I registered almost exactly 5 [now 8] years ago. IIRC I googled something, found an NSF thread and then registered so I could access the attachments! I posted four times in the first 6 months and then nothing for 2.5 years. To be honest I was too intimidated by the depth of knowledge shown by people posting on the site.
To be honest I was too intimidated by the depth of knowledge shown by people posting on the site
having experienced the old sci.space.policy newsgroups and the state of what forums there were when NSF rolled out, it was a real breath of fresh air.
Food for thought: at the end of the next 13 years, we will probably need a NSF representative on Mars!