Remembering the Space Age: Proceedings of the 50th Anniversary Conference: Proceedings on the 50th Anniversary Conference

482 Pages·2008·10.5 MB·English

by  Steven J. Dick

About the Editor here is no doubt that the last 50 years have

witnessed numerous accomplishments in
Steven J. Dick is the Chief Historian for NASA and what has often been termed “the new
Director of the NASA History Division. He worked ocean” of space, harkening back to a long
as an astronomer and historian of science at the U.S. tradition of exploration. Earth is now circled by
Naval Observatory in Washington, DC for 24 years thousands of satellites, looking both upward into
before coming to NASA Headquarters in 2003. space at distant galaxies and downward toward Earth
Among his recent books are Societal Impact of for reconnaissance, weather, communications, nav-
Spaceflight (NASA SP 4801, 2007, edited with Roger igation, and remote sensing. Robotic space probes
Launius), Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight have explored most of the solar system, returning
(NASA SP- 4702, 2006, edited with Roger Launius), astonishing images of alien worlds. Space telescopes
The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of
have probed the depths of the universe at many
Astrobiology (2004, with James Strick), and Sky and wavelengths. In the dramatic arena of human
Ocean Joined: The U.S. Naval Observatory, 1830 -2000 spaceflight, 12 men have walked on the surface of the
(2003). Dr. Dick is the recipient of the Navy Moon, the Space Shuttle has had 119 flights, and the
Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, two NASA International Space Station—a cooperative effort of
Group Achievement Awards, and the 2006 LeRoy E. 16 nations—is almost “core complete.” In addition to
Doggett Prize for Historical Astronomy of the Russia, which put the first human into space in April
American Astronomical Society. 1961, China has now joined the human spaceflight
club with two Shenzhou flights, and Europe is
readying for its entry into the field as well.
After 50 years of robotic and human space-
flight, and as serious plans are being implemented to
return humans to the Moon and continue on to Mars,
it is a good time to step back and ask questions that
those in the heat of battle have had but little time to
ask. What has the Space Age meant? What if the Space
Age had never occurred? Has it been, and is it still,
important for a creative society to explore space? How
do we, and how should we, remember the Space Age?
On the cover: The Space Age begins. Top left: A
technician puts the finishing touches on Sputnik I in
!"#$ %&’()(*+()’*&,-(+ (cid:60)(cid:101)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:105)(cid:87)(cid:98)(cid:91)(cid:88)(cid:22)(cid:111)(cid:22) (cid:106)(cid:94)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:73)(cid:22)(cid:107)(cid:102)(cid:91)(cid:104)(cid:95)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:91)(cid:100)(cid:90)(cid:91)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:22)(cid:101)(cid:92)(cid:58)(cid:22)(cid:101)(cid:89)(cid:107)(cid:99)(cid:91)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:105)(cid:34)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:75)(cid:36)(cid:73)(cid:36)(cid:22)(cid:61)(cid:101)(cid:108)(cid:91)(cid:104)(cid:100)(cid:99)(cid:91)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:70)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:95)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:95)(cid:100)(cid:93)(cid:22)(cid:69)(cid:92)(cid:92)(cid:95)(cid:89)(cid:91)
(cid:63)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:91)(cid:104)(cid:100)(cid:91)(cid:106)(cid:48)(cid:22)(cid:88)(cid:101)(cid:101)(cid:97)(cid:105)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:104)(cid:91)(cid:36)(cid:93)(cid:102)(cid:101)(cid:36)(cid:93)(cid:101)(cid:108)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:70)(cid:94)(cid:101)(cid:100)(cid:91)(cid:48)(cid:22)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:98)(cid:98)(cid:92)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:91)(cid:91)(cid:30)(cid:22)(cid:46)(cid:44)(cid:44)(cid:31)(cid:22)(cid:43)(cid:39)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:39)(cid:46)(cid:38)(cid:38)(cid:49)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:58)(cid:57)(cid:87)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:87)(cid:30)(cid:40)(cid:38)(cid:40)(cid:31)(cid:22)(cid:43)(cid:39)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:39)(cid:46)(cid:38)(cid:38) the fall of 1957. Top middle and right: The Soviet
% ) ) ) )
(cid:60)(cid:87)(cid:110)(cid:48)(cid:30)(cid:22)(cid:40)(cid:38)(cid:40)(cid:31)(cid:22)(cid:43)(cid:39)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:38)(cid:42)(cid:22)(cid:67)(cid:87)(cid:95)(cid:98)(cid:48)(cid:22)(cid:73)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:102)(cid:22)(cid:63)(cid:58)(cid:57)(cid:57)(cid:34)(cid:77)(cid:22)(cid:87)(cid:105)(cid:94)(cid:95)(cid:100)(cid:93)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:100)(cid:34)(cid:58)(cid:57)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:40)(cid:38)(cid:42)(cid:38)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:38)(cid:38)(cid:38)(cid:39)
Union launched Sputnik I— the first artificial Earth
ISBN 978-0-16-081723-6 satellite —on October 4, 1957. Bottom: Explorer
1— America’s first Earth satellite —was launched
January 31, 1958. Pictured left to right are William
H. Pickering, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
% &’)*+) ’*&,-+
that built and operated the satellite; James A. van
Allen of the State University of Iowa who designed
and built the instrument that discovered the Van
Allen Radiation Belts; and Wernher von Braun,
leader of the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal team
On the back cover: Fifty years after the Space Age
which built the first stage Redstone rocket that
began, the International Space Station orbits the
launched Explorer 1. The photo was taken at a press
Earth. It is the result of a cooperative effort of 16
conference at the National Academy of Sciences
nations led by the United States.
NASA SP-2008-4703 building in the early hours of February 1, 1958.
viii Societal Impact of Spaceflight
REMEMBERING
SPACE AGE
the
!"#$ %&’()(*+()’*&,-(+ (cid:60)(cid:101)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:105)(cid:87)(cid:98)(cid:91)(cid:88)(cid:22)(cid:111)(cid:22) (cid:106)(cid:94)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:73)(cid:22)(cid:107)(cid:102)(cid:91)(cid:104)(cid:95)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:91)(cid:100)(cid:90)(cid:91)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:22)(cid:101)(cid:92)(cid:58)(cid:22)(cid:101)(cid:89)(cid:107)(cid:99)(cid:91)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:105)(cid:34)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:75)(cid:36)(cid:73)(cid:36)(cid:22)(cid:61)(cid:101)(cid:108)(cid:91)(cid:104)(cid:100)(cid:99)(cid:91)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:70)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:95)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:95)(cid:100)(cid:93)(cid:22)(cid:69)(cid:92)(cid:92)(cid:95)(cid:89)(cid:91)
(cid:63)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:91)(cid:104)(cid:100)(cid:91)(cid:106)(cid:48)(cid:22)(cid:88)(cid:101)(cid:101)(cid:97)(cid:105)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:104)(cid:91)(cid:36)(cid:93)(cid:102)(cid:101)(cid:36)(cid:93)(cid:101)(cid:108)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:70)(cid:94)(cid:101)(cid:100)(cid:91)(cid:48)(cid:22)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:98)(cid:98)(cid:92)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:91)(cid:91)(cid:30)(cid:22)(cid:46)(cid:44)(cid:44)(cid:31)(cid:22)(cid:43)(cid:39)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:39)(cid:46)(cid:38)(cid:38)(cid:49)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:58)(cid:57)(cid:87)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:87)(cid:30)(cid:40)(cid:38)(cid:40)(cid:31)(cid:22)(cid:43)(cid:39)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:39)(cid:46)(cid:38)(cid:38)
% ) ) ) )
(cid:60)(cid:87)(cid:110)(cid:48)(cid:30)(cid:22)(cid:40)(cid:38)(cid:40)(cid:31)(cid:22)(cid:43)(cid:39)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:38)(cid:42)(cid:22)(cid:67)(cid:87)(cid:95)(cid:98)(cid:48)(cid:22)(cid:73)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:102)(cid:22)(cid:63)(cid:58)(cid:57)(cid:57)(cid:34)(cid:77)(cid:22)(cid:87)(cid:105)(cid:94)(cid:95)(cid:100)(cid:93)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:100)(cid:34)(cid:58)(cid:57)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:40)(cid:38)(cid:42)(cid:38)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:38)(cid:38)(cid:38)(cid:39)
ISBN 978-0-16-081723-6
% &’)*+) ’*&,-+
!"#$ %&’()(*+()’*&,-(+ (cid:60)(cid:22)(cid:101)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:105)(cid:87)(cid:98)(cid:91)(cid:22) (cid:88)(cid:22)(cid:111)(cid:22)(cid:106)(cid:94)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:73)(cid:22)(cid:107)(cid:22)(cid:102)(cid:91)(cid:104)(cid:95)(cid:22)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:100)(cid:90)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:22)(cid:101)(cid:92)(cid:58)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:101)(cid:22)(cid:89)(cid:107)(cid:99)(cid:91)(cid:100)(cid:22)(cid:106)(cid:105)(cid:22)(cid:34)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:75)(cid:36)(cid:73)(cid:36)(cid:61)(cid:22)(cid:101)(cid:108)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:100)(cid:99)(cid:91)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:70)(cid:22)(cid:104)(cid:95)(cid:22)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:22)(cid:95)(cid:100)(cid:93)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:69)(cid:92)(cid:92)(cid:22)(cid:95)(cid:89)(cid:91)
(cid:63)(cid:22)(cid:100)(cid:106)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:100)(cid:91)(cid:106)(cid:48)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:88)(cid:101)(cid:101)(cid:22)(cid:97)(cid:105)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:104)(cid:22)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:36)(cid:22)(cid:93)(cid:102)(cid:22)(cid:101)(cid:22)(cid:36)(cid:93)(cid:101)(cid:108)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:70)(cid:22)(cid:94)(cid:101)(cid:100)(cid:91)(cid:48)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:98)(cid:98)(cid:92)(cid:22)(cid:104)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:91)(cid:30)(cid:46)(cid:44)(cid:44)(cid:31)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:43)(cid:39)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:39)(cid:46)(cid:38)(cid:22)(cid:38)(cid:49)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:58)(cid:57)(cid:22)(cid:87)(cid:22)(cid:104)(cid:91)(cid:22)(cid:87)(cid:30)(cid:40)(cid:38)(cid:22)(cid:40)(cid:31)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:43)(cid:39)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:39)(cid:46)(cid:38)(cid:38)
% ) ) ) )
(cid:60)(cid:87)(cid:110)(cid:48)(cid:30)(cid:22)(cid:40)(cid:38)(cid:40)(cid:31)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:43)(cid:39)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:40)(cid:39)(cid:38)(cid:42)(cid:22)(cid:67)(cid:87)(cid:22)(cid:95)(cid:98)(cid:22)(cid:48)(cid:22)(cid:22)(cid:73)(cid:22)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:102)(cid:22)(cid:63)(cid:58)(cid:57)(cid:57)(cid:34)(cid:77)(cid:22)(cid:87)(cid:105)(cid:94)(cid:22)(cid:95)(cid:100)(cid:22)(cid:93)(cid:22)(cid:106)(cid:101)(cid:100)(cid:34)(cid:58)(cid:22)(cid:57)(cid:22)(cid:40)(cid:38)(cid:42)(cid:38)(cid:40)(cid:35)(cid:38)(cid:38)(cid:38)(cid:39)
ISBN 978-0-16-081723-6
% &’)*+) ’*&,-+
REMEMBERING
SPACE AGE
the
Steven J. Dick
Editor

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Office of External Relations
History Division
Washington, DC
2008
NASA SP-2008-4703
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Remembering the Space Age / Steven J. Dick, editor.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Astronautics--History--20th century. I. Dick, Steven J.
TL788.5.R46 2008
629.4’109045--dc22
2008019448
C
ONTENTS
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
PART I. NATIONAL AND GLOBAL DIMENSIONS
OF THE SPACE AGE
Chapter 1: Gigantic Follies? Human Exploration and the Space Age
in Long-term Historical Perspective—J. R. McNeill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Chapter 2: Spaceflight in the National Imagination—Asif A. Siddiqi . . . .1 7
Chapter 3: Building Space Capability through European Regional
Collaboration—John Krige. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Chapter 4: Imagining an Aerospace Agency in the Atomic Age—
Robert R. MacGregor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Chapter 5: Creating a Memory of the German Rocket Program
for the Cold War—Michael J. Neufeld. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Chapter 6: Operation Paperclip in Huntsville, Alabama—
Monique Laney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Chapter 7: The Great Leap Upward: China’s Human Spaceflight
Program and Chinese National Identity—James R. Hansen. . . . . . . . . .1 09
Chapter 8: “The ‘Right’ Stuff: The Reagan Revolution and the
U.S. Space Program”—Andrew J. Butrica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Chapter 9: Great (Unfulfilled) Expectations: To Boldly Go Where
No Social Scientist or Historian Has Gone Before—
Jonathan Coopersmith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
PART II. REMEMBRANCE AND CULTURAL
REPRESENTATION OF THE SPACE AGE
Chapter 10: Far Out: The Space Age in American Culture—
Emily S. Rosenberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
vi Remembering the Space Age
Chapter 11: A Second Nature Rising: Spaceflight in an Era of
Representation—Martin Collins...............................185
Chapter 12: Creating Memories: Myth, Identity, and Culture
in the Russian Space Age—Slava Gerovitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
Chapter 13: The Music of Memory and Forgetting: Global Echoes
of Sputnik II—Amy Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
Chapter 14: From the Cradle to the Grave: Cosmonaut Nostalgia
in Soviet and Post-Soviet Film—Cathleen S. Lewis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
Chapter 15: Examining the Iconic and Rediscovering the Photography
of Space Exploration in Context to the History of Photography
—Michael Soluri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271
Chapter 16: Robert A. Heinlein’s Influence on Spaceflight—
Robert G. Kennedy, III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341
Chapter 17: American Spaceflight History’s Master Narrative
and the Meaning of Memory—Roger D. Launius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353
PART III. REFLECTIONS ON THE SPACE AGE
Chapter 18: A Melancholic Space Age Anniversary—
Walter A. McDougall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .389
Chapter 19: Has Space Development Made a Difference?—
John Logsdon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .397
Chapter 20: Has There Been a Space Age?—Sylvia Kraemer. . . . . . . . .4 05
Chapter 21: Cultural Functions of Space Exploration—Linda Billings .. 409
About the Authors........................................413
Acronyms and Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .425
NASA History Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .429
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .441
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to thank the members of the conference organizing committee,
including Roger Launius (National Air and Space Museum), Linda Billings
(SETI Institute), Asif Siddiqi (Fordham University), Slava Gerovitch (MIT),
Bill Barry (NASA Headquarters Office of External Relations), and, on the staff
of the NASA History Division, Stephen Garber and Glen Asner. I also want
to thank Michael Neufeld, who took over from Roger Launius as the Chair
of the National Air and Space Museum Division of Space History during our
planning and gave us his full support. My thanks to Nadine Andreassen in the
NASA History Division for her usual good work in planning the logistics for
the meeting, as well as Kathy Regul and Ron Mochinski for their logistical
work. Finally, thanks to the Communications Support Services Center team at
NASA Headquarters for their crucial role in the production of this book.
viii Societal Impact of Spaceflight