Social, Cultural and Educational Legacies - ER - NASA

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to “Astronauts Young, [Robert]Crippen, and all the people of NASAfor their inspiration and cooperation.”When First Lady Hillary RodhamClinton announced that a womanwould command a mission for thefirst time in NASA’s 40-year history,the NASA Arts Program asked JudyCollins to write a song to commemoratethe occasion. She agreed and composed“Beyond the Sky” for that historicflight. The song describes the dreamof a young girl to fly beyond the skyand heavens. The girl eventuallyachieves her goal and instills hopein those with similar aspirations.This is foreshadowed in the fifth verse.She had led the waybeyond darknessFor other dreamers whowould dare the skyShe has led us to believein dreamingGiven us the hope thatwe can tryAuthored for NASA as part of the NASA Arts Program.InspirationThe shuttle inspired so many peoplein such different ways. Much as theflag came to symbolize Americanpride, so too did the launch andlanding of the shuttle. As an example,William Parsons, Kennedy SpaceCenter’s former director, witnessedhis first launch at age 28 and recalled,“When I saw that shuttle take off atdusk, it was the most unbelievableexperience. I got tears in my eyes;my heart pounded. I was proud to bean American, to see that we could dosomething that awesome.”Film and TelevisionIMAX ® films built on the thrill ofspaceflight by capturing the excitementand exhilaration of NASA’s on-orbitoperations. Shuttle astronauts weretrained to use the camera and recordedsome of the program’s most notableevents as the events unfolded in orbit,like the spacewalk of Kathryn Sullivan,America’s first woman spacewalker.Marketed as “the next best thing tobeing there,” the film The Dream isAlive documented living and workingin space on board shuttle. Destinyin Space featured shots from thedramatic first Hubble Space Telescopeservicing mission in 1993, whichboasted a record-breaking fivespacewalks. Other feature films likeMission to Mir took audiences to theRussian space station, where Americanastronauts and cosmonauts performedscientific research.The excitement inspired by the SpaceShuttle and the technological abilities—both real and imagined—did notescape screenwriters and Hollywooddirectors. In fact, the shuttle appearedas a “character” in numerous films,and several major motion picturesfeatured a few of NASA’s properties.These films attracted audiences acrossthe world and sold millions of dollarsin tickets based on two basic themes:NASA’s can-do spirit in the face ofinsurmountable challenges, and theflexibility of the shuttle. They includeMoonraker, Space Camp, Armageddon,and Space Cowboys.Television programs also could notescape the pull of the Space Shuttle. In1994, the crew of Space TransportationSystem (STS)-61 (1993), the firstHubble servicing mission, appeared onABC’s Home Improvement. Six of theseven crew members flew to Californiafor the taping, where they starred asguests of Tool Time—the fictionalhome improvement program—andshowed off some of the tools theyused to work on the telescope in space.Following this episode, astronauts fromthe US Microgravity Laboratory-2,STS-73 (1995), appeared on HomeImprovement. Astronaut KennethBowersox, who was pilot for oneflight and commander of two flights,made three appearances on the show.Bowersox once brought AstronautSteven Hawley, who also flew onSTS-82 (1997).The Space Shuttle and its space flierswere also the subject of the televisiondrama The Cape. Based on the astronautexperience, the short-lived seriescaptured the drama and excitementassociated with training and flyingshuttle missions. Set and filmed atKennedy Space Center, the series ranfor one season in the mid 1990s.Consumer CultureThe enduring popularity of the SpaceShuttle extended beyond film andtelevision into consumer culture.During the shuttle era, millions ofpeople purchased goods that boreimages of shuttle mission insigniasand the NASA logo—pins, patches,T-shirts, polos, mugs, pens, stuffedanimals, toys, and other mementos.The shuttle, a cultural icon of the spaceprogram associated with America’sprogress in space, was also prominentlyfeatured on wares. Flight and launchand re-entry suits, worn by theastronauts, were particularly popularwith younger children who had hopesof one day flying in space. Peoplestill bid on thousands of photos andposters signed by shuttle astronauts onInternet selling and trading sites.Photos of the shuttle, its crews,astronaut portraits, and images ofnotable events in space are ubiquitous.466Social, Cultural, and Educational Legacies
Chiaki Mukai, MD, PhDJapanese astronaut.Payload specialist on STS-65 (1994) and STS-95 (1998).Deputy mission scientist for STS-107 (2003).My Space Shuttle Memory“From the mid 1980s to 2003, I worked for the spaceprogram as a Japanese astronaut. This was the goldentime of Space Shuttle utilization for science. Spacelabmissions, which supported diverse fields of research,were consecutively scheduled and conducted. The sciencecommunities were so busy and excited. I flew two times(STS-65/IML [International Microgravity Laboratory]-2 andSTS-95) and worked as an alternate crew member for twoother science missions (STS-47 and STS-90). On my lastassignment, I was a deputy mission scientist for the STS-107science mission on board the Space Shuttle Columbia. I reallyenjoyed working with many motivated people for thosemissions. I treasure these memories. Among the manyphotographs taken during my time as an astronaut, I have onefavorite sentimental picture. The picture was taken from theground showing STS-65, Columbia, making its final approachto Kennedy Space Center. The classic line of the shuttle isclearly illuminated by the full moon softly glowing in thedawn’s early light. When I see this photo, I cannot believe that Iwas actually on board the Columbia at that moment. It makesme feel like everything that happened to me was in a dream.The Space Shuttle Program enabled me to leave the Earth andto expand my professional activities into space. My dream of‘Living and working in space’ has been truly realized. Thanksto the enormous capacity of human and cargo transportationmade by the Space Shuttles between Earth and space, peoplecan now feel that ‘Space is reachable and that it is ours.’I want to thank the dedicated people responsible for makingthis successful program happen. The spirit of the Space Shuttlewill surely live on, inspiring future generations to continueusing the International Space Station and to go beyond.”© 1998, Toru Fukudu. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved.They can be found in books, magazines,calendars, catalogs, on televisionnews broadcasts, and on numerousnon-NASA Web sites. They adorn thewalls of offices and homes acrossthe world. One of the most famousimages captures the historic spacewalkof Astronaut Bruce McCandless inthe Manned Maneuvering Unit setagainst the blackness of space. Anotherwell-known photo, taken by the crewof STS-107 (2003), features the moon ina haze of blue.TourismThe Space Shuttle attracted vacationingtravelers from the beginning of theprogram. Tourists from across thecountry and globe flocked to Florida towitness the launch and landing of theshuttle, and also drove to California,where the shuttle sometimes landed.Kennedy Space Center’s VisitorComplex in Florida and the US Spaceand Rocket Center in Alabama welcomemillions of sightseers each year—peoplewho hope to learn more about thenation’s human spaceflight program.Visitors at Kennedy Space Center haveSocial, Cultural, and Educational Legacies467
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Social, Cultural and Educational Legacies - ER - NASA

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