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DIGITAL LEARNING:
NASA Eclipse Case Study
When NASA teamed up with The Exploratorium to broadcast a livestream of the 2017 total solar eclipse, they turned to Edu for help understanding the viewers’ experience.
THE CHALLENGE
In summer 2017 a total solar eclipse swept across the United States. The Exploratorium, an iconic San Francisco science museum, partnered with NASA to provide live coverage of the eclipse. They shared it with the world via livestream, social media, a mobile app, and live programs and on-demand videos in English and Spanish.
NASA wanted to know the reach and impact of the project, and determine if it engaged the public in eclipse science.
THE OUTCOME
Our evaluation study showed that 63 million people viewed the livestream, and 50 major media outlets broadcasted the NASA eclipse livestream to over 100 million people.
To understand impact, Edu used custom software to analyze 16.5 million tweets. We found that people on Twitter were excited, and that detailed conversations about eclipse science continued for days after the eclipse.
A panel of viewers and education experts agreed that the live programming and on-demand videos were engaging and high-impact.