Waiting for Spaceships

Captures the unique community of shuttle fans camping in the Mojave Desert, celebrating the dawn of the New Space Age.

Waiting for Spaceships vividly portrays a forgotten community of pilgrims who camped on a barren patch of California’s Mojave Desert to witness space shuttles come to Earth. It was during the 1980s and the dawn of the first New Space Age. The location was Edwards Air Force Base—endless miles of wild desert protecting the world’s top spot for military test flights. Photographer Ted Huetter camped with the shuttle fans for years, and his endearing images of the people there take us back to a precious time at a place like no other.

On the day before each shuttle landing, Edwards allowed any number of strangers to park, camp, and while away their time at a desolate viewing site a few miles from the shuttle runways. The visitors had to leave after the spaceship arrived. But while they were there, something magic happened, and they established a community. Kindness and eccentricities flowered. American patriotism was unabashed. All shared some hope for the future and a moment of wonder. The pilgrimages lasted only a decade. Huetter’s photos remind us of this special time in American culture and spaceflight history.