Abstract Summary
How can we envision our Star Trek future in space? Contributing to the conference theme of “Telling the Stories of Science,” this paper will discuss the intersection of audience, concepts of failure, and visions of the future as represented in the cultural history of the Space Age. Mythic visions of a future in outer space were central in Space Age imagination and deeply engaged public audiences, particularly through material culture and science fiction. Burgeoning 20th-century technologies allowed people to contemplate humanity’s place in the cosmos in a more imaginative and technological way than ever before. Part of that philosophical-cultural exercise involved pondering the distant future of humanity, one that was often imagined as unfolding beyond the confines of planet Earth. But what happens when public interest in lunar landings dwindles to the point of NASA canceling the Apollo program early? And how do we reconcile the excessive consumerism that delivered Space Age ideals with the environmental consequences of manufacturing and waste? Now, over ninety-years since the dawn of the Space Age, we can look back at the dreams of the era and reflect on how they have both served society, and failed us. Disenchanted by failure to quickly realize utopian dreams off-world, photos shot looking back from the Moon reveal our fragile “Spaceship Earth” floating in the void. Forced to reflect upon our planetary failures, particularly regarding ecological challenges, what can we learn from past mythic visions of the future to better tell stories of science that empower audiences today?
