Aerospatial Heritage Sites and Aerial Battlefields

Explores the concept of Aerospatial Heritage Sites, examining how astronauts and aircrew ascribe meaning to places from outer space and historic airspaces, and argues for recognizing these locations as intangible heritage sites embedded within memories and narratives.

Having established the idea that places at altitude have been valued as heritage sites, Ryan Sisak sets out in this work to fully explore the discursive impact of recognising Aerospatial Heritage Sites.

Having established the idea that places at altitude have been valued as heritage sites, Ryan Sisak sets out in this work to fully explore the discursive impact of recognizing Aerospatial Heritage Sites. Given that five of the six astronauts from Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 have valued and ascribed meaning to five distinct places in outer space—from their initial visits in space to roughly half a century later—what are the implications for other historic events that occurred either in the air or in outer space? Did any of the astronauts who preceded those from Apollo value particular places in space as heritage sites? What about the historic airspace belonging to Edwards Air Force Base, where the sound barrier was first broken, along with other aerial feats? And what about the aerial battlefields from the Battle of Britain and Allied bombing campaigns of World War II above Europe? Did surviving aircrew reminisce such places in the same way that other historic battlefields are also valued as heritage? Thus, in addition to embarking on a parallel study of the intercultural transfers that influenced the historic events in question, this volume will demonstrate the validity and ramifications of recognizing historic places from the air and outer space as heritage sites. This work aims to establish Aerospatial Heritage Sites and aerial battlefields as intangible heritages that although may be represented in the air or outer space by relative places at altitude, are actually encapsulated within the spatial stories told or recorded by the people who valued them first.