"This talk will
address what space flight has meant, or done, for special interests and for
public interests. The U.S. civilian space program exists in a social reality
where special interests - political, economic, business - will ensure its
continuation. These interests have shaped NASA's public image and, thus,
public perceptions of and opinions about space flight. Considering whether
and how these processes have "socialized" space flight, making it "fit for
life in companionship with others," as the dictionary would put it, sheds
some light on the role that space flight plays has played in the broader
cultural environment of the U.S. and the world."