Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight

In March 2005, the NASA History Division and the Division of Space History at the National Air and Space Museum brought together a distinguished group of scholars to consider the state of the discipline of space history. This volume is a collection of essays based on those deliberations. The meeting took place at a time of extraordinary transformation for NASA, stemming from the new Vision of Space Exploration announced by President George W. Bush in January 204: to go to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This Vision, in turn, stemmed from a deep reevaluation of NASA’s goals in the wake of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident and the recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. The new goals were seen as initiating a “New Age of Exploration” and were placed in the context of the importance of exploration and discovery to the American experiences.

 

Steven J. Dick is the Chief Historian for NASA. 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 most recent books are Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight (2006 edited with Roger Launius), Risk and Exploration: Earth, Sea and the Stars (2005, edited with Keith Cowing), The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of Astrobiology (2004), and Sky and Ocean Joined: The U.S. Naval Observatory, 1830-2000 (2003). He is the recipient of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal and the NASA Group Achievement Award, and he is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics and the International Astronomical Union.