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Across 42 years at NASA, Wade Sisler \u2014 executive producer at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland\u2014watched the edge of human knowledge progress. During that time, the tools for visualizing and communicating those discoveries evolved just as rapidly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve spent my career surrounded by people with amazing curiosity and intellect, pursuing questions that could change the way we see the universe, both literally and metaphorically,\u201d Sisler said.<\/p>\n
From his start as a student photographer at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley, Sisler ultimately became a creative force behind some of NASA\u2019s most iconic science storytelling. He transitioned to videography when he realized the wonder and understanding the medium could convey.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fidelity of the story you could tell with pictures through video was so impactful,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was just pure awe. So I gave up my Hasselblads, trading the sheer beauty of imagery for the much more powerful storytelling tools that came with the emerging field of video \u2014 specifically the ability to take the audience with you to experience the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the 1980s and \u201990s, Sisler worked as a producer on a wide range of projects, translating complex research into short documentaries and educational broadcasts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were helping people see things that had never been seen before, and showing them relationships that they never knew existed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In one of his favorite early assignments, Sisler worked with astronaut Mae Jemison for a video project on space frogs. Jemison was studying how frog embryos develop in microgravity on the space shuttle. Sisler also had a hand in early virtual reality systems, producing one of the first videos depicting how VR could work.<\/p>\n
Sisler eventually moved from NASA Ames to NASA Headquarters in Washington. There, he helped modernize NASA TV.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were shifting it from just mission-oriented content to a television news feed, exploring ideas to align with national news interests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In one of his pilot stories, he produced a video and story news package about the Hubble Space Telescope\u2019s observations of the Eagle Nebula.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey handed me a 16-by-20-inch print of the Eagle Nebula right after Hubble imaged it,\u201d he said. His team used a robotic camera to pan around the image while narration explained what viewers were seeing. \u201cWe wondered if we put that little microcosm of a story into a news feed, would anybody use it? And it ended up being used thousands and thousands of times, validating the NASA TV model with a bona fide science story and giving me a glimpse of the exciting stuff I could do.\u201d<\/p>\n
While at NASA Headquarters, Sisler also negotiated an IMAX agreement that led to new 3D films (including ones Sisler worked on, like the 1997 \u201cMission to Mir\u201d and 2002 \u201cSpace Station 3D\u201d). After a few years, he moved on to NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in 1997 as an executive producer. Goddard\u2019s communications team was small and had little experience in visual storytelling, so he joined the team to nurture its growth.<\/p>\n
In the late \u201990s, Wade teamed up with NASA\u2019s Scientific Visualization Studio\u00a0(based at NASA Goddard) and lead visualizer Horace Mitchell to explore a new frontier in science storytelling. While NASA was already known for its iconic space imagery, much of its data deals with invisible phenomena or abstract processes that aren\u2019t inherently visual. By bringing together scientists, artists, and producers, Sisler helped transform data into visualizations and animations for broader audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to invent ways of visualizing the invisible so meaning was more easily conveyed,\u201d he said. \u201cThe result was stories that were not just newsworthy\u2014they were often stunningly beautiful and showed the connections and workings of the Earth and universe in ways we had never seen before.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team had a breakout hit in 1998 with an El Ni\u00f1o visualization, which helped drive public understanding of the phenomenon. Sisler also helped launch a NASA Goddard program to link scientific experts with news stations around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to put the authentic voices of scientists in the chair to convey their sense of awe while telling people scientifically why it matters,\u201d he said. \u201cPairing their voices with great visualizations was an unbeatable combination and that became the fundamental way we tell science stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sisler\u2019s storytelling journey evolved into increasingly ambitious creative partnerships that brought NASA science to new cultural spaces. With \u201cCosmic Cycles,\u201d a collaboration with the National Philharmonic, Wade helped create a program that paired music from a live symphony with high-resolution NASA imagery, inviting viewers to experience the celestial scenery emotionally, not just intellectually.<\/p>\n
Instead of the NASA Goddard team creating a video to go along with music, \u201cThe composer drew inspiration from video produced by Goddard,\u201d Sisler said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the best examples of science and art in mutual orbit.\u201d<\/p>\n
That blending of science and artistic expression reached a new scale in \u201cBeyond the Light,\u201d an art show developed with ARTECHOUSE and James Webb Space Telescope communications lead Laura Betz. Sisler linked artists with NASA scientists to turn cutting-edge astrophysics into a gallery-scale sensory experience. Most recently, Sisler championed a major documentary on Webb called \u201cCosmic Dawn.\u201d The 1.5-hour film brings viewers on an unprecedented journey through Webb\u2019s delicate assembly, rigorous testing, and triumphant launch.<\/p>\n
Many of NASA\u2019s flagship communication programs trace their roots to small teams that Sisler helped assemble and guide. He took a builder\u2019s approach, rolling up his sleeves, testing ideas, and empowering others to scale them. From science storytelling and satellite media tours to the rise of NASA\u2019s audio storytelling, Spanish-language content, Conceptual Image Laboratory animations, social media presence, and live broadcast programming, Sisler played a key role in turning bright ideas into enduring agency assets.<\/p>\n
For each of these projects, Sisler worked behind the scenes as a creative force and a connector, bringing together filmmakers, animators, composers, scientists, engineers, astronauts, museum curators, data visualizers, and educators.<\/p>\n
Despite many accolades, Sisler said his proudest accomplishment is the success of the internship program he has led for NASA Goddard\u2019s Office of Communications.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing that stays with me most is seeing where our former interns have landed,\u201d he said. Many now lead their own programs within NASA, shaping the next generation of science storytelling from inside the agency. Others have taken their skills beyond NASA, contributing to science and technology literacy through media, education, and public engagement. \u201cIt\u2019s been a privilege to help launch so many of these careers. I\u2019ve always believed that when you combine mentorship, meaningful work, and a little creative freedom, you create a ripple effect that lasts for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sisler\u2019s own NASA journey began with a Pathways internship at NASA Ames while he was studying journalism at Baylor University in Texas. His work there drew him into visual storytelling, which led him to pursue photography, video, and science photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. As he alternated semesters between school and NASA Ames, he refined both his interests and his skills.<\/p>\n
Sisler\u2019s goal as an internship program coordinator was to help give the next generation of science communicators the same opportunity. He developed a communication \u201cboot camp\u201d to help interns develop their storytelling chops in many areas and figure out which were their favorites.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the interesting stuff happens at the intersections of people\u2019s passions,\u201d he said. \u201cThe best, most powerful thing I think I\u2019ve done in my time at NASA is to help guide the next wave of science communicators. Seeing their success is the gift that keeps on giving.\u201d<\/p>\n