Space Craze: America’s Enduring Fascination with Real and Imagined Spaceflight

Although the title of this work is certainly truth in marketing, the author is coming at the subject from an angle I really didn't expect. What one basically has here is an examination of the point where "media" science fiction, the publicity work for real-life space exploration, and the marketing of the ephemera (toys, insignia, etc.) come together. I was already quite aware of the history of how cinema and TV approached space exploration, but where Weitekamp shines is in regards to the interstitial curiosities; a favorite example being how early "Buck Rogers" made veiled reference to actual pioneers of rocketry like Robert H. Goddard and Max Valier. There is also a running theme of how period media SF intersected with real life show more attitudes; good examples including the 'Yellow Peril" references of "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon," or how young SF fans in the 1960s American South had to sneak around to watch "Star Trek" (due the presence of the Nichelle Nichols). Finally, Weitekamp makes no apologies for her fascination with toys, and makes good arguments for the importance of such things in building a certain default enthusiasm for space exploration at the foundational level. show less