogatory about Homeless dogs aka Tramp … but one of the most memorable scenes are the Siamese cats … proudly singing … “we are Siamese, if you please, if you please” … ohhhhhh maaaa’maaaaaaa … I’m soooo racist for even mentioning that Classic Film
They’ve already started on the classic films, so might as well.
Clearly NASA’s budget is too big and there is nothing of importance in science for some of these idiots to do. Cut their budget immediately and spend the money on something useful like fixing the windows of businesses destroyed by BLM “peaceful” demonstrations.
‘Cuz like some of my best friends, man, are like simeze twins and eskimoze. And stuff. And that galaxy sh*t really hurts their feelings.
Re:
I was a redhead when I used to have hair. I went online and Googled for galaxies that should offend redheads but couldn’t find any. Don’t know what to make of that.
If this is all NASA has to do we should just fire the lot of them and save the country billions of dollars.
….. but, but, but, some of them have real jobs, faking the temperature record. Where would we be without those hard-working giants of science ??
I have a friend who claims to be a Mexskimo. He wears a parkabrero. But that is not important.
What is important is that highly paid government functionaries are censoring and cancelling like Big Brother’s witless lackeys without any guilt or remorse. The Overlords are hard at work dictating social malarky while the taxpayer class chokes on the gruel they spew.
NASA has now cancel-cultured itself into total irrelevance. They have lost all competence and gained superfluousness. They are a useless burden. Delete them.
Does he live in a casagloo or igcasa?
This is what happens when government agencies have to make diversity hires from non-STEM fields. Wokeness infests and then the dumb senior managers are unable to say Stop the madness.
From Dr. Marvel’s 2017 Ted Talk
Translation:
We don’t know squat, but we need to fix it.
Now!
And US taxpayers are paying for this drivel?
Just name everything Wakanda. It’ll be fine.
Only one possible answer to this one. Don’t eat the yellow snow!
Actually, jokes and mocking aside, what really narks me with this woke rubbish is the amount of extra pointless work that needs to be created.
Little Miss or Mister Self Important Git may think it is a simple case of changing the offending word into a less offending word. The problem here is that you are not running an anarcho syndicalist commune where decisions can be simply ratified at special bi weekly meetings, you are part of a large scale scientific organisation with version controlled documents.
You change Green Parrot to Blue Steel on a feel good whim and you need to make sure ALL your documents are up-reved.
Prats
My calendar must be wrong. I thought April Fool’s Day has already occurred this year.
Besides, “NGC 2392” is much catchier and easier to remember than “Eskimo Nebula.”.
NASA
Surely the ‘N’ has to go.
In fact the entire agency reeks of privilege.
Defund the entire thing.
Any ETs arriving from space and seeking to “colonize” the Earth will not be allowed.
They’ll be shamed on Twitter until they stop, and go away.
Earth will also not be “colonizing” any other planets under the new plan. We can “peacefully occupy” the planets, but no “Captain Kirk” types will be allowed, due to his toxic “Western European Colonialist Masculinity”.
Can we use the word “Indian”?
The Milky Way…… I mean duh….. if that’s not a dog whistle to white supremacists.
Milky Way is white. Why does milk have to be white?
soooo here’s another tribute to Frank Zappa:
“Let’s make the milk turn black…”
Er…. we call that ‘chocolate milk’?!!
We’ll see the Hockey Stick Galaxy yet!
Truly,the lunatics have taken over the asylum.
Well, there goes Uranus!
It is all well and good that they finally got round to reading the novel “1984”, but it is double plus ungood that they misunderstood its purpose (truly a warning) is NOT an instruction manual. Newspeak is all about restricting ideas. Not what a supposedly scientific and exploratory agency should be engaging in.
OMG – just wait until Armageddon Pompeo discovers, from his Pastor in Rapture, that China’s famous Shenzhou series is variously translated as Divine vessel, Divine craft, or Divine ship.
And not only tha,t the Tiāngōng yīhào – ‘Heaven’s Palace 1″ or “Celestial Palace” space station too!
Looks like China has hijacked Heaven, and poor Armageddon Pompeo forgot to claim “Clean Heaven”. That could ruin the entire Last Day!
Meanwhile back at the Ranch, what will NASA now name Artemis? After all the warrior sister of Apollo was no tulip.