Remembering the Space Age. - Black Vault Radio Network (BVRN)

410 reMeMBerING the SpaCe aGe
of space exploration as a lone, heroic, and progressive enterprise “still resonates,
but in a much diminished way.”
In a 1945 letter to president eisenhower accompanying the now-famous
July 1945 report, Science: The Endless Frontier, White house Ofce of Scientifc
research and Development Director Vannevar Bush wrote “the pioneer
spirit is still vigorous within this nation. Science ofers a largely unexplored
hinterland for the pioneer who has the tools for this task. the rewards of such
exploration both for the nation and the individual are great. Scientifc progress
is one essential key to our security as a nation, to our better health, to more
jobs, to a higher standard of living, and to our cultural progress.” 2 Science: The
Endless Frontier laid out a U.S. scientifc research and technology development
program for the post-World War II era.
By substituting the words “space exploration” for “science” in this passage,
Vannevar Bush’s post-World War II rhetoric becomes indistinguishable from
the rhetoric of contemporary space exploration advocates. an example of
current rhetoric is a so-called “elevator speech” developed by NaSa’s Ofce of
Strategic Communications planning in 2007 to ofer a rationale for the civilian
space program:
NaSa explores for answers that power our future. NaSa
exploration powers inspiration that engages the public and
encourages students to pursue studies in challenging hightech
felds. NaSa exploration powers innovation that creates
new jobs, new markets, and new technologies that
improve and save lives every day in every community. . . .
NaSa exploration powers discovery that enables us to better
understand our Solar System and protect earth through
the study of weather and climate change, monitor the efects
of the Sun and detect objects that could collide with earth.
Why explore? . . . Because exploration powers the future
through inspiration, innovation, and discovery. 3
In considering what space exploration has meant, or done, for the vast
majority of people who are not a part of the “ofcial” space community, what
role do these ofcial narratives play? Do people construct their own narratives
and make their own meanings, in consideration of their own, specifc cultural
boundaries of gender, nationality, time, or space? Media commentaries on the
50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and the beginning of the Space
2. Vannevar Bush, Director of the Ofce of Scientifc research and Development, Science:
The Endless Frontier. A Report to the President, July 1945. United States Government printing
Ofce, Washington: 1945. (letter of transmittal, n.p.)
3. NaSa Message Construct, NaSa Ofce of Communications planning, June 1, 2007.