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

412 reMeMBerING the SpaCe aGe
Margaret Weitekamp, the Curator at the National air and Space Museum
in charge of the museum’s Social and Cultural Dimensions of Spacefight
collection, ofered her views on how social and cultural products of the Space
age tell a story of space exploration that may converge with and diverge from
the ofcial narrative that tends to be embodied in the space hardware and
technology that people typically think of as artifacts of the Space age.
Finally, alan Ladwig contributed a unique perspective to the discussion
on what space exploration means to diferent sorts of people. as a NaSa ofcial
in the 1980s and 1990s, Ladwig managed a variety of programs including the
space agency’s teacher in Space and Journalist in Space programs and the
Shuttle Student Involvement program. these programs were intended to give
people outside the traditional aerospace community a chance to engage directly
in the experience of spacefight. the space agency was not enthusiastic about
implementing these programs, and in fact NaSa did not proceed with the
Journalist in Space program. Ladwig advocated organizing public events to
engender public discussion about what space exploration means to diferent
sectors of society. precedent has been set: In the 1970s, the Committee for the
Future held a series of syn-cons (synthetic convergences) to fnd out what space
exploration means to diferent sectors of society 5 ; the National Commission
on Space, appointed by president reagan in 1985 to develop a long-term plan
for space exploration, held public forums around the country in 1985 and 1986
to solicit public opinion about the human future in space; and in 1992, NaSa
administrator Daniel S. Goldin presided over a nationwide series of town
meetings designed for the same purpose.
With China’s eforts in space exploration typically framed in public discourse
as a “race” with the West, it is clear that what we call the Space age has not yet
fostered a new global identity. Will 21st century space exploration achieve this
goal? here at the beginning of the new century, it is clear that the enterprise of
space exploration has gone global. Will a new global identity emerge?
the 21st century cultural environment for space exploration is radically
diferent from the cultural environment that nurtured the U.S. space program
through its frst 50 years. It remains to be seen whether NaSa can, or will,
respond to shifting public interests and concerns and give the people the kind
of space program they want. the frst step in reconfguring the space program
to survive and thrive in the 21st century is to involve citizens in the process, to
ask what sorts of visions they have for a human future in space.
5. Barbara Marx hubbard interview by David S. Cohen for the Light Connection (accessed
December 21, 2007), http://208.131.157.96/fce/content/node/30.