They don't have time to smell the roses - or to appreciate science, mathematics, medicine, arts, literature, etc.

I'm guessing 95% of the people I deal with wouldn't understand "solar maximum" either. They might have a concept of the solar wind from high school but it isn't on their daily news feeds (CNN or Fox or whatever.)

which is probably a wise move when you are around a bunch of rocket scientists and astro-physicists.

That was a diplomatic way for Cooper to say "Can you explain that in a way our audience could understand?"

"Astronauts are exposed to high-energy radiation in space, unlike on Earth, where the atmosphere and planetary magnetic field provide a shield against it...This can lead to DNA damage, increased cancer risk, neurodegenerative effects, cardiovascular issues and immune system dysregulation, experts say."

"The International Space Station (ISS), where astronauts spend much of their time, is somewhat protected from radiation by Earth's magnetosphere, as it's around 250 miles away...But the further you go into space, the more radiation you get exposed to, says Dr Haig Aintablian, director of space medicine at UCLA...'Once you go beyond low Earth orbit, you lose much of the protection of Earth's magnetic field,' he tells Sky News, adding radiation is one of the 'real challenges' deep space poses."

https://news.sky.com/story/what-10-days-of-space-travel-could-mean-for-artemis-astronauts-health-13530012

His job is to keep the viewers involved and actively engaged with what’s going on. Otherwise they change the channel.

If you don't know what flux is or solar flux is, your in the dark with his definition.
"Solar flux is the amount of electromagnetic energy (power) radiated by the Sun that passes through a unit area". In this case the human body...
Dealing with a tv audience he could have said "they got zapped"..
m

fluxed America . Zapped Lady Liberty .

the notion that they needn't understand or needn't seek remedying lack of understanding, when in reality any person who would have an opinion on government spending for manned space exploration should understand the basics of this general topic before forming an opinion on that government spending (relevant concerns are broader than that, of course, I'm just limiting the scope of my point to the government/politics bailiwick of cable "news" channels).

The "ha ha I so stoopid" crap does the audience and the country a disservice. Anyone can understand the basics with minimal time/effort or ability, and should.