Books selling space exploration and exploitation

We may live in a digital age, but books still matter.  Because of that, books are a medium used to convince and inform people, even sell them on an idea.  I present two stories from Space.com about books that sell space exploration and exploitation that orginally appeared in Overnight News Digest: Science Saturday (Shark Week) on Daily Kos.

First, the exploitation: 'Make Your Own SpaceShipTwo,' Other Books Part of New Virgin Galactic Deal By Robert Z. Pearlman, collectSPACE.com, August 06, 2014 09:05pm ET.

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo will soon launch onto — and, in at least one example, out of — the pages of seven books thanks to a partnership between the private spaceflight company and DK, a global publisher of illustrated reference books.

Virgin Galactic, founded by Richard Branson, announced on Tuesday (Aug. 5) the collaboration with DK as its latest merchandising and marketing deal intended to document and promote its commercial space tourism services.

"Human space flight has a universal capability to inspire and educate," George Whitesides, Virgin Galactic's CEO, stated. "Through Virgin Galactic's partnership with DK, we can creatively bring this powerful experience to life and to a global audience with an emphasis on beautiful images and one-of-a-kind storytelling."

Next, a historical artifact of exploration: Marketing the Moon: How Space Collectors Retold the Story of Apollo's Success By Robert Z. Pearlman, collectSPACE.com, August 01, 2014 07:36am ET.

At an upcoming space artifact auction, among the selection of astronauts' autographs, spacecraft parts and mission patches, is a 45-year-old press kit from the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing. Its 250 pages browned with age, it isn't the auction's star lot, but it still could bring in hundreds of dollars.

As memorabilia of the lunar landings, the documents and other materials originally created to sell the public on the idea of sending astronauts to the moon are now on sale as prized collectibles.

But as valuable as the press kits, pamphlets, posters and other ephemera might be on the collector's market today, their significance as a shining example of effective brand marketing may be their true worth.

Isn't there a Heinlein book about this?  Yes, there is.


We live in science fiction times.