could star trek inspire the next generation?
But could an unlikely source be a catalyst for reigniting interest? Step forward Star Trek. Recently celebrating it's 50th anniversary, the programme has transceneded science fiction and been a source of inspiration for the people that work in space today. Many space engineers cite early memories of sitting watching Captain Kirk, Spok and later the likes of Jean Luc Picard and Ricard for igniting their interest in the field, dreaming of space travel and astronomy. 50 years on, and these people are now working in the space industry themselves. Take Robert Hurt for example. A physicist working at the California Institute of Technology on NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, peering deep into areas of space that have always been hidden from us. Like Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise, Hurt is a space explorer. After Star Trek first aired on Sept. 8, 1966, people could envision a time when the human race would explore space and "boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone before." The show, which ran for three seasons, also began to inspire young kids and friends watching Kirk and Mr. Spock meet aliens and explore distant planets. For many researchers today, their passion for science was fed by the original series, along with the later spin-offs and movies that followed. That original show has been followed by five more TV series, including The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. And the franchise isn't dormant. A seventh television series, Discovery, is expected to begin airing on CBS All Access in January. There also have been 13 Star Trek films, including this year's latest movie Star Trek Beyond.
All served to create a mythology around space exploration, multi-cultural diversity and cooperation and an optimism around science. John Smith, who does trajectory design for outer planets missions at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said Star Trek was one of the very first shows he can remember watching as a kid. It influenced his career, as well as his outlook on life. "It drove me towards aerospace engineering, "It was very revolutionary for the day and it was present throughout Star Trek." Star Trek writers and actors even went out to talk to students about the importance of science. Seeing that you could have an exciting job working in science and affect the future has appealed to many people. For the show to still be relevant in 2016 shows the kind of longevity it has and an indication that people of the modern era are still fascinated enough by science to consider it as a potential career to move into.