I decided to ask about the astronauts because of our discussions in class about Omon Ra and heroism. I was surprised that my dad mentioned the separation between NASA and the military and how the astronauts were seen as very separate from this even though a lot of the rocket technology came from wars. The idea of instead emphasizing the "goodness" of astronauts seems to create a sort of moral narrative about space exploration. I think that in a way this does make the astronauts heroes even if they weren't called that in the US. Not only were the astronauts augmented physically through the technology they were given to allow them to land and walk on the moon, but they were also enhanced through the additional character traits that people projected onto them. 

I decided to ask about gender here because so much of the conception of astronauts as "good" people centers around their identity as smart young handsome white men. How could women fit into this idea if women's bodies are often divorced in American culture from this idea of what a scientist and a good person look like? 

*I realized after listening to the video that I mispronounced Omon Ra