Ray Bradbury’s 21st Century Guide for Space Travel

Abstract

This article deals with the importance of space as Ray Bradbury saw it. Inspired as a child by Buck Rogers, Bradbury was told as a youngster that there would never be a space age. Fast forward to age twenty-nine, and he wrote The Martian Chronicles, a seminal work on what humankind may find and become, beyond the Earth. Established as a science fiction writer, Bradbury found himself writing non-fiction essays in celebration of the real-life Space Age, and meeting the Apollo astronauts who had been influenced by his fictions and his essays.

            Late in life, Bradbury was honored by participants in the space program, but became distraught at how little attention was paid to space travel thereafter.

            Bradbury’s position on space travel—that it is an imperative if humankind is to survive into the far future, and must become possible for all—is in contrast to today’s “Billionaire space race”, which prioritizes the egos of the big spenders.