For those of us in the US, at least. I'm probably not going to articulate this well as its slightly complicated (but not terribly so) and I'm a wee bit tired. Anyway, the local FCC Franchising Authority generally requires cable systems to carry C-SPAN on all their package levels. The reason behind this is in order to ensure a more informed electorate. So, even if you've got the package which carries only the local broadcast channels (like I have), you also get C-SPAN as part of the deal. (Admittedly, its buried on the high end of the channels.)

Of course, the question is: What good will getting NASA TV on everyone's cable system do? Well, let's think about it for a moment. I have a feeling that you're average HBer is the kind of person who tends spend their time, when they're not listening to certain radio programs that feed into their beliefs, surfing TV. (They're definitely not out there combing through NASA's website.) So, one night they're flipping through the channels, trying to find something other than infomercials to watch when they stumble on NASA TV. At least some of them are going to think that they're "clever" enough to catch "mistakes" which "prove" that the Moon landings were fake. Out of those, a few of them are going to watch what's on the channel and conclude that we did land on the Moon.

If nothing else, however, it'll help to raise awareness about what NASA does among the general public and that can only be a good thing. So, to get NASA TV carried, you can bug your cable company (which may or may not work), or, if you look on the front of your monthly cable bill, you'll find the address for your local FCC Franchising Authority. Dropping them a note, and pointing out that your local cable company isn't required to carry NASA TV (which is paid for by your tax dollars), while being required to carry C-SPAN, is a bit strange. Both entities (along with the various military cable channels) provide information for the "public good" and having access to them enable the general public to make more informed decisions about their government. (Hopefully someone more eloquent than me can post a sample letter to better articulate the points.)

It certainly can't hurt to try.

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We want our children to go to the planets. Burt Rutan 6/21/04 K.I.L.L. S.M.U.R.F.S.
Tuckers! Automotive Oddities! Building my hot rod with the help of the intarwebs Those who would delay scientific progress for a little temporary prosperity shall have neither. MachineCast Save the planet, by leaving it! "To be second in space is to be second in everything," LBJ.

Great idea, but, how much has c-span really done to create a more informed electorate?

*brakes screeching*
stopping right there to avoid sliding in to the verboden politics angle.

I wonder what proportion of HBers are actually open minded enough to have their minds changed by getting more information ("Oh, really? Wow, I feel a bit silly now"). Most seem fairly impervious to evidence, logic or common sense.

I think a more likely response from HBs is:

"See! NASA's so desparate to keep the coverup alive they created a whole TV channel just to spread their disinformation! NASA channel is PROOF that the moon landings were faked! Undeniable PROOF!!!".

I've always said that it depends on your definition. Of everyone who falls under the broadest definition of the term, I'd suspect about fifty percent or better--they're just ignorant and have been swayed by people who sound as though they know what they're talking about. Of the die-hard, vocal ones? Five percent on a good day. On the other hand, I suspect the die-hard, vocal ones are about five percent of that community, so that's something. A substantial proportion are those who don't care about the Moon at all but are just going through a "reject all authority" phase they will get over. The rest . . . won't.

To clarify--you cannot reason with the ones going through the phase now; they will probably change their minds over time just by maturing.

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"

There are no doubt some hardcore folks who'll never accept the truth, but a larger portion of folks are no doubt "fence sitters" or at least believe its possible that the landings were faked. These folks, being exposed to more information about NASA, are likely to flip to the channel and be swayed into realizing that we did go. Additionally, if they have easy access to the channel (rather than having to google it up and watching it on the web), they'll probably check the channel out before they go spending money on this or that book/video which claims to "prove we never went to the Moon." The more money we can cut from folks like BS, the more he has to keep driving that cab!

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We want our children to go to the planets. Burt Rutan 6/21/04 K.I.L.L. S.M.U.R.F.S.
Tuckers! Automotive Oddities! Building my hot rod with the help of the intarwebs Those who would delay scientific progress for a little temporary prosperity shall have neither. MachineCast Save the planet, by leaving it! "To be second in space is to be second in everything," LBJ.