Honorable Mention, Popular Culture Association Ray and Pat Browne Best Edited Collection in Popular and American Culture
Exploring the impacts of NASA’s space program on American society and culture
After Apollo explores how NASA’s
space program impacted American society during and after the race to the
Moon, looking back at the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing from the
perspective of the present day. Centering on the human dimension of
spaceflight, this multidisciplinary book contains chapters that address
the effects of the space race on science, politics, art, fashion, and
popular culture.
Several essays cover themes that
directly touch on the space program itself, such as the sheer
improbability of the Moon landing, the hidden chemistry behind human
spaceflight, and the critical role played by immigrants in making space
exploration a reality. Others consider societal repercussions, such as
how immense space expenditures drew attention to underfunded social
programs and paved the way for Great Society social legislation, as well
as how cultural narratives of exploration and the frontier evolved as
the program’s goals changed. Many of the authors look at the interplay
between art and space exploration, beginning with the role of popular
entertainment in selling spaceflight to the public.
Showcasing the work of contributors representing diverse areas of study, After Apollo
details the many and varied human impacts and cultural spin-offs that
came to pass as the mythology and eventual reality of space travel
permeated American society.
Contributors:
J Bret Bennington | Matthew H. Hersch | Rodney F. Hill | Rosanna
Perotti | Chris Robinson | Patricia Rossi | Sabrina Sobel | James
Spiller | Allison Whitney | Julie Wosk
