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Disrupting Science: Social Movements, American Scientists, and the Politics of the Military, 1945–1975 (review)

947 Moonwatch. As more satellites were launched by both superpowers, the once-novel objective gradually turned into a “routine.” Accordingly, there came an enhanced necessity among Moonwatchers for “quantifiable accuracy”—which McCray points out “belied the ‘amateur’ status of its participants” (p. 198). Because of a growing emphasis on scientific rigor, Moonwatch lost its appeal to curious amateurs. If Operation Moonwatch was a cold war project, can it serve as a model for rekindling popular enthusiasm for science and technology in the age of a war on terrorism? The prospect is unclear. In a striking reversal of attitudes in the wake of September 11, amateur interest in activities like rocketry and satellite spotting is regarded by the federal government as potentially detrimental to national security. Where, then, should amateurs find encouragement? Maybe what is needed now is another “Sputnik Moment,” perhaps most likely in the realm of concern about global warming— another Operation Moonwatch rather than another Manhattan Project to foster democratic interest and participation in science. McCray thus finds it appropriate to substitute the term “citizen-scientist” for “amateur.” The appeal of the new term does not consist in its less pejorative meaning but rather in its emphasis on the need for men and women, both amateur and professional, who question the political and cultural contexts of scientific work. This book reminds us that the pursuit of science is a matter of state and society, in which we as citizens have rights and obligations to know and to participate.