An engrossing read, Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight
is a volume consisting of scholarship on the current state of the
discipline of space history presented in a joint NASA and NASM
conference in 2005. The essays presented in the book question such
issues as the motivations of spaceflight, and the necessity, if
any, of manned space exploration. Though a highly informative and
scholarly volume, Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight is
thoroughly enjoyable for readers off all different backgrounds who
share an interest in human spaceflight. At a May 1981 "Proseminar
in Space History'' held at the Smithsonian Institution's National
Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, DC, historians came
together to consider the state of the discipline of space history.
It was an historic occasion. The community of scholars interested
in the history of spaceflight was not large; previously,
well-meaning but untrained aficionados consumed with artifacts had
dominated the field, to the exclusion of the larger context. At a
fundamental level, this proseminar represented a "declaration of
independence'' for what might be called the "new aerospace
history.'' In Retrospect, it may be interpreted as marking the rise
of space history as a recognizable subdiscipline within the field
of U.S. history. Bringing together a diverse collection of scholars
to review the state of the art in space history, this proseminar
helped in a fundamental manner to define the field and to chart a
course for future research. Its participants set about the task of
charting a course for collecting, preserving, and disseminating the
history of space exploration within a larger context of space
policy and technology. In large measure, the course charted by the
participants in this 1981 proseminar aided in advancing a very
successful agenda of historical research, writing, and
understanding of space history. Not every research project has
yielded acceptable results, nor can it be expected to do so, but
the sum of the effort since 1981 has been impressive. The
opportunities for both the exploration of space and for recording
its history have been significant. Both endeavors are noble and
aimed at the enhancement of humanity. Whither the history of
spaceflight Only time will tell. But there has been an emergent
"new aerospace history'' of which space history is a central part
that moves beyond an overriding concern for the details of the
artifact to emphasize the broader role of the spacecraft. More
importantly, it emphasizes the whole technological system,
including not just the vehicle but also the other components that
make up the aerospace climate, as an integral part of the human
experience. It suggests that many unanswered questions spur the
development of flight and that inquisitive individuals seek to know
that which they do not understand.
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