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Rocketry and space history (22 finding aids)

NASM 7B10257
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Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Earth Observation and Photography Experiment
Acc. 1988-0127
The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project of July 1975 was the first joint space program between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The Earth Observation and Photography Experiment (EOPE) was among the experiments carried out during the mission. This collection consists of the papers of Dr. Farouk El-Baz, principle investigator for EOPE. 3.5 cu. ft. (8 boxes)
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NASM 9A00630
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Bellcomm, Inc Technical Library Collection
Acc. XXXX-0093
Bellcomm Inc. was established in 1962 as a joint venture of AT&T and NASA to oversee systems integration for the Apollo Program and ceased operations in 1972 at the end of that program. This collection consists of technical studies and reports gathered by Bellcomm in their Technical Library for use by Bellcomm staff.
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(754K)
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NASM 9A00630
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Bellcomm, Inc Technical Library Collection - Addendum
Acc. XXXX-0093
Addendum to Bellcomm, Inc Technical Library Collection, above.
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(85K)
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NASM 9A05131
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David M. Brown Collection
Acc. 2006-0013
David M. Brown (1956-2003) was a U.S. Navy officer, flight surgeon, naval aviator and Space Shuttle astronaut. In 1996, he was selected as an astronaut candidate by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Eventually, Brown was assigned a flight aboard Space Shuttle Columbia for the STS-107 mission. On February 1, 2003, after the successful in-space mission and only minutes from its scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space center (KSC), Cape Canaveral, Florida, the orbiter suffered structural failure upon reentry into the atmosphere and disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana. Brown, as well as the other six members of the STS-107 crew, was killed in the accident. This collection consists of correspondence, technical manuals, checklists, handbooks, photographs, U.S. Navy/NASA documents, memoranda, drafts, worksheets, reports, briefings, handouts, notes, invitations, programs, pamphlets, books, booklets, guidebooks, magazines, journals, miscellaneous materials, certificates, passports, day planners and yearbooks. Collection size is 11.76 cu. ft. (33 boxes).
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(266K)
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NASM 9A00631
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Captured German Documents -- Fort Eustis Library (F.E.) Microfilm
Acc. XXXX-0468
This collection consists of captured German documents pertaining to operations and research at the German missile testing station at Peenemünde during World War II. The documents were processed by the United States Army and housed for a time in a library at Fort Eustis, VA before being microfilmed.
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(325K)
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Charles W. Chillson Collection
Acc. XXXX-0008
Winner of the 1947 Collier Trophy for his work with propellers and an expert in rocket propulsion, Charles Chillson was closely affiliated with the American Rocket Society (ARS). This collection includes correspondence with Wernher von Braun and Esther C. Goddard and with organizations such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the British Interplanetary Society, the International Astronautical Federation, and the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences. 3.5 cubic feet (8 boxes)
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(101K)
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James C. Elms Collection
Acc. 1993-0047
In 1963, after many years in private industry, James C. Elms (1916 - 1993) was recruited to join the senior staff at NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center. He subsequently served in a variety of other administrative positions within NASA, culminating in his directorship of the Electronics Research Center. The Elms Collection consists of correspondence, speeches, notes, newspaper articles and congressional hearings.
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(112K)
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NASA NASA-69-HC-789
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Glennan-Webb-Seamans Project Interviews
Acc. 1999-0036
This collection contains the transcripts for the Glennan-Webb-Seamans Project Interviews which analyze a variety of facets revolving around NASA management and its handling of contractors during the Apollo program. The collection consists of 193 hours of interviews with 26 individuals. The audiotapes for these interviews have yet to be remastered and due to their fragility, are not available to researchers. Most of the transcripts to these interviews are available to researchers though, there are restrictions placed on a small number of them. A National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Archives staff member will advise the patron which transcripts are available for copying and viewing. Collection size is 3.01 cu. ft. (16 boxes)
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(168K)
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NASM 9A00820
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory Publications Collection
Acc. XXXX-0612
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was established by the California Institute of Technology in 1936. During and after World War II JPL concentrated on jet and rocket propulsion research under the auspices of the US Army until transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1958, after which time its research expanded to include trajectory analysis, planetary reconnaissance, and space communications. This collection consists of 32 cubic feet of reports published by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory between 1947 and 1980 and collected by the National Air and Space Museum from a variety of sources.
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(531K)
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NASM 9A02377
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Hildegard Korf Kallmann-Bijl Collection
Acc. 1989-0042
Dr. Hildegard Korf Kallmann-Bijl (1908-1968) was a pioneer in atmospheric physics as it related to orbital trajectories. She developed the "Kallmann Atmosphere" model, which successfully predicted the lifespan of satellites in orbit. The model, combined with her later work "the International Reference Atmosphere," made possible the accurate prediction of the landing site for a space craft returning from orbit. The collection contains copies of published and unpublished technical papers, correspondence, awards, handwritten notes, calculations, newspaper articles, photographs, and negatives. 2.8 cubic feet (7 boxes).
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(460K)
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NASM 9A02977
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Willy Ley Collection
Acc. XXXX-0098
Willy Ley (1906-1969) was a German-born, world-renowned expert in and proponent of rocketry and space travel. After helping to found Germany's early spaceflight club, Verein fur Raumschiffahrt or VfR (Society for Space Travel), as well as writing books and numerous articles regarding rocketry and space travel, Ley immigrated to the U.S. in 1935. During World War II, he became a leading expert in rocketry. He continued to write books on this topic, most notably, Rockets, Missiles & Space Travel (first published in 1944). Other highly successful titles that Ley produced during the 1950s and 1960s included The Conquest of Space, The Conquest of the Moon (written with Wernher von Braun and astronomer Fred Whipple) and Beyond the Solar System. Ley, along with von Braun, artist Chesley Bonestell and others, collaborated on a series of space-themed issues of Collier's (1952-54) that helped to foster support for future U.S. missions to earth orbit, the moon and the planets. This collection consists of correspondence, book and article contract materials, galley proofs, manuscript and article drafts, notes, articles, lecture invitations and brochures, photographs, drawings, newspaper and press clippings, book reviews, personal bills and receipts, business cards and travel memorabilia, pamphlets, magazines, newsletters, books, reports, journals, directories, certificates, citations and a scrapbook. Collection size is 48.29 cubic feet (107 boxes).
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(201K)
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SI 88-13366
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Homer Edward Newell, Jr. Speech Transcripts, 1960 - 1973
Acc. XXXX-0150
Dr. Homer Edward Newell, Jr. (1915 - 1983), mathematician and administrator, was the principal organizer of the American space program during the early years of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This collection consists of articles and transcripts of speeches by Dr. Newell from 1960 - 1973 covering a broad range of space program and space science related topics. 1 cubic foot (2 boxes).
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(115K)
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NASM 9A00803
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Peenemünde Aerodynamics Reports
Acc. XXXX-0193
This collection consists of captured German documents pertaining to aerodynamic research conducted at the German missile testing station at Peenemünde during World War II. The documents consist of blueprint and autopositive copies of reports from the Peenemünde Archiv Nr. 66 document series. 2.03 cu. ft. (5 boxes).
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(109K)
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SI 90-69
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Peenemünde Interviews Project
Acc. 1999-0038
This collection contains the transcripts for the Peenemünde Interviews Project which examines the development of the German Peenemünde complex from the early 1930s through World War II. This rocket test center designed the V-2 missiles that terrorized Britain during 1944-45. The collection consists of 39 hours of interviews with 13 individuals. The audiotapes for these interviews have yet to be remastered and, due to their fragility, are not available to researchers. Most of the transcripts to these interviews are available to researchers though, there are restrictions placed on a small number of them. A National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Archives staff member will advise the patron which transcripts are available for copying and viewing. Collection size is 0.69 cu. ft. (4 boxes)
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(84K)
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NASM 9A00803
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Peenemünde Technical Reports
(Fort Bliss / Putkammer Collection)
Acc. XXXX-0192
This collection consists of captured German documents pertaining to research conducted at the German missile testing station at Peenemünde during World War II. The documents consist of copies of reports primarily from the Peenemünde Archiv Nr. 14, 66, and 86 document series. These documents were held for a time in the Document Room of the Ordnance Research and Development Division Sub-Office on Rockets, Fort Bliss, TX. 1.58 cu. ft. (4 boxes).
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(117K)
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NASM 9A03609
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Richard Porter Collection
Acc. 1997-0037
Richard Porter (1913-1996) was an electrical engineer and expert in the fields of rocketry and space travel. In 1937, the General Electric (GE) Company hired him as a student engineer after receiving his Ph.D. from Yale University. This was the start of a very long affiliation between Porter and the corporate giant. During World War II, he was directly involved in the U.S. effort to identify and debrief top German rocket scientists. He was also instrumental in evacuating these rocket specialists to the U.S. - an undertaking known as Operation Paperclip. In 1953, GE placed Porter in overall charge of the company's guided missiles department. From that time onward, he stayed heavily engaged in the rocketry field. This included heading a panel of scientists tasked with developing a U.S. space program in time for the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58. This collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, reports, notes, speeches, photographs, brochures, pamphlets, programs, magazines, newsletters, papers, articles, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous materials. Collection size is 8.03 cu. ft. (22 boxes).
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(104K)
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RAND History Project Interviews
Acc. 1999-0037
This collection contains the transcripts for the RAND History Project Interviews which explore the non-profit research firm's efforts to study the various problems of U.S. national security during the Cold War, in particular, from the perspective of the U.S. Air Force (USAF). The collection consists of 104 hours of interviews with 38 individuals. The audiotapes for these interviews have yet to be remastered and due to their fragility, are not available to researchers. Most of the transcripts to these interviews are available to researchers though, there are restrictions placed on a small number of them. A National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Archives staff member will advise the patron which transcripts are available for copying and viewing. Collection size is 1.85 cu. ft. (10 boxes)
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(87K)
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NASM 9A07494
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Science Service Astronomy and Astronautics Files
Acc. 1987-0125
Science Service was founded in 1921 as a news service for the purpose of
transmitting information on scientific progress to the public, and to
"present facts in readable and interesting form." The service provided
news stories to subscribing newspapers and issued the
Daily Science News Bulletin (later renamed the Daily Mail Report)
and the Science News Letter. For many years, Science Service maintained
an extensive informational "morgue file" of articles, clippings,
papers and photographs. In later years, several branches of the
Smithsonian Institution received sections of these files as
they were deaccessioned by Science Service; the National Air and Space Museum received Science Service files relating to
astronomy and astronautics. Dating from the late 1920s through
the early 1970s, the collection includes extensive news coverage
of advances in rocketry, the U.S.-Soviet space race and the Cold
War. Also included in the collection are astronomical and
physics papers and reports. Collection size is 41 cu. ft. (114 boxes).
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(479K)
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Space Astronomy Oral History Project
Acc. 1999-0034
This collection contains the transcripts for the Space Astronomy Oral History Project which explore the early use of rockets and satellites over the period 1946 through the early 1960s to investigate the upper atmosphere and space. The collection consists of 225 hours of interviews with 67 individuals. The audiotapes for these interviews have yet to be remastered and due to their fragility, are not available to researchers. Most of the transcripts to these interviews are available to researchers though, there are restrictions placed on a small number of them. A National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Archives staff member will advise the patron which transcripts are available for copying and viewing. Collection size is 3.59 cu. ft. (19 boxes)
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(96K)
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Space Suit Android Drawings (1964)
Acc. 1989-0062
The Spacesuit Android was built by ITT under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA's Manned Spaceflight Center, Crew Systems Division, used the android to test and evaluate spacesuit designs and related equipment for mobility and operational stress. The android was later considered by the United States Air Force for use in its bionics program. This collection consists of engineering drawings for the android and related gear.
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(76K)
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Space Telescope History Project
Acc. 1999-0035
This collection contains the transcripts for the Space Telescope History Project which examines the early planning and development of what would eventually be known as the Hubble Space Telescope. The collection consists of over 235 hours of interviews with 94 individuals. The audiotapes for these interviews have yet to be remastered and due to their fragility, are not available to researchers. Most of the transcripts to these interviews are available to researchers though, there are restrictions placed on a small number of them. A National Air and Space Museum (NASM) Archives staff member will advise the patron which transcripts are available for copying and viewing. Collection size is 3.70 cu. ft. (20 boxes)
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(99K)
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Horace E. Weihmiller Collection
Acc. XXXX-0180
Horace E. Weihmiller (1902-1963) was a professional aerospace consultant and pilot. During the 1950's he was an active member of the American Astronautical Society (AAS), serving as Vice President, Chairman of the Nominating Committee, Chairman of the New York section, Chairman of the National Affairs Committee and a member of the Scientific Research Committee. This collection consists of correspondence, notes and reports dealing with Weihmiller's activities in the AAS from 1957 thru 1963. 1 cubic foot (3 boxes).
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(80K)
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