In the run-up to the first anniversary of the first ever landing on a comet, our DLR Editor Karin Ranero Celius attended Smart Content Day 2015 in Vienna on 29 October. There, she presented some of our communications work carried out on behalf of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Philae lander, including the Twitter account for which she tweets.
This year’s largest Austrian conference focused on content strategy and content marketing. With the theme ‘Digital First, Social First, Mobile First’, a variety of speakers were also in attendance giving talks on communication in the digital age.
As part of our contract with DLR, we are involved in a variety of their English language communications projects, including managing the popular @Philae2014 Twitter account. DLR’s Philae Lander touched down on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November following a 10 year journey through the Solar System.
About a year ago we did something no one has done before. And we told the story of it.
Karin told the story of the comet landing and explained the communication techniques used to personify the spacecraft. A mission such as Rosetta, in which we are continuously entering new territory, is constantly facing the unknown, and so communication with the scientists was of utmost importance. Karin explained why Philae tweets in English, since his mission is one for humanity. She also focused on how important collaboration between agencies is for the success of a mission and communicating the mission to the world.
Still in space, the lander has been tweeting in first person, and will continue to do so until the end of its mission.
Related links
