Weitkamp, Margaret A. (Margaret A. Weitkamp)

Space Craze: America'S Enduring Fascination with Real and Imagined Spaceflight Weitkamp, Margaret A. (Margaret A. Weitkamp)

A space historian's unique perspective on the connections between spaceflight, science fiction, and American identity

Spanning from Buck Rogers in the late 1920s to the present day privatization of spaceflight, Space Craze explores American's profound enthusiasm for space travel and exploration, reflected in historical milestones, films and TV shows, literature and comic strips, toys and games, and internet communities. The insightful book investigates how real and fictional spaceflight have served as the nexus where contemporary American concerns, such as race, gender, sexuality, and national identity, have been explored and redefined.

Author Margaret Weitekamp, curator at the National Air and Space Museum and chair of its Space History department, puts space memorabilia and science fiction objects from the museum's extraordinary spaceflight collection in conversation with the overall story of spaceflight and its role in American history and culture.

The book illustrates how science fiction is intertwined with spaceflight's history, and how the escapist and aspirational nature of spaceflight draws on American ideals of freedom, ingenuity, and discovery. 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.