Customer Reviews

Space and the American Imagination

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The book shows you the battle between what we can do with science and what we want to do. It starts with a short history of rockets and the idea of space exploration than moves swiftly into the mid and late 20th century. The book allows you to see the huge rift between what people wanted and what governments could deliver. Its about the many sided battle between politics of leadership, military goals, dreams of a new frontier and a more limited, but maybe mature vision. It deals with the cold war, space stations, rocket ships and even the search for life in space. Any person interested in the space race between the US and the USSR or the space programs of the USA should read this book.

McCurdy explores the space age by explaining its relationship to popular culture. He explains how and why public opinion shaped the space age, as well as how the space age shaped public opinion. Plus he examines how American history, both real and romanticized, shaped our culture. He makes many references to literature, television, and movies, making it a book everyone can relate to at least a little bit. I would have given it 5 stars, but he does go off subject sometimes and leaves you not quite sure where he's going.

Actually, spaceflight seems to be generally popular with Americans, but not a high priority for most. Commitment to it, therefore, is widespread but not deep.

This book seeks to understand and explain the relationship of space exploration to the larger popular culture. It is one of several recent works to do so in a serious way in recent years, and clearly the most important of all of them. "Space and the American Imagination" presents a significant analysis of the interplay between popular culture and public policy. Howard McCurdy concludes that how closely the dominant trends in science fiction literature and film, as well as public perceptions, reinforce actual events in spaceflight fundamentally affects public support for spaceflight.

McCurdy notes that during the 1950s and 1960s the relationship between reality and perceptions drew tightly together and created an expectation that allowed the accomplishment of the lunar landings. Since that era, the paths of public perceptions and actual events has diverged. A challenging interpretation that requires skepticism but also continued consideration, McCurdy has demarked an important area of consideration that will keep scholars working for years testing his hypotheses.

This is a highly recommended book!

This excellent book summarizes the political and cultural factors that led to how and why the U.S. space program developed. Just because something can be done technologically doesn't mean it will be. In McCurdy's words, "between the discovery and the invention lies the imagination" - people have to visualize a possibility as credible before sufficient support or will can be summoned to create the institutions or policies needed to actually do it.

McCurdy gives an illuminating overview of the development of the U.S. space program and specific areas of why certain paths were chosen and others not. While people may know many of these basic facts, the author puts it into a historical/sociological/cultural context that sheds new light on why things happened the way they did. And although he doesn't address it explicitly, there are obvious implications for what to do and not to do for those who hope we can return to the next great phase of human exploration of space.

The tone is scholarly and dispassionate without being off-putting to the interested lay reader. And it also avoids post-modern mumbo-jumbo while still being a very solid and modern analysis. Some reviewers have criticized the book's structure (finding it meandering) but I didn't at all - perhaps because I read the new revised 2011 edition (?).

Highly recommended and definitely worth a read.

This book covers a topic I have long been interested in -- and does it in a comprehensive and interesting way. It is a fascinating read that provides valuable insight into the transition from science fiction into science fact, and explores the mindset of the American landscape along the way. Space cadets and Space explores alike. Price, but a valuable read for those interested in this important aspect of the great space race to the stars.