Search
Close this search box.

NASA Goes Woke: Bye Bye ‘Eskimo Nebula’ & ‘Siamese Twins Galaxy’ – NASA will ‘address systemic discrimination & inequality’ in ‘terminology for cosmic objects’

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’

NASA climate scientist Dr. Peter Kalmus: ‘Race justice & climate justice are one & the same: Oppressive extractive plutocracies that colonize & kill black bodies & colonize & kill our planet are one & the same’

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.

#

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’

NASA climate scientist Dr. Peter Kalmus: ‘Race justice & climate justice are one & the same: Oppressive extractive plutocracies that colonize & kill black bodies & colonize & kill our planet are one & the same’

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 ([email protected]) 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 ([email protected]) 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’

#

Related Links: 

CLAIM: ‘Climate Change Becoming a Deadly Part of White Nationalism’ – Identity politics invades climate change debate

The Environmental Movement Needs to Reckon with Its Racist History – Because racism in environmentalism hasn’t gone away, and it’s holding the movement back. – By Julian Brave NoiseCat – Indigenous peoples and people of color are disproportionately affected by our global climate crisis. But in the mainstream green movement and in the media, they are often forgotten or excluded. This is Tipping Point, a new VICE series that covers environmental justice stories about and, where possible, written by people in the communities experiencing the stark reality of our changing planet.

Why I Quit Being a Climate Activist – “The climate movement is overwhelmingly white. So I walked away.” – By Karin Louise Hermes – But after a while I realized I would only be called upon when climate organizations needed an inspiring story or a “diverse” voice, contacts for a campaign, or to participate in a workshop for “fun” when everyone else on the (all-white) project was getting paid.  Whenever I would question the whiteness of these spaces and how strategies didn’t take race into account, I would be met with uncomfortable silences. The last time, at a nationwide movement-building workshop last April, I was asked, “Well then, why are you even here?” So I decided not to be there anymore. After four years of helping organize direct actions, speeches, workshops, and countless video calls, I started hiding and declining requests. I was burned out.

Share: