New Frontiers

Now that the Space Shuttle Enterprise has successfully flown over the Mojave Desert, NASA needs to press ahead. Next stop is low Earth Orbit but first, this new star ship needs a crew. No longer the preserve of white male military pilots, the next generation of astronauts would need to have a variety of different skills and expertise. They would also need to better reflect the diversity of American society in the 1970s. So to help find these new recruits, NASA got help from an unexpected source - someone who had already crossed new frontiers on a fictional starship.

Ever wondered how the…