Gender, Sexuality, and Space Culture explores how traditional ideologies of gender and sexuality have influenced the culture of space travel. The time since humans first began exploring outer space has been marked by both great technological development and great social upheaval. Yet while the rapid technological advancement of the mid- to late-twentieth century made human spaceflight a reality, the field has shown some resistance to cultural change over the same period.
Ideas about the body in space and the future of humanity are at the core of the development of human spaceflight. This book examines how these have been constructed as specifically a male body and a heterosexual future. These presumptive norms are not unusual, but this book argues that the unique attributes of outer space can be productively used in advancing theories of culture beyond the extra-terrestrial