NASA economist Alexander MacDonald shares how the human imagination for space flight wasn’t only sparked by history’s esteemed scientists but also our great storytellers. This talk was filmed at TEDxAuckland. All TEDx events are organized independently by volunteers in the spirit of TED's mission of ideas worth spreading. To learn more about TEDxSHORTS, the TEDx program, or give feedback on this episode, please visit http://go.ted.com/tedxshorts.