In her letters, Mary Lasker began428 to refer to a programmatic War on Cancer as the conquest of “inner space” (as opposed to “outer space”), instantly unifying the two projects. The moon landing thus marked a turning point in the life cycle of the cancer crusade. In the past, the Laskerites had concentrated much of their efforts on political lobbying in Washington. When advertisements or posters had been pitched directly to the public, they had been mainly educational. The Laskerites had preferred to maneuver backstage, preferring political advocacy to public advocacy.
