Those days were the time of the cowboy astronauts. Pioneers, they were (Yoda speak, sorry). Both Soviet and American programs were populated at various times by gregarious, animated, courageous but highly disciplined pilots, scientists and engineers. This was good public relations for all. Like many of my friends, I had a collection of models, posters, mission insignias, books, biographies and related memorabilia from this exciting period. The space race was used as propaganda, for sure, but that did not make it any less significant. I feel fortunate that I, and many of my generation, witnessed the beginning of interplanetary travel. Science fiction had become reality.
Today we know what underlay this period of massive technological production. Having a base on the moon would put the Americans at a distinct advantage over the Soviets during a nuclear exchange. Recall that it is not a UN flag pitched on the Sea of Tranquility. It is the Stars and Stripes. So too, one must not be unaware of Project Paperclip where many of the former Nazi scientists were granted asylum and given lucrative research and development jobs. Without them and their concerted efforts there would have been no Saturn V rocket.
As the social chaos of the 60s and 70s raged on, we looked skyward. However, as more earthly pressures mounted, funding priorities changed. Political focus shifted and government allocation of funds went elsewhere. It was not only government agencies that were impacted by these decisions. There were hundreds of private contractors, distributed across North America, where folks lost their jobs as programs and projects were cut. These were political decisions. The Soviets, too, shifted their focus. As funding decreased, popular interest in the programs decreased proportionally.
After Skylab, NASA focused on the Space Shuttle program. The first several launches did see a rise in popular interest in these efforts but now, in the post shuttle world and the ISS, there is a muted interest from the public. The popular imagination is not looking skyward. The ISS orbits 230 or so miles above the earth, where mission after mission is completed successfully. The public does not look on. So more cutbacks ensue and then we see even less public interest in these efforts.
Though there has been some discussion of Mars travel, an effort to generate or perhaps recapture the early days of the space race, it has not had an encompassing effect. Today’s missions are highly detailed and technical. Apparently we see little interest in the mechanics and survival issues associated with extended space travel. There is no colour, there are no cowboys. There are technicians and pilots. The honeymoon period is over and now is the time for the business of survival, out there, alone in the darkness. For me, that project is enormously hopeful and exciting. It is the new horizon.
It is worrisome that there is so little front-page coverage of the space program. It is now a specialized field of interest with “specialist” reporters. More people are interested in the Super Bowl and popular media culture than the daily business of the ISS. NASA has made significant efforts, on its limited budget, to generate more public interest and keep folks informed. There is spectacular mission coverage, exceptional photography, detailed mission plans on the website, and even apps for your tablet or phone. Visit the site, download the apps. Take some interest as our species prepares to launch forth into the void. It may be one of our last significant ventures.