Space Craze: America’s Enduring Fascination with Real and Imagined Spaceflight

by Margaret A. Weitekamp

A space historian's tour through astounding spaceflight history and the Smithsonian's collection of space and science fiction memorabilia

Spanning from the 1929 debut of the futuristic Buck Rogers to present-day privatization of spaceflight, Space Craze celebrates America's endless enthusiasm for space exploration. Author Margaret Weitekamp, curator at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, writes with warmth and personal experience to guide readers through extraordinary spaceflight history while highlighting objects from the Smithsonian's spaceflight collection.

Featuring historical milestones in space exploration, films and TV shows, literature and comic strips, toys and games, and internet communities, Space Craze is a sci-fi lover's dream. The book investigates how spaceflight, both real and imagined, has served as the nexus where contemporary American concerns, such as race, gender, sexuality, freedom, and national identity, have been explored and redefined. Chronological chapters



From the almost 650 million viewers who tuned in to watch the first steps on the Moon, to the ardent Star Trek fandom that burgeoned into a cultural force, Space Craze taps into the country’s enduring love affair with space.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published October 18, 2022

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the title of this work is certainly truth in marketing, the author is coming at the subject from an angle I really didn't expect. What one basically has here is an examination of the point where "media" science fiction, the publicity work for real-life space exploration, and the marketing of the ephemera (toys, insignia, etc.) come together. I was already quite aware of the history of how cinema and TV approached space exploration, but where Weitekamp shines is in regards to the interstitial curiosities; a favorite example being how early "Buck Rogers" made veiled reference to actual pioneers of rocketry like Robert H. Goddard and Max Valier. There is also a running theme of how period media SF intersected with real life attitudes; good examples including the 'Yellow Peril" references of "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon," or how young SF fans in the 1960s American South had to sneak around to watch "Star Trek" (due the presence of the Nichelle Nichols). Finally, Weitekamp makes no apologies for her fascination with toys, and makes good arguments for the importance of such things in building a certain default enthusiasm for space exploration at the foundational level.

Actual rating: 3.5.