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Research and publication play a central role in the Space
History Division's contributions to the Museum. Through such work
curators, fellows, and other staff develop and extend our understanding
of rocketry and space exploration's role in American and world history
and our understanding of science and technology's central place in modern
life. The historical studies that result provide an invaluable foundation
for the Division in developing exhibits for the public, in selecting artifacts
for the Museum's collection, and in communicating with the public
through lectures and other means. The scope and depth of the Division
research effort is reflected in the
Space History Division Recent Publications lists, arranged by individual
staff members.
Division curators actively pursue their research as members of a larger community of historians and other
scholars. Collectively and as individuals, our researchers contribute to a variety of professional
scholarly organizations such as the American Historical Association, the History of Science Society,
the Society for the History of Technology, the Society for the History of Foreign Relations, and many
others. The Division also works closely with engineering and science professional societies such as the
American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Astronautical Society, as well as
the government agencies and corporations that develop and operate the technologies associated with rocketry
and space.
In concert with the Museum's Aeronautics Division, Space History sponsors a vital fellowship program that
supports pre-doctoral and post-doctoral researchers, as well as senior scholars. These fellowships are
awarded under several auspices: Guggenheim Fellowship, A. Verville Fellowship, the Charles A. Lindbergh
Chair, and the Ramsey Fellowship in Naval Aviation History. For descriptive information see the
NASM online fellowship information.
As part of its research activities, the Division has supported for a period
of years an Oral History Project. This initiative documents through interviews
the recollections of leading scientists, engineers, managers and political
figures involved in the nation's space program. The work has been organized
around study of specific topics that augment the research interests of
curators. Oral histories currently in the collection analyze the history
of space astronomy, the Hubble Space Telescope, management of the Apollo
Program, and the RAND Corporation. A guide to transcripts in the Oral
History Project was published in 1993 and is available
online.
Division of Space History Recent Publications:
 2007 Publication List
2006 Publication List
2000-2005 Publication List
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