The recent launch of NASA's Orion spacecraft whipped the media into a frenzy. It was headline news across mainstream broadcasts and publications. We want the media to support spaceflight and help build a support base for it. They certainly came to the party for Orion, and we should generally be happy about this. There's just one problem. NASA seems to have misled more people than the space community may suspect.

The word "Mars" was placed next to Orion in more than half the headlines this analyst encountered. It was featured in almost every story. Never mind NASA's highest hopes for Orion, which could (in theory) become an element of a Mars program in the future.

Through over-simplification and misleading media management, NASA just sold a non-existent Mars program to a well-meaning but ill-informed public. Around the world, millions of lay people probably think that NASA is on the brink of launching one of these capsules on a mission to the red planet.

Like the fine print in a contract that conceals bad news, NASA will point out that they didn't lie, and that they have never claimed to have any directive to go to Mars in the near future. That's all true. But it is also true that PR for the Orion program has been "spun" in such a way that a casual reader could easily believe this was the case. It's certainly true for a lot of journalists, who serve as the bridge between NASA and much of the community.

That's sloppy media management, and in my opinion, it's also unethical. Commercial advertisements can produce legal action by government and consumer protection authorities when they are found to mislead. NASA's promotion for the Orion program comes close to fitting this category.

NASA likes to talk up (and exaggerate) the significance of its missions and its discoveries. We're used to it. But we have never seen anything quite like this in recent times.

While it is theoretically possible that Orion could eventually become an element of a human Mars mission, this analyst feels that it is most unlikely. Orion is poorly funded. It won't carry astronauts before 2021, assuming that it isn't axed before then, or subject to further delays. Getting to Mars will require huge amounts of research, development and cash. By the time this planet is ready to place footprints on the planet next door, Orion will probably be defunct or irrelevant to the Mars mission plan.

There's going to be an enormous come-down when the truth about the future of Orion finally sinks in. Fair or not, many people will feel that NASA has let them down or tricked them. This could sabotage public support for NASA at a time when they cannot afford to gain more enemies. NASA has enough troubles already in building a support base. Poor and misleading media briefings could make a bad situation even worse.

Dr Morris Jones is an Australian space analyst who has written for spacedaily.com since 1999. Email morrisjonesNOSPAMhotmail.com. Replace NOSPAM with @ to send email. Dr Jones will answer media inquiries.

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