Recalling the Space Age: History, Master Narratives, and the Power of Memory

The term master narrative typically refers to a set of sociocultural interpretations of events agreed upon by most of the interpreters of the event or age, and these are abundantly apparent when considering the history of the space age. They offer what might best be considered secure knowledge formed to delineate the trajectory of the historical event and center it in its appropriate cultural place. It may be argued that there are the four narratives that have emerged concerning the U.S. space program, one that is a master narrative and three minor variations. These include: (1) the dominant narrative of American triumph, exceptionalism, and success; (2) the counter narrative of criticism of the space program from the left, wasting funds on a worthless expense that yielded little when so many Americans could have benefited from spending on social programs; (3) a more recent narrative of criticism of spaceflight from the right of the political spectrum focusing on the program as a representation of liberal taxing and spending strategies; and (4) a fringe  narrative that sees in the U.S. space program a relationship between all manner of nefarious activities. This last narrative emphasizes conspiracy theories—of extraterrestrial visitation, abduction, and government complicity, of denials of the Apollo Moon landings in favor of a deep-seated conspiracy, as part of a larger militarization scheme aimed at world domination, and a host of strange and bewildering conspiracies affecting the lives of normal Americans in negative ways. Each of these narratives has a place in the American consciousness as it remembers the space age. This essay will seek to discuss these four narratives and how they have interrelated over the fifty years of the space age.