Spaceflight in the Shuttle Era and Beyond by Valerie Neal

Author:Valerie Neal [Neal, Valerie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2017-04-13T04:00:00+00:00

Fig. 5.1. This logo conveyed the essence of space station Freedom’s design simply, without symbolism other than its auspicious name. NASA (89–34285).

The aerospace giants who vied for space station contracts also joined the effort to persuade Congress and the public of the merits of a space station for a permanent presence in space. Boeing, Lockheed, Martin Marietta, McDonnell Douglas, and Rockwell published colorful brochures and advertisements to spread the message that America needed space station Freedom. These appealed to business values of innovation and competitiveness, quality of life improvements and spinoff technologies in various commercial sectors, return on investment, and contributions to a healthy economy. Boeing ran a particularly emotional series of print ads featuring a child with an incurable disease who might be helped by research on the space station or a young adult on the cusp of a career under the slogan “Space research is this generation’s call to greatness.” Industry promoted the argument that a permanent presence in space (a space station) was an investment in national strength, global leadership, and the nation’s future. And, of course, it would be a catalyst for jobs and prosperity.44

Two NASA publications from the space station Freedom period were especially noteworthy for their heft and sophistication. Whereas the earlier Space Station for America and all but the 1986 Next Logical Step booklets were fairly simple—a few pages of type with a pictorial cover and a few internal images—the ones circulated for the next five years were more comprehensive, more colorful, better illustrated, and as stylish as magazines. The Office of Space Station hired a space journalist to write a forty-four-page volume titled Space Station Freedom: A Foothold on the Future that addressed all the key themes. Full of information but reader-friendly, the booklet described the elements and functions of the space station, but more importantly explored the human presence and its meaning in a new era of living in space. The volume depicted in words and images what this stage of “our permanent settlement” in low earth orbit would look like. The earlier publications were about selling the idea of a space station; this one was about turning the idea into reality and creating a visual culture around it. The booklet featured large illustrations by notable space artists Robert McCall and Vincent Di Fate and many photos. This material essentially invited the reader into the space station, explained the accommodations for living and doing research, and looked to the future when dreams of traveling into the solar system might be fulfilled from the space station. The author (and those who commissioned him) presented space station Freedom as a symbol of the future.45

The second prominently glossy publication, issued in 1992, dubbed space station Freedom the “Gateway to the Future.” It opened with claims that “Great Nations Dare to Explore” and “Space Station Freedom will open a new era of exploration.” It depicted the station as the gateway to space, to scientific research, discovery, utilization, and benefits. Most of the pages featured human activity in space, characterized as exploration.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.