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Apollo in the Age of Aquarius

with Dr. Dennis Crabtree

abstract

The 1960s were a dynamic, creative, tumultuous decade that saw the rise of women's rights, environmental activism, increasing civil rights, psychedelic music, and, of course, the first man walking on the Moon. The resources and publicity of the US space program captured the public's imagination. Space was used as a marketing tool and also featured in popular music.

The US space program which culminated with the Apollo program and the manned Moon landings was very expensive. The US was caught up with the Soviet Union in the space race. Many, especially those in the civil rights movement, questioned the cost of the space program when there were many pressing societal problems.

In this talk, I will introduce the space race, how 'space' was portrayed in popular music and advertising, and some of the opposition to the massive spending on space. ( p.s. Bring your dancing shoes)

bio

Dennis Crabtree is a former Director of the DAO and has worked for NRC-HAA since 1986. He has twice worked at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore and the Gemini Observatory in Chile. He was also the first external hire for the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre of the DAO which is one of the leading astronomical data centres in the world. He is the 'unofficial' historian of the DAO and is exploring the use of virtual reality and 3D printing for astronomy outreach. He is a member of the International Astronomical Union, the Canadian Astronomical Society and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Amuse bouche: He voted to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet.