Old Negro Space Program
Encyclopedia
The Old Negro Space Program is a short mockumentary
in the style of a Ken Burns
film. Imagining a black space program, whose "blackstronauts" were excluded
from "White NASA
", the film lampoons Burns's history of the Negro Leagues, a subject of his 1994 series, Baseball.
The ten-minute film was produced and directed by Andy Bobrow, who has written for the television series Hype and Malcolm in the Middle
. It was created for broad release on the Internet.
The piece has received mixed reactions from bloggers and minority rights
activist
groups. It was nominated for a 2005 Nebula Award
but was reluctantly ruled ineligible. The SFWA
stated that the disqualification in no way reflected on the work's quality.
. Unfortunately, since America's "love affair with racism was in full swing", Jefferson learns that NASA is whites-only. Undaunted, Jefferson and his friend "Loopie" Louie Hays form their own astronaut group. Their creation—the Negro American Space Society of Astronauts (NASSA)—is a resounding success, with more than 240 "blackstronauts" signing up by 1960. The venture also brings personal success to Jefferson—he wins the girl's heart and later marries her.
Using spaceships cobbled together from old rocket engines, landing capsules, a school bus, and a used Cadillac, NASSA quickly becomes a major player in the space race. Its members farm out across the country, barnstorming in small towns to raise money and becoming minor celebrities. In Washington, the US government worries about losing the space race to the Soviet Union
, but is "ten times as worried" about losing the race to NASSA.
Like NASA, NASSA suffers some significant setbacks. Sullivan Carew dies a hero's death when his rocket-powered school bus burns up in the atmosphere, while Peter "Stinky Pete" Carver catches fire in an Illinois parking lot. Unlike NASA, however, the blackstronauts refuse to slow the pace of their program (Stinky Pete is dusted off and makes another launch the following day).
The film features a letter from Sullivan Carew to his wife written two days before his death. It is a parody of the real-life letter by Union Army
soldier Sullivan Ballou
, which was used by Ken Burns in his documentary The Civil War
.
NASA attempts to lure away those members of NASSA who have light skin and can pass as white
, including Gordon Cooper
and Buzz Aldrin
. When this fails to produce the desired effect, the government issues a "black blackout" and forces the mainstream media to focus only on negative issues affecting the black community. Soon the newspapers are full of stories about crime and riots, and the achievements of NASSA go unreported.
On September 31, 1966, Suitcase Jefferson and Louie Hayes land their rocket-powered Coupe de Ville on the surface of the Moon
and return safely to Earth. Their amazing feat is buried by the black blackout, and appears on page 34 of the Cincinnati Enquirer (and, presumably, gets the same treatment in other papers). The article reads as follows:
Saddened by the nation's lack of interest in their heroics, Jefferson and his friends decide to shut down NASSA.
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
in the style of a Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
film. Imagining a black space program, whose "blackstronauts" were excluded
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
from "White NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
", the film lampoons Burns's history of the Negro Leagues, a subject of his 1994 series, Baseball.
The ten-minute film was produced and directed by Andy Bobrow, who has written for the television series Hype and Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes...
. It was created for broad release on the Internet.
The piece has received mixed reactions from bloggers and minority rights
Minority rights
The term Minority Rights embodies two separate concepts: first, normal individual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, linguistic or sexual minorities, and second, collective rights accorded to minority groups...
activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
groups. It was nominated for a 2005 Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
but was reluctantly ruled ineligible. The SFWA
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA is a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. It was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. and it retains the acronym SFWA after a very brief use of the SFFWA...
stated that the disqualification in no way reflected on the work's quality.
Cast
- Jordan BlackJordan Black (actor)Jordan Black is an American comedy writer and actor.He was born in Kankakee, Illinois. Black has written for Saturday Night Live and starred in the Comedy Central show Halfway Home as Sebastian "C-Bass" Yates, an ex-convict for internet fraud...
... Sullivan Carew (voice) - Andy Bobrow ... Dr. Warren Fingeroot
- Johnny BrownJohnny BrownJohnny Brown is an American actor and singer. Brown is a nightclub and stage performer as well as a comic actor, and a regular cast member of the television series Laugh-in. Brown is mostly remembered for his chubby physique, wide ingratiating smile, mobile facial expressions, and easy pleasant...
... Wallace "Suitcase" Jefferson - Rodney SaulsberryRodney SaulsberryRodney Jerome Saulsberry is an American voice-over performer, actor, vocalist, announcer and author, known for his voice work on commercials , his two books and the voice of Joe Robbie Robertson on the animated TV series Spider-Man.Born in Detroit, Michigan, Saulsberry is a University of...
... Narrator (voice)
Known Blackstronauts
The following members of NASSA were shown or named in the film:- Wallace "Suitcase" Jefferson - co-founder, landed on Moon
- "Loopie Louie" Hayes - co-founder, immortalized in song, landed on Moon
- "Rocket" Randall
- Sullivan Carew - died in reentry
- Peter "Stinky Pete" Carver - performed at least one space mission
- Buzz Aldrin - Co-opted by NASA during the "black blackout", since he could pass for white
- Gordon Cooper - Co-opted by NASA during the "black blackout", since he could pass for white
Plot overview
To impress a girl that he likes, Wallace "Suitcase" Jefferson applies for a job at the newly-formed NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. Unfortunately, since America's "love affair with racism was in full swing", Jefferson learns that NASA is whites-only. Undaunted, Jefferson and his friend "Loopie" Louie Hays form their own astronaut group. Their creation—the Negro American Space Society of Astronauts (NASSA)—is a resounding success, with more than 240 "blackstronauts" signing up by 1960. The venture also brings personal success to Jefferson—he wins the girl's heart and later marries her.
Using spaceships cobbled together from old rocket engines, landing capsules, a school bus, and a used Cadillac, NASSA quickly becomes a major player in the space race. Its members farm out across the country, barnstorming in small towns to raise money and becoming minor celebrities. In Washington, the US government worries about losing the space race to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, but is "ten times as worried" about losing the race to NASSA.
Like NASA, NASSA suffers some significant setbacks. Sullivan Carew dies a hero's death when his rocket-powered school bus burns up in the atmosphere, while Peter "Stinky Pete" Carver catches fire in an Illinois parking lot. Unlike NASA, however, the blackstronauts refuse to slow the pace of their program (Stinky Pete is dusted off and makes another launch the following day).
The film features a letter from Sullivan Carew to his wife written two days before his death. It is a parody of the real-life letter by Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
soldier Sullivan Ballou
Sullivan Ballou
Sullivan Ballou was a lawyer, politician, and major in the United States Army. He is best remembered for the eloquent letter he wrote to his wife a week before he fought and was mortally wounded alongside his Rhode Island Volunteers in the First Battle of Bull Run.-Early life:Ballou was born the...
, which was used by Ken Burns in his documentary The Civil War
The Civil War (documentary)
The Civil War is a documentary film created by Ken Burns about the American Civil War. It was first broadcast on PBS on five consecutive nights from Sunday, September 23 to Thursday, September 27, 1990. Forty million viewers watched it during its initial broadcast, making it the most-watched...
.
NASA attempts to lure away those members of NASSA who have light skin and can pass as white
Passing (racial identity)
Racial passing refers to a person classified as a member of one racial group attempting to be accepted as a member of a different racial group...
, including Gordon Cooper
Gordon Cooper
Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. , also known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and NASA astronaut. Cooper was one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned space effort by the United States...
and Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
. When this fails to produce the desired effect, the government issues a "black blackout" and forces the mainstream media to focus only on negative issues affecting the black community. Soon the newspapers are full of stories about crime and riots, and the achievements of NASSA go unreported.
On September 31, 1966, Suitcase Jefferson and Louie Hayes land their rocket-powered Coupe de Ville on the surface of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
and return safely to Earth. Their amazing feat is buried by the black blackout, and appears on page 34 of the Cincinnati Enquirer (and, presumably, gets the same treatment in other papers). The article reads as follows:
Saddened by the nation's lack of interest in their heroics, Jefferson and his friends decide to shut down NASSA.