ABSTRACT Since the Apollo missions, human spaceflight has been advocated as a means of promoting positive attitudes towards science. In 2015, Principia launched Britain's first government-funded astronaut to the International Space Station, a core objective being education and inspiring young people. In this study, we examined how spaceflight education policy was enacted during the Principia mission, found out the ways in which young people encountered space, and how these encounters shaped their attitudes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 102 children and analysed through the construction of an actor-network. Young people encountered space through formal education in school as well as through non-formal encounters with family, friends, media and social media. Social media influences were associated with forming positive attitudes, whereas friends and teachers were associated with both positive and negative attitudes. The human dimension of spaceflight was important in young people encountering space but was not sufficient to stimulate sustained interest in space: children and young people wanted to know more about the science of human spaceflight. Young people confused science with science fiction. In some schools, young people became ‘spaced out’ by saturation of the curriculum with space. The findings have implications for policymakers and practitioners. The scientific stories associated with human spaceflight need greater attention. Social media could be used to greater effect in communicating science directly to young people. Non-formal education initiatives must be designed to align with teachers’ objectives, and there needs to be recognition and reward of teachers’ time and contributions.

中文翻译：

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年轻人与人类太空飞行的亲密接触

摘要自阿波罗（Apollo）飞行任务以来，人们一直提倡将太空飞行视为对科学持积极态度的一种手段。2015年，Principia将英国首位政府资助的宇航员发射到了国际空间站，其核心目标是教育和启发年轻人。在这项研究中，我们研究了在“原理”任务期间如何制定太空飞行教育政策，发现了年轻人与太空接触的方式，以及这些接触如何塑造了他们的态度。对102名儿童进行了半结构化访谈，并通过构建演员网络进行了分析。年轻人通过在学校接受正规教育以及与家人，朋友，媒体和社交媒体的非正式接触而遇到了空间。社交媒体的影响与形成积极态度有关，而朋友和老师则与积极和消极态度有关。太空飞行的人文维度对于年轻人接触太空至关重要，但不足以激发人们对太空的持续兴趣：儿童和年轻人想更多地了解人类太空科学。年轻人将科学与科幻小说混淆了。在一些学校中，年轻人由于课程的空间饱和而被“隔开”。该发现对政策制定者和从业者具有影响。与人类航天有关的科学故事需要得到更多关注。可以使用社交媒体在将科学直接传达给年轻人方面发挥更大的作用。