Spaceflight Social Sciences

The study of how human societies organize, fund, and react to space exploration, from the Cold War space race (we'll go to the moon because they're going to the moon) to the modern era of private spaceflight (billionaires racing to see who can build the coolest rocket). It examines why nations spend billions on space when problems exist on Earth (prestige, mostly, plus the off chance of finding aliens), how space agencies manage public perception (carefully staged photos, heroic narratives), and what happens to astronaut marriages (usually divorce, space is not kind to relationships).