Pamela A. Melroy Papers

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This collection consists of 17 cubic feet of papers relating to the life and career of astronaut Pamela A. Melroy.

Pamela Ann Melroy was born on September 17, 1961, in Palo Alto, California. As a member of a military family, she spent her childhood living in many towns but considers Rochester, New York her hometown. Melroy graduated from Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester in 1979. Four years later, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics and Astronomy from Wellesley College and subsequently, a Master of Science degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1984. Melroy was commissioned through the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program while still attending graduate school. Upon completion of her Master's degree program at MIT, she attended undergraduate pilot training at Reese Air Force Base in Texas. After graduating from this program in 1985, Melroy was sent to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. While stationed there from 1985 to 1991, she flew the Boeing KC-10 aircraft as a co-pilot, aircraft commander and instructor pilot. Also, she flew combat missions in Iraq during 1990-91 (Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm). In time, she also graduated from the USAF's exclusive test-pilot school. All told during her 24-year career with the USAF, Melroy logged more than 6,000 hours of flight time in more than 50 different types of aircraft. She reached the rank of Colonel upon her retirement from the service in 2007. Melroy started her career as an astronaut in late 1994 when she was selected as an astronaut candidate (ASCAN) by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She was initially assigned to various astronaut support roles such as tasks involving Space Shuttle launch and landings. She also performed Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) duties in Mission Control. In 2003, Melroy served on the ill-fated Space Shuttle Columbia accident reconstruction team as the lead for the crew compartment module and operated as deputy project manager for the Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Team. Melroy was one of only two women to be in command of a Space Shuttle flight. She was the pilot of two Shuttle missions, STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002. She served as mission commander on STS-120 in 2007. All three of her spaceflights involved assembling components on orbit for the International Space Station (ISS). Melroy logged a total of 924 hours in space. Upon her more than 20 years of service to the USAF and NASA, Melroy assumed leadership roles with several public and private sector entities. This included organizations such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Lockheed Martin and Australia's Nova Systems, Ltd. She also worked as an advisor to the Australian Space Agency and as an independent consultant to the National Space Council's Users Advisory Group. In 2021, Melroy was selected as NASA's deputy administrator. In her current role, she assists the administrator in making final agency policies and decisions. Also, she acts for the NASA administrator in his absence by performing all necessary functions to govern agency operations.

Identifier

NASM.2018.0034

Date

1961-2008
bulk 1980s-2000s

Provenance

Pam Melroy, Gift, 2018, NASM.2018.0034

Extent

17.6 Cubic feet (50 containers)

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Related Materials

Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection: Space Shuttle Discovery, A20120325000. Melroy's flight suit from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection: Flight suit, A20180696000. Shuttle scrunchie from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum collection: Scrunchie, A20050063000.

Scope and Contents

The Pamela A. Melroy Papers (acc. no. 2018-0034) reflect Melroy's extensive experience as a pilot, space explorer, Space Shuttle Columbia accident investigator and leader within various governmental/military roles. Her great contributions as an air force officer, astronaut and Space Shuttle commander are quite evident in this collection. This collection encompasses Melroy's years spent as an officer with the United States Air Force (USAF), test pilot, Gulf War veteran, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut and one of the first female Space Shuttle commanders. The material contained in the collection ranges from the 1970s into the 2010s. It is a mixture of the following materials: correspondence, memoranda, notes, reports and briefings, technical manuals (mainly NASA/Space Shuttle-related), notebooks, photographs, presentations and speeches, books, booklets and guidebooks, brochures, pamphlets, journals, magazines, articles, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous materials. Additionally, there are newspapers, photograph albums and scrapbooks. The processing archivist did discern some original order to these materials. This collection was already in a rough chronological order. The processing archivist did rehouse these materials utilizing archival-friendly file folders and legal-size document cases. This collection is arranged into three series. The first series is composed of personal materials that include correspondence, photographs, postcards, business cards and transcripts. Each type of archival material is organized chronologically and then alphabetically. The second series consists of professional materials and is by far and away the largest segment of the Pamela A. Melroy Papers. This series is arranged as follows: Melroy's correspondence, memoranda, notes, reports, manuals (mainly Space Shuttle program-related), notes and notebooks, presentations and speeches, books, guidebooks and booklets, brochures, pamphlets and catalogs, newsletters, magazines and journals, articles, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous materials. All the above material is also arranged chronologically and then alphabetically. The third series is composed of oversize materials. This material consists of newspapers (mainly focused on the Space Shuttle Columbia accident of 2003), as well as Melroy's three Space Shuttle flights, (STS-92, STS-112 and STS-120), photograph albums and scrapbooks.

Arrangement note

This collection is arranged into three series. The first series is composed of personal materials that include correspondence, photographs, postcards, business cards and transcripts. Each type of archival material is organized chronologically and then alphabetically. The second series consists of professional materials and is by far and away the largest segment of the Pamela A. Melroy Papers. This series is arranged as follows: Melroy's correspondence, memoranda, notes, reports, manuals (mainly Space Shuttle program-related), notes and notebooks, presentations and speeches, books, guidebooks and booklets, brochures, pamphlets and catalogs, newsletters, magazines and journals, articles, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous materials. All the above material is also arranged chronologically and then alphabetically. The third series is composed of oversize materials. This material consists of newspapers (mainly focused on the Space Shuttle Columbia accident of 2003), as well as Melroy's three Space Shuttle flights, (STS-92, STS-112 and STS-120), photograph albums and scrapbooks.

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Restrictions

No restrictions on access

Citation

Pamela A. Melroy Papers, NASM.2018.0034, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Astronautics
United States Air Force
Astronauts
Space Shuttle Program (U.S.)
Technical manuals
McDonnell Douglas KC-10
International Space Station (ISS)

Type

Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Technical reports
Photographic prints
Newspaper clippings
Correspondence

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