Research Fellowship Advisory Staff

The Aeronautics Division is responsible for the historical research and collecting activities of the National Air and Space Museum related to all aspects of flight in the atmosphere. The goal of the division is to preserve, document, and interpret the history of aeronautical technology within a broad and appropriate political, economic, and social context. As part of this responsibility, the division acquires, documents, and maintains a collection of historically significant artifacts for public exhibition, study, and reference. Staff members conduct historical research leading toward scholarly and popular publications, exhibitions, lectures, seminars, and other forms of public presentation. Staff members also respond to a broad range of requests from the public on matters related to the history of aeronautics.

JOHN D. ANDERSON, JR., Curator. B.S. (1959) University of Florida, Ph.D. (1966) Ohio State University. Research specialties: hypersonic aerodynamics; high temperature gas dynamics; computational fluid dynamics; history of aerodynamics (Note: NASM cannot support fellows in aerodynamics and related fields, only in the history of aerodynamics.) andersonja@si.edu; 202- 633-2632

DOROTHY S. COCHRANE, Curator. B.A (1972), History, Ithaca College, M.Ed. (1975) Lehigh University. Research specialties: general aviation; aerial photography; history of women in aviation. cochraned@si.edu; 202-633-2633

TOM D. CROUCH, Senior Curator. B.A. (1966) Ohio University, M.A. (1968) Miami University, Ph.D. (1976) Ohio State University. Research specialties: history of flight and aerospace technology; U.S. social history; early flight, 1780-1914; lighter-than-air flight. croucht@si.edu; 202-633-2635

PETER L. JAKAB, Curator and Associate Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs. B.A. (1980), M.A. (1982), Ph.D. (1989) Rutgers University. Research specialties: history of technology; history of aviation and aeronautical engineering; history of early flight; Wright brothers; history of World War I aviation. jakabp@si.edu; 202-633-2631.]

JEREMY R. KINNEY, Curator. B.A. (1994) Greensboro College, M.A. (1998), Ph.D. (2003) Auburn University. Research specialties: American and European history and technology; technical development of flight; air racing and motorsports; aircraft propulsion; interwar military aviation, 1919-1941, aviation historiography. kinneyj@si.edu; 202-633-2640

RUSSELL E. LEE, Curator. B.S. (1981) Southwest Texas University, M.S. (1992) George Mason University. Research specialties: all-wing aircraft, amateur-built aircraft; sailplanes; ultralights. Leere@si.edu; 202-633-2641

DOMINICK A. PISANO, Curator. B.A. (1966) Pennsylvania State University, M.S. (1974) Catholic University, Ph.D. (1989) George Washington University. Research specialties: social and cultural aspects of American aviation; minorities in aviation; bibliographical and historiographical research in aviation. pisanod@si.edu; 202-633-2645

ALEX M. SPENCER, Curator. B.A., (1987) M.A. (1990) Pennsylvania State University. Ph.D. (2008) Auburn University. Research specialties: British and Commonwealth aviation; military flight clothing; aviation trophies and awards. spenceram@si.edu; 202-633-2646

F. ROBERT VAN DER LINDEN, Chair, Aeronautics Division. Curator of Air Transportation and Special Purpose Aircraft. B.A. (1977) University of Denver, M.A. (1981), Ph.D. (1997) George Washington University. Research specialties: U.S. commercial, military and naval aviation; special purpose aviation. vanderlindenb@si.edu; 202-633-2647

DIVISION OF SPACE HISTORY

The Space History Division is the focal point for the space related historical research, curatorial and archival activities of the National Air and Space Museum. Using the Museum's collections, as well as archival and bibliographic sources, the Division investigates the disciplines that use the vantage point of space, including astronomy, space physics, atmospheric sciences, communications, and life sciences, and also the means by which humans have probed or explored space, including rockets, launch vehicles, and spacecraft. Its research encompasses historical studies of space science and exploration, as well as technical surveys of space disciplines. In addition, the Division undertakes historical studies of the social and cultural, economic and political aspects of space flight and exploration.

The primary emphasis of the Division is on historical research, but it also monitors and records the present achievements of space flights and space related technology, acquires significant artifacts, and documents those achievements and artifacts for public exhibit, study, and reference.

PAUL E. CERUZZI, Chair, Space History Division. Curator, Computers and Avionics. B.A. (1970), American Studies, Yale; Ph.D. (1981) University of Kansas. Research specialties: Aerospace electronics; computing; microelectronics; missile guidance & control. ceruzzip@si.edu; 202-633-2414

MARTIN J. COLLINS, Curator, Civilian Applications Satellites, and Head, Oral History Project. B.G.S. (1977), University of Michigan, M.A. (1985), M.L.S. (1985), Ph.D. (1998), University of Maryland. Research specialties: history and culture of postwar science and technology. collinsm@si.edu; 202-633-2413

JAMES E. DAVID, Curator, Space History Division. B.A. (1973), Occidental College, M.A. (1990), Johns Hopkins University. Research specialties: early post-World War II communications intelligence organization and policies; intelligence programs and space; NASA’s liaison with intelligence agencies; federal records management. davidj@si.edu; 202- 633-2426

DAVID H. DEVORKIN, Senior Curator, History of Astronomy and the Space Sciences. B.A. (1966) University of California, Los Angeles, M.S. (1968) San Diego State University, M. Phil. (1970) Yale University, Ph.D. (1978) University of Leicester. Research specialties: history of modern astrophysics; history of astronomy and the space sciences; oral history and biography. devorkind@si.edu; 202-633-2425

THOMAS LASSMAN, Curator, Cold War Rockets and Missiles. B.A. (1991), Washington University, M.A. (1996), Ph.D. (2000), The Johns Hopkins University. Research specialties: history of American industrial research; history of government-business relations; history of weapon systems acquisition in the Department of Defense; institutional history of American science and technology. lassmant@si.edu; 202-633-2419

ROGER D. LAUNIUS, Senior Curator. B.A. (1976) Graceland College, M.A. (1976), Ph.D. (1982) Louisiana State University. Research specialties: aerospace history; history of NASA; history of space exploration. launiusr@si.edu; 202-633-2428

CATHLEEN S. LEWIS, Curator, International Space Programs. B.A. (1980), M.A. (1983) Yale University; Ph.D. (2008) George Washington University. Research specialties: history of Russian and Soviet space programs; non-U.S. space programs; international cooperation in space; blacks in aviation and spaceflight. lewiscs@si.edu; 202-633-2423

VALERIE S. NEAL, Curator. B.A. (1971) Texas Christian University, M.A. (1973) University of Southern California, Ph.D. (1979) University of Minnesota. Research specialties: post-Apollo human spaceflight (Skylab, space shuttle); manned space science, especially Spacelab missions. nealv@si.edu; 202-633-2422

ALLAN A. NEEDELL, Curator, Human Space Flight: Apollo Program. B.A. (1972) Cornell University, M.A. (1974), Ph.D. (1980) Yale University. Research specialties: history of modern physical sciences; organization of American science and its political and social relations; history of space exploration. needella@si.edu; 202-633-2412

MICHAEL J. NEUFELD, Curator. B.A. (1974) University of Calgary, M.A. (1976) University of British Columbia, M.A. (1980), Ph.D. (1984) The Johns Hopkins University. Research specialties: German rocketry and aeronautics; World War II, the Holocaust, and strategic bombing; U.S. space and guided-missile history since 1945. neufeldm@si.edu; 202-633-2434

MARGARET A. WEITEKAMP, Curator, Social and Cultural History of Spaceflight. B.A. (1993) University of Pittsburgh, M.A. (1996), Ph.D. (2001) Cornell University. Research specialties: popular culture, space memorabilia, and space science fiction; social history of spaceflight workforce; women in early U.S. space program. weitekampm@si.edu; 202-633-2416

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF (Consultant only)

ROGER D. CONNOR, Museum Specialist, Aeronautics Division. B.S. (1993) Virginia Tech University; M.A. (2002) The George Washington University. Research specialties: rotary-wing and V/TOL aviation; hovercraft; aircraft instrumentation and avionics. connorr@si.edu; 202- 633-2634

JENNIFER K. LEVASSEUR, Museum Specialist, Division of Space History. B.A. (1999) University of Michigan, M.A. (2002) George Washington University. Research specialties: human spaceflight; material culture; popular culture; camera collection. levasseurj@si.edu; 202- 633-2429

Aeronautics and Space History Research Staff