After Apollo

Cultural Legacies of the Race to the Moon

J Bret Bennington, Rodney F. Hill

• Publisher: University of Florida Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781683403579
• eBook ISBN: 9781683403692
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

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 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. “We Ran as if to Meet the Moon”: The Inspired Lunacy of Apollo 11
• 2. The Hidden Chemistry behind the Apollo 11 Mission
• 3. Selling Space Travel: The Disney Version
• 4. The Launch of Apollo 11: A Necessary Mission in the Space Race vs. Superfluous Government Spending
• 5. Scientists Without Borders: Immigrants in NASA and the Apollo Program
• 6. Picturing Women in the Space Age: The Impact of the Lunar Landing on Films, Television, and Fashion
• 7. “His Own Personal Adventure”: Lunar Exploration and the IMAX Experience in Magnificent Desolation and First Man
• 8. America’s “Space Frontier” in an Era of Space Tourism
• List of Contributors
• Index