9781683404019

1683404017

9781683404095

9781683404255

"This volume examines NASA's strong ties to the American South, exploring how the space program and the region have influenced each other since NASA's founding in 1958"-- Provided by publisher.

"An unprecedented examination of NASA's strong ties to the American South, exploring how the space program and the region have influenced each other over 60 years During the Cold War, federal funding for the space program transformed the southern United States as NASA built most of its major new facilities in the region and invested heavily in Project Apollo. This volume examines the economic, social, political, and cultural impacts of NASA on the South since the space program was founded in 1958 and explores how the program's strong relationship to the region has affected NASA's organizational culture, technological development, and programmatic goals. Featuring contributions by scholars from a range of backgrounds, including space historians as well as specialists in many other fields, NASA and the American South offers perspectives on how NASA provided a springboard for the complete restructuring of communities that were home to its facilities in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, New Orleans, and Texas. These changes unsettled previous patterns of life, and the chapters in this volume include assessments of NASA's influence on regional development, tourism, art and architecture, religion, and Black institutions of higher education. Bridging the gap between the history of technology and its geographical and cultural contexts, this book offers an unprecedented reevaluation of the impact of the space program on its surrounding landscape, introducing a new framework for interpreting the agency's legacy. Contributors: Jennifer Ross-Nazzal | Dr Roger D. Launius | Professor Stephen P. Waring | Andrew J. Dunar | Emily A. Margolis | Douglas Brinkley | Rachael Kirschenmann | Caroline T. Swope | Jeffrey Nesbit | Stuart Simms | Kari Edwards | Max Campbell | Drew Adan | Brian C. Odom | Arslan Jumaniyazov | Katarzyna Balug"-- Provided by publisher.

Foreword / Douglas Brinkley

Introduction / Brian C. Odom

Part 1. Politics and Prejudice in a Southern Context.

Constructing Apollo: The American South and the Moon Landings / Roger Launius

Lyndon Johnson, NASA, and the South / Andrew J. Dunar

Black Education in the Shadow of Apollo: Dr. Richard D. Morrison and Alabama A&M College / Brian Odom

Engineering with an Accent? A Discussion of the Challenger Accident / Stephen P. Waring

Part 2. Colonizing the Crescent.

Oranges and Rockets: The People and Technology of Cape Canaveral / Rachael Kirschenmann

Local Aerospaces: Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Baikonur, Kazakhstan / Arslan Jumaniyazov

"Fire in the Bucket": The Impact of Mississippi Test Facility on Local Residents / Stuart Simms

Moonshots and Moonshine: Project Apollo and the Appalachian Regional Commission / Max Campbell

Apollo and the Creation of the Clear Lake Community / Jennifer Ross-Nazzal

Part 3. Leveraging Aerospace for Tourism.

Gateway to the Stars: Carl McIntire, Space Tourism, and the Cape Canaveral Bible Conference / Kari Edwards

"Put Us on Display": The Making of the Alabama Space and Rocket Center,

1970 / Emily A. Margolis

Space City USA: A Theme Park of the South that Failed to Launch / Drew Adan

Part 4. Reflections in Regional Art and Architecture.

Architectural Modernity in NASA's Remote South / Jeffrey S. Nesbit

The Race for Space: Creating Modern Landmarks in Postwar Huntsville, Alabama / Caroline Swope

Institutional Orbits and the Inflatable Form in the Space Age / Katarzyna Balug

Conclusion / Stephen P. Waring

United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration > History.

John F. Kennedy Space Center > History.

Southern States > History.

Southern States > Social life and customs.

Florida > History.