There is no doubt that the last 50 years have witnessed numerous accomplishments in what has often been termed “the new ocean” of space, harkening back to a long tradition of exploration. Earth is now circled by thousands of satellites, looking both upward into space at distant galaxies and downward toward Earth for reconnaissance, weather, communications, navigation, and remote sensing.

Robotic space probes have explored most of the solar system, returning astonishing images of alien worlds. Space telescopes have probed the depths of the universe at many wavelengths. In the dramatic arena of human spaceflight, 12 men have walked on the surface of the Moon, the Space Shuttle has had 119 flights, and the International Space Station—a cooperative effort of 16 nations—is almost “core complete.”

In addition to Russia, which put the first human into space in April 1961, China has now joined the human spaceflight club with two Shenzhou flights, and Europe is readying for its entry into the field as well.

After 50 years of robotic and human spaceflight, and as serious plans are being implemented to return humans to the Moon and continue on to Mars, it is a good time to step back and ask questions that those in the heat of battle have had but little time to ask.What has the Space Age meant? What if the Space Age had never occurred? Has it been, and is it still, important for a creative society to explore space? How do we, and how should we, remember the Space Age?

On the cover: The Space Age begins. Top left: A technician puts the finishing touches on Sputnik I in the fall of 1957. Top middle and right: The Soviet Union launched Sputnik I the first artificial Earth satellite on October 4, 1957. Bottom: Explorer 1 America’s first Earth satellite was launched January 31, 1958.

Pictured left to right are William H. Pickering, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory that built and operated the satellite; James A. van Allen of the State University of Iowa who designed and built the instrument that discovered the Van Allen Radiation Belts; and Wernher von Braun, leader of the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal team which built the first stage Redstone rocket that launched Explorer 1. The photo was taken at a press conference at the National Academy of Sciences building in the early hours of February 1, 1958.

You can download Remembering the Space Age: Proceedings of the 50th Anniversary Conference in PDF format:

Download Remembering the Space Age: Proceedings of the 50th Anniversary Conference, Part 1

PDF format, 4.8MB, 170Pages.

Download Remembering the Space Age: Proceedings of the 50th Anniversary Conference, Part 2

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Download Remembering the Space Age: Proceedings of the 50th Anniversary Conference, Part 3

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Steven J. Dick, Editor
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
www.nasa.gov
Office of External Relations
History Division
Washington, DC. 2008
NASA SP-2008-4703

Introduction
Fifty years ago, with the launch of Sputnik I on October 4, 1957 and the flurry of activity that followed, events were building toward what some historians now recognize as a watershed in history—the beginning of the Space Age. Like all “Ages,” however, the Space Age is not a simple, straightforward, or even secure concept.

It means different things to different people, and, space buffs notwithstanding, some would even argue that it has not been a defining characteristic of culture over the last 50 years and therefore does not deserve such a grandiose moniker. Others would find that to be an astonishing viewpoint, and argue that the Space Age was a saltation in history comparable to amphibians transitioning from ocean to land. ...

About the Editor
Steven J. Dick is the Chief Historian for NASA and Director of the NASA History Division. He worked as an astronomer and historian of science at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, DC for 24 years before coming to NASA Headquarters in 2003.

Among his recent books are Societal Impact of Spaceflight (NASA SP 4801, 2007, edited with Roger Launius), Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight (NASA SP 4702, 2006, edited with Roger Launius), The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of Astrobiology (2004, with James Strick), and Sky and Ocean Joined: The U.S. Naval Observatory, 18302000 (2003).

Dr. Dick is the recipient of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, two NASA Group Achievement Awards, and the 2006 LeRoy E. Doggett Prize for Historical Astronomy of the American Astronomical Society.

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