Inspired Enterprise: How NASA, the Smithsonian, and the Aerospace Community Helped Launch Star Trek

Discover how NASA, the Smithsonian, and the aerospace community helped craft, legitimize, and popularize the beloved television show Star Trek.

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry sought to create a work of science fiction that would immerse viewers not only through clever storylines and modern visual effects, but also by presenting the story in a scientific and technological context that felt believable. To this end, Roddenberry, a former WWII combat pilot, used his connections in the aero...