continued on next page continued on page 3

FROM 

THE CHIEF 

HISTORIAN

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

CHASING A VISION FROM 1937: THE CIVILIAN 

CONSERVATION CORPS AT LANGLEY FIELD

By Mary Gainer, Historic Preservation Officer at NASA Langley Research Center

Sometimes, old photographs open up a previously forgotten chapter of history and provide insight into current problems. Such was the case with an old 

aerial photograph of what became NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The 

mystery took almost two years to solve.

A few years ago, LaRC obtained a 1937 

aerial photograph from Langley Air Force 

Base of what was then Langley Field. 

Although the image was acquired as part 

of a search for a cemetery associated with 

a colonial plantation, an unusual configuration of buildings was noted. They 

appeared to be barracks of some sort, but 

the Air Force history office had no record 

of them. Since they had no relevance to 

the project, the search stopped there.

Fast-forward to 2014. LaRC is in the process of conducting an inventory of the 

archives collection. The archives room 

stores documents that have been collected for almost a hundred years—many 

of which have probably not seen the light 

of day in at least half that time. Buried 

in this treasure was about 4 linear feet 

of blueprints of what was assumed to be 

Th e c e n t e n n i a l of the creation 

o f t h e Na t i o n a l 

Advisory Committee 

for Aeronautics (NACA) may have come on 

3 March and may seem to be long gone by now, 

but the NASA History Program is still busy 

working to mark the occasion. Throughout 

this calendar year, we will continue to add content to our Web site, produce NACA social 

media (look for the hashtag #NACA100), and 

create NACA centennial publications.

The big history event for the centennial was, 

of course, the symposium cohosted by our 

friends at the National Air and Space Museum 

on 3–4 March 2015. We owe a huge debt of 

thanks to the museum for the great hospitality they showed, as well as to the many staff 

(from NASA and the museum) and volunteers who made sure the symposium went 

off smoothly. It was an excellent event that 

featured a wide variety of papers on various 

aspects of NACA history. If you weren’t able 

to make it and couldn’t tune in online, don’t 

worry. The whole Webcast has been archived 

on the NASA YouTube channel. You can 

IN THIS ISSUE:

 1 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration
2

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

From the Chief Historian (continued)

find the opening remarks and keynote speech at this 

link: http://youtu.be/LlXyhmBZtMs. Links to the other 

panels can also be found on that page. Because of 

the then-pending overhaul of the NASA.gov Web 

site, we were not able to 

gather all of the symposium 

materials in one place right 

after the event. But keep your 

eye on http://www.nasa.gov/

naca_symposium. Now that 

the NASA.gov overhaul is 

complete, we’ll be using the 

symposium site as an online 

archive. Also, I’m very pleased 

to note that renowned aerospace historian Dick Hallion 

has agreed to serve as editor 

for the book of selected papers 

from the symposium. Expect 

to see that in the next year.

We have two more NACA 

centennial publications in the 

works for this year. The first of 

those is Emblems of Exploration, 

a monograph written for us by 

Joe Chambers. You may recall 

reading Joe’s two-part article 

in News & Notes in 2013 on the origin of the NASA 

“meatball.” Joe has expanded that research to cover the 

logos and insignia used by both the NACA and NASA 

over the last century. It is a story chock-full of surprises. 

Did you know, for example, that the NACA wings 

logo appeared on the first building built at Langley 

but did not become the official insignia until 1941? 

The story will be heavily illustrated with photographs, 

many of which have been lying unseen in the archives 

for decades. The other major centennial publication in 

work is a book we’re calling NACA and NASA at the 

Century Mark. Written for us by Roger Launius, this 

will be a brief history of the Agency aimed at the general reader, new employees, government officials, and 

others looking for an understanding of the broad 

sweep of NACA/NASA history and the key themes 

that have played out since 1915. For those of you 

who recall Orders of Magnitude in its various incarnations since 1976, Roger’s 

book will serve as the latest 

update in that series.

While I’ve been thrilled about 

all of our NACA centennial 

activities, I do have to admit 

to one disappointment from 

the symposium. This is the 

fact that we had no paper 

proposals on the role of the 

NACA in World War II. The 

war was a watershed in NACA 

history, yet there is precious 

little written about it other 

than some immediate postwar 

homages that were (perhaps 

unsurprisingly) free of many 

key details. While we did 

get some discussion on this 

topic at the symposium, the 

consensus of opinion among 

the symposium participants 

was that few historians have 

looked into this period in NACA history. Originally, 

many of the key records of that period would 

have been classified, but now they are available for 

research. To encourage original scholarship in this 

area, we are considering a followup symposium on 

the NACA in World War II. If you have any suggestions along these lines, I’d love to hear them.

In the meantime, Godspeed,

William P. Barry

Chief Historian

THE WAR WAS A WATERSHED IN NACA HISTORY, 

YET THERE IS PRECIOUS 

LITTLE WRITTEN ABOUT 

IT.... WHILE WE DID GET 

SOME DISCUSSION ON 

THIS TOPIC AT THE SYMPOSIUM, THE CONSENSUS 

OF OPINION AMONG THE 

SYMPOSIUM PARTICIPANTS WAS THAT FEW 

HISTORIANS HAVE LOOKED 

INTO THIS PERIOD IN 

NACA HISTORY. 
3

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

Chasing a Vision from 1937: The Civilian Conservation Corps at Langley Field (continued)

such mundane things as floor plans of the old National 

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) buildings. It turned out that there were several surprises 

in this collection, one of which was a hand-drawn 

map of buildings matching the configuration seen on 

the 1937 aerial photograph. The drawing was labeled 

“CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps] Camp.”

The cemetery that started it all is the cleared rectangle on the right of photo. 

To the left is the unusual configuration of buildings later identified as a Civilian 

Conservation Corps (CCC) camp.

Pictured is a hand-drawn copy by Benjamin Goddin of the 1935 blueprint 

showing barracks of CCC Camp #3322.

That piece of information sparked research into the 

role the CCC had had at Langley Field. On 24 May 

1933, Langley Field received its first contingent of 

CCC men. It is recorded that approximately 1,200 

men arrived by boat from Fort Hunt, which had been 

a temporary camp for veterans. Once they arrived 

at Langley, the men lived in hangars and empty 

warehouses. They established a tent camp on one 

side of the field.1 It was typical of these temporary 

communities to initially live in Army tents prior to 

constructing barracks to house 50 men each, as well 

as other support buildings.2 At least one company at 

Langley Field was black, although records have not 

been found on how the camp was integrated. On 

2 July 1933, Company 1351 from the Langley Field 

arrived in Vermont to work on a flood-control project, 

and surprised locals noted that “most of the children 

had never seen a colored man before.”3

Fort Hunt, on the grounds of Mount Vernon, had 

defended the Potomac River during the Spanish 

American War. During the Depression, it served as 

a short-term veterans’ camp for those who had been 

lobbying for payment of their World War I bonuses.4

The government’s long-term solution was to convince 

the men to join the CCC. On 5 April 1933, Franklin 

D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6101, the 

Emergency Conservation Work Act, better known 

as the CCC. The amended order allowed for the 

enrollment of 25,000 veterans in separate reforestation camps. Langley Field was one of three camps to 

which they were sent. Langley Field was known as the 

Forest Conservation Conditioning Camp.5 Men were 

1 Maurer Maurer, Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939 

(Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1987), p. 348, 

available online at http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/

document/AFD-100923-007.pdf.

2 “Civilian Conservation Corps,” Wikipedia, available online at 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps.

3 Thomas W. Patton, “When the Veterans Came to Vermont: 

The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Winooski River 

Flood Control Project,” Vermont History 73 (2005): 167, 

available online at https://vermonthistory.org/journal/73/06_

Patton.pdf.

4 “When the Veterans Came to Vermont”: 163.

5 Ibid., p. 164.
4

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

sent here for about a month prior to moving on to an 

actual work camp.6

A wider view of the 1937 aerial photograph shows a portion of the pockmarked landscape to the east of the CCC camp. Also shown is an overlay of NASA Langley 

Research Center’s boundary (line on the right side) and current buildings. The camp lies in the center of the new core, adjacent to the recently completed Integrated 

Engineering Services Building (2102).

In 1935, the program was expanded and the focus 

began to change. The camp at Langley Field also 

changed. From 1935 to 1937, Company Number 

3122 was engaged in Project Army 2 at Langley 

Field.7 Their primary responsibilities were to 

enlarge and develop the flying field, make drainage 

improvements, construct fire trails, provide general 

landscaping and reforestation crews, and construct 

erosion-control measures.8

“Loose lips sink ships” is a saying that has ties to this 

site as well. In the 1930s, there is evidence that the 

CCC men were enlisted to test chemical weapons. 

Investigations at the American University Experiment 

Station (AUES) link that site with Langley Field. 

The AUES was the site of the second largest chemical weapons facility in the world. Researchers tested 

approximately 400 substances by dropping shells or 

6 Joseph M. Speakman. At Work in Penn’s Woods: The Civilian 

Conservations Corps in Pennsylvania. (University Park, PA: 

Penn State University Press, 2006), p. 29.

7 Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy, available online at http://

www.ccclegacy.org/CCC_Camps_Virginia.html.

8 Legacy Resources Management Program, “Nationwide 

Context, Inventory, and Heritage Assessment of Works 

Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps 

Resources on Department of Defense Installations,” 2009, 

available online at http://www.denix.osd.mil/cr/upload/07-357-

Tech-Report-Part-3-of-8.pdf.
5

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

bombs and releasing large 

quantities into the air and 

soil to study the effects on 

animals. When Ordnance 

Department funding was 

cut in the 1930s, they used 

funding through the Civil 

Works Administration to 

continue chemical weapon 

testing and disposal projects. 

In addition to Langley’s 

participation in the field 

tests, the contingency plan 

for the Chemical Warfare 

Service provided for personnel and materials to be 

placed at the Langley Field CCC camp.9

 Evidence of 

this is apparent in the 1937 

aerial photograph showing 

the typical pockmarked 

landscape—indicative of 

bombing—to the east of 

the camp.

This final information linking the site to the AUES 

may have a current significance. The AUES was 

especially known for its use 

of mustard gas and arsenic, 

particularly arsine gas shells 

shipped off-site as a solid arsenical. Recently, soil tests 

in the area of Tabbs Creek, just to the north of the 

bombing site, had extremely low levels of arsenic 

that could not be associated with testing at NASA. 

Although not documented, it could be that this is yet 

another link to the CCC camp and the projects with 

which its employees were associated.

9 Richard Albright, Cleanup of Chemical and Explosive 

Munitions: Locating, Identifying Contaminants, and Planning 

for Environmental Remediation of Land and Sea Military Ranges 

and Ordnance Dumpsites (Norwich, NY: William Andrew, 

Inc., 2008), available online at http://www.sciencedirect.com/

science/book/9780815515401.

NEWS FROM HEADQUARTERS AND THE CENTERS

NASA HEADQUARTERS

Washington, DC

History Program Office

By Bill Barry

During the third week of May (while this publication is going to press), folks involved in history and archival programs at NASA met at Stennis 

Space Center, Mississippi, in a Program Review. 

With sequestration and the coincident restrictions 

on travel and meetings that followed in the wake 

of the scandal surrounding a Government Services 

Administration (GSA) “conference,” we haven’t had 

an annual Program Review since we met at Glenn 

Research Center in November 2011. While quarterly 

teleconferences have been helpful in keeping in touch, 

there really is no substitute for the kind of exchange 

you get in a two-day face-to-face meeting. We hope to 

reestablish a regular schedule for these reviews in the 

years ahead, but for this year, we have an especially 

important job. We will be discussing a draft NASA 

Policy Directive (NPD) for the History Program. 

While there have been guiding policies for the program 

from 1960 through the mid-1990s, the (then) NASA 

Management Instruction for the History Program was 

eliminated (along with a lot of other Headquarters 

policy guidance) around 1996. In light of changes 

‘LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS’ IS 

A SAYING THAT HAS TIES 

TO THIS SITE AS WELL. 

IN THE 1930s, THERE IS 

EVIDENCE THAT THE CCC 

MEN WERE ENLISTED TO TEST 

CHEMICAL WEAPONS.
6

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

over the last 20 years, it is important that we codify 

what the History Program can and should do and how 

our work relates to many other functions (which have 

written guidance of their own), like records management, the Scientific and Technical Information (STI) 

Program, cultural resources management, etc.... So 

by the time you read this, we will have met to discuss 

these issues and to share our mutual concerns and 

experiences with doing the day-to-day work of archival and history support for NASA. My thanks to our 

hosts at Stennis and to our own Nadine Andreassen, 

who has been tackling all of the logistical and scheduling challenges for us at Headquarters.

While the NACA centennial and preparation for the 

Program Review have kept us hopping this spring, 

we’ve also been busy with several other challenges. 

The overhaul of www.nasa.gov did not directly impact 

our stand-alone history Web site (http://history.nasa.

gov), but the strain that the Agency Web site conversion put on the supporting information technology 

(IT) contractors has meant that we’ve had to put our 

plans to update http://history.nasa.gov on hold. We 

hope to get back to that in the coming months. In 

the meantime, thanks to the connections and hard 

work of our editor Yvette Smith (she used to work 

on the www.nasa.gov Web team), the new www.nasa.

gov site has a much-improved history page (see http://

www.nasa.gov/history). We’ve also been involved in 

some interesting developments on the history front 

at Goddard Space Flight Center—but I’ll leave it to 

Jane Odom (who has been doing the hard work on 

this) to explain that below. We also continue with our 

many publication projects. In addition to the centennial publications mentioned in the “From the Chief 

Historian” column, we’ve got a number of other publications targeted for release this year. These include 

the long-delayed societal impact case studies volume, 

two more chronologies (2011 and 2012), an update 

to our 1997 monograph on spacewalks (Walking to 

Olympus), and Steve Garber and Glen Asner’s book on 

the development of the Vision for Space Exploration 

(entitled “Untethering Spaceflight”).

Perhaps our most amazing publication accomplishment of the last year is catching up on the backlog 

of Aeronautics and Space Reports of the President. 

Thanks to herculean efforts by Giny Cheong and Steve 

Garber (and cooperation from many people across 

the Executive Branch), we have not only caught up 

with the backlog, but now have a process in place 

that will allow us to assemble this report within eight 

months of the completion of the fiscal year. We did 

the catching up while simultaneously proving that the 

eight-month schedule would work. For the first time 

in a long time, the report will be delivered to Congress 

on schedule, and we’ll have a couple of months without a pending “President’s Report” in work. It won’t 

be a long break, though. Work on the fiscal year 2015 

report will kick off later this summer. When it does, 

Giny will no longer be leading the charge. She has 

decided to take on some new challenges and is moving 

on to a new job. She does so with our eternal thanks 

and appreciation.

As is usual for this time of year, we also had to say goodbye to our spring interns and welcome a new set of summer interns. Shelby Jirikils was with us from January 

through March before returning to the University of 

California, Irvine. Rachael Kirschenmann (Nebraska 

Wesleyan University) started in February and was with 

us through the middle of May. The two of them were 

an incredibly prolific and creative pair and have done 

wonders for our social media accounts, as well as helping out with all of the other things that have kept us 

so busy this spring. On 1 June, we welcomed both 

Warren Dennis (a senior at Colgate University) and 

Melissa Joskow (a sophomore at Wesleyan University). 

They’ll be with us through the start of August.

Historical Reference Collection (HRC)

By Jane H. Odom

In the Headquarters Archives, the staff continues 

to stay busy with reference requests and with processing (arrangement and description) of collections. 

During the last quarter, we hosted visitors from 
7

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

NASA Headquarters and Ames Research Center, the 

National Air and Space Museum, the Naval Research 

Laboratory, the Planetary Society, American University, 

Syracuse University, George Washington University, 

Sterling College in Kansas, and Auburn University, 

as well as independent researchers from Indiana and 

Arizona. Additionally, we hosted a foreign visitor from 

Tel Aviv University.

Recently, several archive projects have been completed 

that researchers will find of interest. Processing has 

been completed on a 12-cubic-foot collection of 

astrophysics material, circa 1979–2002. These boxes 

were collected and assembled by Alan Bunner, former theme scientist in the Structure and Evolution 

of the Universe program within the Office of Space 

Science. The materials are arranged alphabetically by 

subject. There is information on missions such as the 

Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF—later 

renamed Chandra), Gravity Probes, the Herschel 

Space Observatory, Planck, and the Wide-field 

Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The collection contains correspondence, proposals, presentations, design 

studies, and budget materials. There are also space 

science mission booklets that include the scientific 

purpose of the mission and correspondence regarding 

the appointment of principal investigators for various 

space science missions. Additionally, there are notes 

and details about astrophysics-related symposia and 

conferences, as well as advisory committee activities.

A review of four boxes on loan to us from the Federal 

Records Center that contain Space Exploration 

Initiative materials is complete. After an appraisal, 

dozens of documents were copied and added to existing subject files in the HRC, making our collection 

that much richer for researchers.

Bill and I have been working closely with Goddard 

Space Flight Center and Langley Research Center 

officials recently—with the former to establish a 

new archival program at the Center and with the 

latter in preparation for an upcoming building (and 

archive) renovation.

If you are interested in visiting the HRC to conduct 

research on the subject areas mentioned above or in 

exploring other topics, please contact us by phone 

(202-358-0384) or online at http://history.nasa.gov/

contact.html to schedule an appointment. To search 

our electronic documents collection, see https://

historydms.hq.nasa.gov/.

AMES RESEARCH CENTER (ARC)

Moffett Field, California

By Glenn Bugos

NASA Ames had decided that for 3 March, the 

centenary of the founding of the National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the focus would 

be on the activities in Washington, DC. Our Center 

Director, Pete Worden, was at the celebrations in 

Washington to present a proclamation to NASA from 

the Assembly of California congratulating the Agency 

on how it has maintained the legacy of the NACA. 

Glenn Bugos presented a paper entitled “The NACA 

Transition to Space: Fundamental Engineering for the 

Blunt Body,” in which he applied Walter Vincenti’s 

framework on engineering epistemology to Harvey 

Allen’s pioneering work on reentry vehicles.

Bill Warmbrodt, of the Ames Aeromechanics Branch, 

insisting on reminding all Ames folks of the importance of the NACA to the life of the Center, orchestrated his own events. He arranged a barbecue for 

aeronautics staff in the parking lot near Cooper Loop, 

which happened to be named after special guest of 

honor George Cooper, a legendary NACA test pilot 

who began his career at Ames in 1945. Bill also festooned the Center with 200 American flags so that 

everyone knew the day was special as they drove in 

to work. He put signs on all the Ames buildings built 

before 1958 so that everyone who worked in those 

buildings knew that they trod the same paths as the 

NACA pioneers. Also of note, Bob Windhorst, of 

the Aviation Systems Division, presented a talk to his 

colleagues on the founding of the NACA.
8

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

3 March 2015: Some folks who worked at Ames during the NACA era (and their tour guides) gathered to mark the 100th anniversary of the day Congress passed 

legislation establishing the NACA. Left to right: Kristine Clevenger, Hank Cole, Mary Boldt, Leroy Presley, Carolina Rudisel, Richard Kurkowski, George Cooper, and 

Jack Boyd.

New Blumberg Chair in Astrobiology

Dr. Nathaniel Comfort will be the third Baruch 

S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in 

Astrobiology, starting on 1 October 2015. The program encourages research, discussion, and reflection 

on the questions surrounding life beyond Earth. The 

position resulted from an interagency agreement 

between the NASA Astrobiology Program at Ames 

and the Library of Congress, which honors the late 

Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg, Nobel Prize winner and 

founding director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

While at the Library, Comfort will use the collections 

to examine the history of the genomic revolution 

in research on the origin of life. Comfort’s research 

addresses one of the central areas of inquiry in the field 

of astrobiology, which, in addition to the search for 

life elsewhere in the universe, is focused on how life 

began and evolved here on Earth.

ARMSTRONG FLIGHT RESEARCH 

CENTER (AFRC)

Edwards Air Force Base, California

By Christian Gelzer

I continue to work on outstanding manuscripts, most 

recently with former Rockwell engineers (courtesy of 

Dennis Jenkins) who are rummaging through their 

collection of reports looking for items related to tests 

conducted on a Shuttle wing and elevon in 1979. An 

elevon (elev[ator] + [ailer]on) is a control surface on 

an airplane that combines the functions of an elevator 

(for pitch control) and an aileron (for roll control). 

The reports will be used in connection to the “Flight 

Loads Laboratory” book.

I presented a paper entitled “The NACA’s High Speed 

Flight Research Station and the Development of 

Reaction Control Systems” at the NACA Centenary 

Symposium, held at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space 
9

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

Museum, 3–4 March 2015, at which a 

number of other Center historians also 

presented. The paper outlines the work 

by several engineers at the High Speed 

Flight Research Station to develop a 

Reaction Control System (RCS) for 

the X-15, work begun with a Goodyear 

Electronic Differential Analyzer four 

years before the rocket plane flew. They 

moved to a fixed-base simulator and 

then to the Bell X-1B before it was 

grounded and they had to settle on 

an F-104 that they then modified for 

research purposes. This became the 

basis for all subsequent RCSes.

I coauthored an article with Albion 

Bowers, Oscar Murillo, Brian Eslinger, 

and Robert “Red” Jensen entitled 

“Spanload Implications for the Flight 

of Birds,” which has been accepted for 

publication in the Public Library Of 

Science (PLOS). The article discusses 

research conducted at Armstrong using 

two subscale, pure flying wings with a 

bell spanload rather than an elliptical 

spanload. The new spanload is based in 

part on Ludwig Prandtl’s 1932 paper 

that revised his well-known 1920 “lifting line” paper, and in part on Reimar 

Horten’s research from the 1930s and 

’40s, culminating in a four-page note from 1950 in 

which he speculates about a spanload solution but 

offers no substantiation. The current flight research 

demonstrates proverse yaw (positive thrust) at the 

wingtips instead of adverse yaw. Equally interesting 

is this spanload’s relevance to the bird research community. For nearly 85 years, avian researchers have 

relied on the elliptical spanload to explain bird flight. 

Improved instrumentation and tools in the past two 

decades have produced for bird researchers “data not 

only demonstrating that the elliptical spanload does 

not fit as an explanation for things such as observed 

vortex formation and bird formation flight, but their 

research provides evidence in support of the bell spanload as the solution.” The model that does fit—in 

fact, the only one that explains why birds sometimes 

fly with overlapping wingtips, why birds do not have 

vertical tails, or why birds with narrow wingtips don’t 

suffer tip stalls—is the bell spanload.

Shown is Prandtl-D, the second airframe, launched by a large bungee cord and flown by radio control.

Finally, the office plans to have a summer intern, 

who will complete the research and rewriting of the 

“Controlled Impact Demonstration” manuscript. This 

will enable my office to finally usher the manuscript 

through the steps to publication.
10

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

GLENN RESEARCH CENTER (GRC)

Cleveland, Ohio

By Anne Mills

Glenn Research Center is celebrating its NACA origins 

this year as part of the NACA Centennial, and we will 

continue the celebration in January 2016 as we mark 

our 75th anniversary. Most recently, we launched our 

GRC History iPad app. The app features over 300 historical photographs—many previously unpublished—

and a detailed narrative that accompanies each image. 

The app is available for the iPad only (iOS 7.0 or higher) 

in the app store online at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/

nasa-glenn-research-center/id562903295?mt=8. If you 

don’t have an iPad, the content and most of the same 

functionality can be viewed online at http://www.grc.

nasa.gov/WWW/portal/gallery/.

Additionally, a number of special presentations highlighting our NACA history are being given around 

the Center and at special events. Later in the year, we 

are planning an NACA retiree reunion and a potential 

GRC Alumni Hall of Fame. Currently in the works is a 

new Web site with detailed information on the NACA 

Inspections. (Check out the fourth quarter 2014 issue 

of News & Notes for a detailed article on the NACA 

Inspections, available online at http://history.nasa.gov/

nltr31-4.pdf.) Inspection materials from the archives at 

Langley, Ames, and Glenn have been digitized and will 

be made available to researchers and historians who 

wish to gain a better understanding of and appreciation 

for the early work done by these Centers.

LATER IN THE YEAR, WE ARE 

PLANNING AN NACA RETIREE 

REUNION AND A POTENTIAL 

GRC ALUMNI HALL OF FAME.

JET PROPULSION LABORATORY (JPL)

Pasadena, California

By Erik Conway

My latest book, Exploration and Engineering: The Jet 

Propulsion Laboratory and the Quest for Mars, has been 

published by Johns Hopkins University Press. I did 

a book talk related to it at the La Cañada Flintridge 

Bookstore in March and a podcast called The Space 

Show on 13 April. I have one more scheduled event 

for it, at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, in July. The 

book’s cover is the first one I’ve ever designed (I had 

meant it as a suggestion of style to my publisher, not a 

mandate, but they used it!), so I’m particularly proud 

of it. I hope it gives the book an appropriate flavor of 

modern engineering.

We’ve largely completed episode 6 in our ongoing 

documentary series on the history of JPL. This episode covers retired General Lew Allen, Jr.’s years as 

director, 1982–90, and completes the account of the 

Voyager Uranus and Neptune flybys. It also addresses 

the impact of the Space Shuttle on planetary science 

during that timespan, primarily through the lens of 

the Galileo mission.

I’ve recently started writing my long-intended short 

history of the Surveyor program of the 1960s. The 

program was managed by JPL but conducted as a 

systems contract with Hughes Aircraft Company. 

Surveyor successfully landed robotic explorers on the 

Moon five times out of seven attempts, demonstrating 

the solidity of the lunar surface. Surveyor’s story has 

many twists and turns, with grand plans being diminished in the face of technological and financial changes 

and a wide range of planned variants being conceived 

and discarded. Early on, the Surveyor program even 

included an orbiter before staffing limitations at JPL 

caused NASA Headquarters to send the orbiter concept to Langley Research Center (which flew it very 

successfully as Lunar Orbiter). As this is intended 

to be a short history, I hope to have the manuscript 

completed next year.
11

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

The 50th anniversary of spacecraft-based exploration 

of Mars is 14 July 2015. JPL’s Mariner 4 had its 

closest approach to Mars on that day in 1965, and 

it slowly transmitted back 21 “close up” pictures 

revealing an unexpectedly heavily cratered surface. 

This date—14 July 2015—also happens to be the date 

of the Applied Physics Laboratory’s New Horizons 

first reconnaissance of Pluto, so the date will be 

especially significant.

MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER 

(MSFC)

Huntsville, Alabama

By Michael Wright

The Marshall History Office has recently completed 

the digitization of over 5,000 35-millimeter photographic negatives and glass slides housed in the 

archive. The subjects of these images cover a variety 

of topics from Mercury to the Space Shuttle Program, 

with a large number covering the Skylab and Apollo 

programs. Of particular note was the discovery of a 

number of negatives of work conducted in the original 

8-foot neutral buoyancy tank at Marshall in 1965. 

This tank was a prototype of two larger tanks that were 

constructed at Marshall and was utilized in the development of the Skylab Orbital Workshop. The original 

negatives and slides have been arranged and indexed, 

while the digital images have been organized with 

added descriptive metadata. A set of images will soon 

be made available on the Marshall History Office Web 

site as we make the move to digitize and place as many 

of our unique images online as possible. In addition, 

we plan to select a set of history-related images from 

the more than 400,000 photographic negatives and 

digital images in Marshall’s photograph library. These 

negatives date back to 1957 and include many unique 

photos and artists’ concepts connected to all Marshallrelated programs, projects, and interesting visits, such 

as one by Lady Bird Johnson and Walt Disney.

STENNIS SPACE CENTER (SSC)

Stennis Space Center, Mississippi

By Daphne Alford

An RS-25 rocket engine, formerly the Space Shuttle 

main engine and now the engine that will drive 

America’s next great rocket to deep space, blazed 

through its first successful test on 9 January at NASA’s 

John C. Stennis Space Center.

The RS-25 was fired for 500 seconds on the A-1 Test 

Stand at Stennis, providing NASA engineers with critical data on the engine controller unit and inlet pressure conditions. This is the first hotfire of an RS-25 

engine since the end of Space Shuttle main engine 

testing in 2009. Four RS-25 engines will power the 

core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) on 

future missions, including to an asteroid and to Mars.

“We’ve made modifications to the RS-25 to meet 

SLS specifications and will analyze and test a variety 

of conditions during the hotfire series,” said Steve 

Wofford, manager of the SLS Liquid Engines Office at 

Marshall Space Flight Center, where the SLS Program 

is managed. “The engines for SLS will encounter 

colder liquid oxygen temperatures than Shuttle; 

greater inlet pressure due to the taller core stage liquid 

oxygen tank and higher vehicle acceleration; and more 

AN RS-25 ROCKET ENGINE, 

THE ENGINE THAT WILL DRIVE 

AMERICA’S NEXT GREAT 

ROCKET TO DEEP SPACE, 

BLAZED THROUGH ITS 

FIRST SUCCESSFUL TEST ON 

9 JANUARY AT NASA’S JOHN C. 

STENNIS SPACE CENTER.
12

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

nozzle heating due to the four-engine configuration 

and their position in-plane with the SLS booster 

exhaust nozzles.”

The RS-25 engine that will drive NASA’s new rocket, the Space Launch System, to deep space blazes through its first successful test on 

9 January at Stennis Space Center.

The engine controller unit, the “brain” of the engine, 

allows communication between the vehicle and 

the engine, relaying commands to the engine and 

transmitting data back to the vehicle. The controller also provides closed-loop management of the 

engine by regulating the thrust and fuel mixture 

ratio while monitoring the engine’s health and status. 

The new controller will use updated hardware and 

software configured to operate within the new SLS 

avionics architecture.

“This first hotfire test of the RS-25 engine represents a 

significant effort on behalf of Stennis Space Center’s 

A-1 test team,” said Ronald Rigney, RS-25 project 

manager at Stennis. “Our technicians and engineers have been working diligently to design, modify, and activate an extremely complex and capable 

facility in support of RS-25 

engine testing.”

Testing will resume after 

upgrades are completed on 

the high-pressure industrial water system, which 

provides cool water for the 

test facility during a hotfire 

test. Eight tests, totaling 

3,500 seconds, are planned 

for the current development engine. Another 

development engine later 

will undergo 10 tests, totaling 4,500 seconds. The 

second test series includes 

the first test of new flight 

controllers, known as 

green running.

The first flight test of the 

SLS will feature a configuration for a 70-metric-ton 

(77-ton) lift capacity and will carry an uncrewed 

Orion spacecraft beyond low-Earth orbit to test the 

performance of the integrated system. As the SLS is 

upgraded, it will provide an unprecedented lift capability of 130 metric tons (143 tons) to enable missions 

even farther into our solar system.

A close-up view shows the RS-25 engine during its recent hotfire test at Stennis.
13

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

NACA PROCLAMATIONS—CALIFORNIA, OHIO, AND VIRGINIA

On 3 March 2015, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics hosted a reception 

for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 

(NACA) 100th Anniversary Celebration in Washington, 

DC. The Center Directors at the former NACA Centers 

read proclamations from their state legislatures for this 

event. The text for the California, Ohio, and Virginia 

proclamations has been reprinted below.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE ASSEMBLY 

RESOLUTION

By the Honorable Richard S. Gordon, 24th Assembly 

District, and the Honorable Tom Lackey, 36th 

Assembly District, Relative to commending the

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

Whereas, Aviation, though born elsewhere, quickly 

flourished in the State of California, so that the history 

of the State and of air flight and space exploration are 

intertwined; and

Whereas, On March 3, 1915, the United States 

Congress established the National Advisory Committee 

for Aeronautics, or the NACA, to supervise and direct 

the scientific study of the problems of flight, with a 

view to their practical solutions, thereby launching 

the leadership of the U.S. in aerospace research and 

engineering; and

Whereas, In 1939, at Moffett Field in California, the 

NACA established the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, 

known today as the NASA Ames Research Center, 

and named it after Joseph S. Ames, the long-serving 

Chair of the NACA and the architect of aeronautical 

science; and

Whereas, Engineers at Ames built the world’s greatest collection of wind tunnels and flight simulation 

facilities, and through their ingenuity and careful 

experimentation they refined American aircraft for 

World War II and later advanced many technologies—

including the swept wing, the blunt body, lifting bodies, and computational aerodynamics—which proved 

key to rotorcraft and vertical flight, subsonic commercial airliners, supersonic fighters, and hypersonic 

spacecraft; and

Whereas, Throughout its history, NACA leaders 

worked in genuine partnership with California’s thriving aviation industry, the military services, academic 

institutions, and state and other federal agencies in a 

collaborative spirit now reflected in the work culture 

of Silicon Valley; and

Whereas, In 1946, at Muroc Air Force Base, the 

NACA established a facility known as the NACA 

High-Speed Flight Research Station, known today as 

the NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center 

at Edwards Air Force Base, to conduct flight research 

and validate the technologies of high-speed flight, 

including the Collier Trophy–winning supersonic X-1 

and hypersonic X-15 rocket planes; and

Whereas, In 1958, the U.S. Congress established 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA) upon the firm organizational foundation of 

the NACA, and thus, America entered the Space Age 

using the science and engineering pioneered by the 

NACA; and

Whereas, Just as the NACA did from 1915 to 1958, 

and NASA has done from 1958 to the present, the 

agency’s workforce will continue to drive advances in 

science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration to enhance the knowledge, education, innovation, 

economic vitality, and stewardship of Earth for the 

benefit of all humankind, now, therefore, be it
14

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

Resolved by Assembly Members Richard S. Gordon 

and Tom Lackey, That they recognize March 3, 2015, 

as the centenary of the National Advisory Committee 

for Aeronautics, and commend the National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration for furthering 

the legacy of its predecessor in advancing aerospace 

engineering and stimulating public interest in aerospace exploration.

Members Resolution No. 485; 

Dated this 3rd day of March, 2015.

STATE OF OHIO

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

COLUMBUS

Resolution

WHEREAS, Ohio is the birthplace of aviation and 

home of Orville and Wilbur Wright, who made the 

world’s first controlled, powered and sustained heavierthan-air human flight, on December 17, 1903 and;

WHEREAS, Congress formed the National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics, or the NACA, on 

March 3, 1915 to “supervise and direct the scientific 

study of the problems of flight, with a view to their 

practical solutions,” thereby beginning the United 

States’ worldwide leadership in aeronautics research 

and development and;

WHEREAS, the NACA leadership adopted a new 

and more ambitious mission to promote military and 

civilian aviation through applied research that looked 

beyond existing needs, used the most advanced testing 

facilities in aeronautics research, and performed research 

activities for commercial and military clients and;

WHEREAS, systematic research by the NACA 

made fundamental contributions to the worldwide 

development of aeronautics prior to World War II, 

including the NACA duct, the NACA cowling, and 

several series of NACA airfoils, which are still used in 

aircraft manufacturing and;

WHEREAS, in 1941, the NACA chose Cleveland, 

Ohio as the location of the Aircraft Engine Research 

Laboratory, now NASA’s John H. Glenn Research 

Center, to further air-breathing propulsion and icing 

safety research, critical contributions that led to allied 

victory in World War II; the development of jet engine 

technologies and soon thereafter, advanced technologies to further the Space Age and;

WHEREAS, just as the NACA did from 1915 to 

1958, and NASA has done from 1958 to now; the 

agency’s workforce finds solutions to challenges facing 

the aerospace community; partners with academic 

institutions focused on science, technology, engineering and math to further knowledge of aeronautics, 

space and the world around us, and helps the nation 

reach new heights by revealing the unknown for the 

benefit of humankind, and;

NOW, THEREFORE, We, John R. Kasich and 

Mary Taylor, Governor and Lieutenant Governor 

of the State of Ohio, do hereby recognize March 3, 

2015 as:

The Centenary of the National Advisory Committee 

for Aeronautics

throughout Ohio and encourage all Ohioans to participate in its observance.

On this 1st day of March, 2015;

John R. Kasich

Governor

Mary Taylor

Lieutenant Governor
15

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

COMMENDING THE NATIONAL 

AERONAUTICS AND SPACE 

ADMINISTRATION

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 23, 2015

Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 2015

WHEREAS, the National Advisory Committee for 

Aeronautics was founded on March 3, 1915, “to supervise and direct the scientific study of the problems of 

flight, with a view to their practical solution,” and

WHEREAS, the National Advisory Committee 

for Aeronautics established the first civilian aeronautics laboratory, Langley Memorial Aeronautical 

Laboratory (LMAL), in Hampton in 1917; the lab 

developed unique wind tunnels, facilities, and flight 

test techniques to advance scientific knowledge of 

flight; and

WHEREAS, the contributions of the LMAL staff 

were recognized by five prestigious Collier Trophies 

for engine cowlings to reduce drag, efficient wing 

de-icing, wind tunnel research on the X-1 aircraft that 

broke the sound barrier, slotted-throat wind tunnel 

design for more accurate results at high speeds, and the 

Whitcomb Area Rule for transonic aircraft design; and

WHEREAS, the LMAL performed numerous wind 

tunnel tests on pre-production and post-production 

aircraft to reduce drag, thus improving the performance 

of nearly every American World War II aircraft; and

WHEREAS, the LMAL was instrumental in the 

founding of additional National Advisory Committee 

for Aeronautics research laboratories that are now 

known as Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Ames 

Research Center and Armstrong Flight Research 

Center in California, and Glenn Research Center in 

Ohio, which became the core centers for the National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and

WHEREAS, the LMAL significantly advanced 

understanding of transonic, supersonic and hypersonic flight through research by the Pilotless Aircraft 

Research Division and participation in the X-1 and 

X-15 research aircraft programs; from these programs, 

the Space Task Group was formed, which developed 

the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs that put 

Americans in space and on the moon and went on to 

found Johnson Space Center in Texas; and

WHEREAS, on October 1, 1958, the National 

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics was dissolved, 

and all personnel and programs were transferred to 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 

which carried on the committee’s mission; and

WHEREAS, the LMAL became the NASA Langley 

Research Center on October 1, 1958 and continues 

to build on the research of the National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics to solve the challenges 

that exist in our nation’s air transportation system—

congestion, safety, and environmental impacts—and 

to help develop technologies for on-demand air transportation, where goods and people can be delivered 

anytime, anywhere; and

WHEREAS, NASA Langley is working to make 

supersonic passenger travel possible and to safely 

integrate unmanned aerial systems into the national 

airspace; recognizing the importance of commercial 

space initiatives, NASA Langley is working with companies to advance their technology and manufacturing 

capabilities; and

WHEREAS, NASA Langley led the development of 

the Mars Viking mission and successfully landed the 

first two robotic landers on the surface of Mars, contributed to the development and operation of the Space 

Shuttle, and continues its critical spaceflight research 

with contributions to the nation’s next human space 

transportation system development, including the 

Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System; and
16

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

WHEREAS, NASA Langley made vital advancements 

through satellite-based observations that measure the 

Earth’s atmosphere in order to understand how human 

activities may affect the environment, and it developed 

remote sensing systems that continue to pave the way 

for new atmospheric discoveries that help protect the 

Earth and its people with earlier and better-informed 

public policy decisions; now therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate 

concurring, That the General Assembly hereby 

commend the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration for its work to enable the United 

States’ leadership in aeronautics and space on the 

occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment 

of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics; 

and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the 

House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution 

for the presentation to the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration as an expression of the General 

Assembly’s admiration for the legacy of the National 

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and best wishes 

for continued success in the exploration and development of space, aeronautics, and earth sciences.

House Patrons: Helsel and Yancey

Senate Patron: Locke

Signed by G. Paul Nardo

Clerk of the House of Delegates

OTHER AEROSPACE HISTORY NEWS

NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM 

(NASM)

By Michael Neufeld

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first spacewalks in 1965, NASM debuted a new sixmonth exhibition, “Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years 

of Extravehicular Activity,” to be on display between 

8 January and 8 June 2015. It presents art, photography, artifacts, and personal accounts that relate the 

continuing story of extravehicular activities (EVAs), 

or spacewalking.

In March, NASM installed the “Dynamic Sun Video 

Wall” at the base of Skylab in Space Hall. This dazzling display presents near-real-time imagery of the 

Sun from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) 

instrument aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory 

satellite. The AIA instrument was designed and built, 

and is operated, by the Smithsonian Astrophysical 

Observatory and Lockheed Martin; solar data are 

automatically updated overnight. David DeVorkin 

(Space History) was actively involved in making this 

exhibit possible.

In January, NASM staff lowered the Spirit of St. Louis 

from its hanging place to the floor below for conservation work. SpaceShipOne followed in March, and the 

Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis in April. Conservation 

work will be conducted in sight of visitors for the 

next several months in preparation for rehanging the 

aircraft for display in the renovated Boeing Milestones 

of Flight Hall.

Pluto’s Secret: An Icy World’s Tale of Discovery, written by Margaret Weitekamp and David DeVorkin 

(both Space History) and illustrated by Diane Kidd 

(Education), won the 2015 Children’s Literature 

Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics 

and Astronautics (AIAA). The medal was presented to 

Weitekamp at the SciTech 2015 meeting in Kissimmee, 

Florida, in January.
17

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

James David (Space 

History) has published 

a new book, Spies 

and Shuttles: NASA’s 

Secret Relationships 

with the DoD and CIA

(University Press of 

Florida, 2015). This 

book is a real-life spy 

saga, and the author 

uses many newly 

declassified documents 

to reveal how NASA 

became a strange bedfellow of the Department of 

Defense (DOD) and the Central Intelligence Agency 

(CIA). Beginning with the establishment of NASA in 

1958, David follows the Agency through its growth, 

not only in scope but also in complexity, exposing the 

ties between spaceflight and the intelligence community. He shows NASA’s early cooperation—supplying 

cover stories for covert missions, analyzing the Soviet 

space program, providing weather and other scientific 

data from its satellites, and monitoring missile tests—

and reveals how these extensive interactions eventually 

devolved into NASA’s reliance on DOD for political 

and financial support for the Shuttle. In connection 

with this book, the National Security Archive has 

posted an Electronic Briefing Book by David entitled 

“NASA’s Secret Relationships with the DoD and CIA” 

available online at http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/

NSAEBB509/.

Smithsonian Books published the handsome exhibition volume Time and Navigation: The Untold Story 

of Getting from Here to There, coauthored by Andrew 

Johnston (Center for Earth and Planetary Studies), 

Roger Connor (Aeronautics), Paul Ceruzzi (Space 

History), and Carlene Stephens (National Museum of 

American History). The online exhibition is available 

at http://timeandnavigation.si.edu/.

Several Space History staff members published articles: Hunter Hollins, “The War Bond Poster: State 

Fundraising and National Cohesion Through Mass 

Media During the World Wars,” Federal History 

Journal no. 7 (January 2015): 35–52; Thomas C. 

Lassman, “Putting the Military Back into the History 

of the Military-Industrial Complex: The Management 

of Technological Innovation in the U.S. Army, 1945–

1960,” Isis 106 (March 2015): 94–120; and Margaret 

A. Weitekamp “‘We’re Physicists’: Gender, Genre 

and the Image of Scientists in The Big Bang Theory,” 

Journal of Popular Television 3, no. 1 (1 April 2015): 

75–92(18). Several Space History curators contributed short pieces to the exhibition catalog Tools: 

Extending Our Reach, edited by Cara McCarty and 

Matilda McQuaid (New York: Smithsonian Cooper 

Hewitt Design Museum, 2014).

Two Space History curators presented papers at the 

56th Annual Meeting of the International Studies 

Association in New Orleans on 18 February: Paul E. 

Ceruzzi’s title was “The Global Positioning System: 

Military Origins, Civilian Applications, and the 

Culture of Precise Positioning,” and Martin Collins’s 

topic was “The Corporation Ascendant: Iridium’s 

Global Satellite Telephone System and the Post-Cold 

War World.” Collins more recently lectured to academic groups in Berlin, Helsinki, and Stockholm.

Roger Connor (Aeronautics) lectured on Capitol Hill 

to the House Entertainment Caucus about the history 

of drones in the film industry on 25 February.

TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF 

THE FIRST SPACEWALKS IN 1965, NASM DEBUTED 

A NEW SIX-MONTH EXHIBITION, ‘OUTSIDE THE 

SPACECRAFT: 50 YEARS OF EXTRAVEHICULAR 

ACTIVITY,’ TO BE ON DISPLAY BETWEEN 8 JANUARY 

AND 8 JUNE 2015.
18

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

The first two of four lectures in the Exploring Space 

Lecture Series featured Frank Cepollina of NASA 

Goddard Space Flight Center on 26 February and 

Michael Massimino of Columbia University on 

26 March, both speaking on aspects of servicing the 

Hubble Space Telescope. As an astronaut on the STS125 mission, Massimino took part in several spacewalks during the final Hubble servicing mission. The 

theme of this year’s series is “Hubble: 25 Years and 

Counting.” Two other lectures are scheduled in June.

NASM partnered with NASA to host a scholarly symposium, “The NACA Centenary: A Symposium on 

100 Years of Aerospace Research and Development,” 

on 3–4 March 2015, in the museum’s “Moving 

Beyond Earth” exhibition. More than 25 papers were 

presented, and more than 100 historians, engineers, 

scientists, and others attended.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke Collection

NASM has acquired from the Arthur C. Clarke Trust 

87 cubic feet of material that will be made available 

soon to researchers at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy 

Center. The collection contains correspondence, 

audio- and videotapes, 16-millimeter films, and early 

drafts of the screenplay for 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

Read more details and see images of several items 

from the collection online at http://blog.nasm.si.edu/

highlights-from-the-collection/clarkes-personal-papers/.

AMERICAN ASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETY 

(AAS) HISTORY COMMITTEE

By Michael Ciancone, AAS 

History Committee Chair

As a result of the persistence and diligence of series 

editor Dr. Rick Sturdevant, and with the efforts of volume editors Oti Liepack and Niklas Reinke and copy 

editor Joni Wilson, Univelt has published the 2011 

and 2012 proceedings in the International Academy 

of Astronautics History Series.

Ron Miller and Joni Wilson prepared an illustrated 

booklet to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 

Emme Award for Astronautical Literature. Electronic 

copies of this booklet are available online at http://

www.astronautical.org/awards/emme.

The AAS History Committee is pleased to announce 

the establishment of the Ordway Award for Sustained 

Excellence in Spaceflight History. This award is named 

in memory of Frederick I. Ordway III (1927–2014), 

human spaceflight advocate and chronicler of the 

history of rocketry and space travel. The award is 

presented on an occasional basis by the American 

Astronautical Society and recognizes exceptional, sustained efforts to inform and educate on astronautical 

history through one or more media, such as (1) writing, editing, or publishing a book series (as opposed to 

a single title); (2) preparing and presenting exhibits; or 

(3) producing material for distribution through film, 

television, art, or other nonprint media. The award 

process is managed by the AAS History Committee. 

Nomination forms are available online at http://www.

astronautical.org/awards/ordway.

THE AAS HISTORY COMMITTEE 

IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE 

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 

THE ORDWAY AWARD FOR 

SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE IN 

SPACEFLIGHT HISTORY.
19

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

RECENT PUBLICATIONS AND ONLINE RESOURCES

Compiled by Chris Gamble

NEW SERIES IN NASA HISTORY 

(PUBLISHED BY JOHNS HOPKINS 

UNIVERSITY PRESS)

Exploration and Engineering: The Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory and the Quest for Mars, by Erik M. Conway 

(Johns Hopkins University Press, January 2015). 

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, 

California, has become synonymous with the United 

States’ planetary exploration during the past half century. This work focuses on JPL’s missions beginning in 

the 1990s and continuing through the Mars Phoenix 

mission of 2007. During this time, the Center led the 

way in engineering an impressive, rapidly evolving 

succession of Mars orbiters and landers, including 

roving robotic vehicles whose successful deployment 

onto the Martian surface posed some of the most 

complicated technical problems in spaceflight history. In this book, the author reveals how the creative 

technological feats of JPL engineers led to major Mars 

exploration breakthroughs. Conway takes readers into 

the heart of the Lab’s problem-solving approach and 

management structure, where talented scientists grappled with technical challenges while also coping with 

such bureaucratic challenges as funding shortfalls.

COMMERCIALLY PUBLISHED WORKS

After Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American Space 

Program, by John M. Logsdon (Palgrave Macmillan, 

March 2015). On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong took 

“one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” 

The success of the Apollo 11 mission satisfied the goal 

that had been set by President John F. Kennedy just 

over eight years earlier. It also raised the question 

“What do you do next after landing on the Moon?” 

It fell to President Richard M. Nixon to answer this 

question. After Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American 

Space Program traces, in detail, how Nixon and his 

associates went about developing their response.

Archaeology and Heritage of the Human Movement into 

Space, edited by Beth Laura Oleary and P. J. Capelotti 

(Springer, September 2014). This volume addresses 

the creation, documentation, preservation, and study 

of the archaeology of lunar, planetary, and interstellar exploration. It defines the attributes of common 

human technological expressions within national and, 

increasingly, private exploration efforts, and it explores 

the archaeology of both fixed and mobile artifacts in 

the solar system and the wider galaxy. The book provides the emerging archaeological perspective on the 

history of human exploration of space. Humans have 

been creating a vast archaeological preserve in space 

and on other celestial bodies; this assemblage of heritage objects and sites attests to the human presence 

away from Earth. As space exploration has reached the 

half-century mark, it is an appropriate time to reflect 

on the major events and technological development of 

this particular arena of human history.

The Art of Space, by Ron Miller (Zenith Press, October 

2014). This comprehensive celebration of space art 

profiles the development of space-based art in a variety of media. In this book, the author presents over 

350 high-quality and often photorealistic images that 

chart how artists throughout history, working with 

the knowledge and research available during their 

time, have endeavored to construct realistic images 

of visions throughout the universe. Beginning with 

depictions of spaceships, robotic probes, and space 

stations, Miller moves through collections that also 

illustrate the planets, moons, galaxies, and stars; cities, colonies, and space habitats; and possible alien 

life. The artwork presented here has been created in a 

variety of media, from the woodcuts and oil paintings 

of the Victorian and Edwardian eras to the digitally 

enhanced work of contemporary artists.
20

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

Atlas of Great Comets, by Ronald Stoyan (Cambridge 

University Press, March 2015). Throughout the ages, 

comets, enigmatic and beautiful wandering objects 

that appear for weeks or months, have alternately fascinated and terrified humankind. The result of five 

years of research, this book is a generously illustrated 

reference on 30 of the greatest comets that have been 

witnessed and documented since the Middle Ages. 

Special attention is given to the cultural and scientific 

impact of each appearance, supported by a wealth of 

images, from woodcuts, engravings, historical paintings, and artifacts to a showcase of the best astronomical photos and images.

Beyond: Our Future in Space, by Chris Impey (W. W. 

Norton & Company, April 2015). Human exploration 

has been an unceasing engine of technological progress, 

from the first Homo sapiens to leave our African cradle 

to a future in which humankind promises to settle 

another world. Beyond tells the epic story of humanity 

leaving home—and how humans will soon thrive in 

the vast universe beyond Earth. Combining expert 

knowledge of astronomy and avant-garde technology, 

the author guides us through the heady possibilities 

for the next century of exploration.

Bigelow Aerospace and Expandable Modules—

Colonizing Space One Piece at a Time, by Erik 

Seedhouse (Springer, November 2014). At the core 

of Bigelow’s plan is inflatable-module technology. 

Tougher and more durable than their rigid counterparts, these inflatable modules are perfectly suited 

for use in space, where Bigelow plans to link them 

together to form commercial space stations. This book 

describes how this new breed of space stations will be 

built and how the link between NASA and private 

companies such as Bigelow Aerospace can lead to a 

new economy—a space economy. Finally, the book 

touches on Bigelow’s aspirations beyond low-Earth 

orbit, plans that include the landing of a base on the 

lunar surface and the prospect of missions to Mars.

Building Earth Observation Cameras, by George Joseph 

(CRC Press, January 2015). The book discusses the 

science and technology of building an electro-optical 

imaging system for a space platform from concept to 

space qualification and in-orbit evaluation. It provides 

a broad overview of various Earth-imaging systems 

with specific examples illustrating the design and 

development issues that impacted the Indian Remote 

Sensing Satellite (IRS) cameras, and it is based on the 

actual experience of the author, who was intimately 

involved with the development of cameras for the 

IRS program.

Canadian Spacewalkers: Hadfield, MacLean and 

Williams Remember the Ultimate High Adventure, by 

Bob McDonald (Douglas & McIntyre, March 2015). 

Spacewalking is a physically exhausting, mentally 

rigorous endeavor. But what is it really like to step 

into that abyss, to leap out into space with only the 

thin fabric of your suit between you and the universe? 

In Canadian Spacewalkers, author Bob McDonald 

compiles the spacewalkers’ perspectives and presents a 

transcription of an extensive interview with astronauts 

who tell tales of training underwater in the world’s 

largest swimming pool, recount how they learned to 

use power tools in microgravity while wearing bulky 

gloves, and describe the moment when they opened 

the hatch and stepped outside.

The Cassini-Huygens Visit to Saturn: An Historic 

Mission to the Ringed Planet, by Michael Meltzer 

(Springer-Praxis, January 8, 2015). Cassini-Huygens 

was the most ambitious and successful space journey 

ever launched to the outer solar system. This book 

examines all aspects of the journey: its conception 

and planning, the lengthy political processes needed 

to make it a reality, the engineering and development 

required to build the spacecraft, its 2.2-billion-mile 

journey from Earth to Saturn, and the amazing discoveries from the mission.

Civil Earth Observations: National Strategy and Plan, 

edited by Brendon Walters (Nova Science Publishers, 

Inc., November 2014). The U.S. government is the 

largest provider of environmental and Earth-system 

data in the world. Voluminous amounts of information come from a complex array of satellites, ocean 

buoys, stream gauges, human surveys, and other 
21

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

platforms for collecting what the scientific community 

calls Earth observations. These data are used every day 

to protect life and property and answer key questions 

about our planet. This book establishes a framework 

for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the 

nation’s Earth observation enterprise. The National 

Plan for Civil Earth Observations aims to maximize 

the value of observations collected by federal agencies 

of Earth’s land surfaces, oceans, and atmosphere.

Deep Space: Beyond the Solar System to the End of the 

Universe and the Beginning of Time, by Govert Schilling 

(Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, November 2014). 

Schilling explores what lies beyond the threshold of 

our solar system on this mind-bending trip to visit 

red dwarfs, hot Jupiters, and starburst galaxies, along 

with gazing over the edge of the visible universe into 

the so-called “dark flow.” After a brief and condensed 

review of the solar system at the beginning of the 

book—including an explanation of the Sun, planets, 

and small bodies such as asteroids and comets—Deep 

Space carries on from the threshold of our galaxy 

through the Milky Way to the outer edges of the universe and beyond. The reader will learn about the 

birth of new stars in our own galaxy (from molecular 

clouds to protoplanetary disks), other planets beyond 

our own solar system (lava worlds, water worlds, and 

even Earth-like places), and other galaxies beyond 

the Milky Way (starburst galaxies, lenticular galaxies, 

and elliptical galaxies). The book concludes with a 

discussion of cosmic evolution, the remaining mysteries concerning dark matter and dark energy, life in 

the universe, and the speculative idea of a “multiverse” 

consisting of numerous parallel universes.

Developing National Power in Space: A Theoretical Model, 

by Brent Ziarnick (McFarland & Company, February 

2015). Exploring the nature of space programs and 

how nations can maximize advantages gained from 

space operations, this book draws from military and 

economic theory to describe an original model of the 

development and employment of a nation’s ability to 

operate in space. Chapters discuss the implications 

for the history and organization of America’s space 

program, particularly its military dimension. The rise 

of American naval power at the beginning of the 20th 

century is investigated as a historical analog to the 

current American situation in space, and a method is 

proposed for the United States to lead the next chapter 

of the Space Age.

Edgar Martins: The Rehearsal of Space and the Poetic 

Impossibility To Manage the Infinite, text by Sérgio 

Mah, João Seixas, and John Gribbin; photographs 

by Edgar Martins (La Fábrica; bilingual SpanishEnglish edition, October 2014). Though a notoriously secretive organization, in 2012, the European 

Space Agency (ESA) allowed Portuguese photographer 

Edgar Martins (born 1977) to explore their facilities. 

The photographs collected here depict more than 15 

ESA facilities—test centers, robotics departments, jet 

propulsion laboratories, space simulators, astronaut 

training centers, and more—scattered throughout the 

world. Though Martins’s photographs aim for total 

reproductive fidelity, their very simplicity and starkness disassembles space, provoking contemplation of 

the aesthetic, material, and discursive potentialities of 

these highly confidential areas.

European Autonomy in Space, edited by Cenan Al-Ekabi 

(Springer, January 2015). This volume provides analyses and evaluations of the continuing importance 

of Europe’s autonomy in its access to space as a key 

driver in the development of European space capabilities. From a detailed historical analysis of some 

of the pitfalls of dependence in the space industry, 

experts analyze the full range of current European 

space capabilities and identify areas where autonomy 

is both possible and required, even in a situation of 

severe budgetary constraints. The contributions present a comprehensive overview of European efforts in 

a broad range of areas, including energy, culture, science, and security; access to space, space applications, 

human spaceflight, security, and space situational 

awareness; and strategic issues.

Extraterrestrial Intelligence and Human Imagination: 

SETI at the Intersection of Science, Religion and Culture, 

by John Traphagan (Springer, November 2014). 

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) 
22

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

represents one of the most significant crossroads at 

which the assumptions and methods of scientific 

inquiry come into direct contact with—and in many 

cases conflict with—those of religion. Indeed, at the 

core of SETI is the same question that motivates many 

interested in religion: What is the place of humanity 

in the universe? Scientists involved with SETI (and 

in other areas) and individuals interested in and 

dedicated to some religious traditions are engaged in 

contemplating these types of questions, even if their 

respective approaches and answers differ significantly.

Extreme: Why Some People Thrive at the Limits, by 

Emma Barrett and Paul Martin (Oxford University 

Press, November 2014). Why do some people risk 

their lives regularly by placing themselves in extreme 

and challenging situations? For some, such as astronauts, the extreme environments are part of the job. 

Others are motivated by the thrill and competition 

of extreme sports, or the achievement of goals such as 

being the first to arrive at a remote, difficult-to-reach 

location under extreme conditions. Whether for sport 

or employment, all these people have made the personal choice to put themselves in environments in 

which there is significant risk. What drives such people? And what skills and personality traits enable the 

best to succeed? What abilities are shared by the successful mountaineer, astronaut, caver, or long-distance 

solo sailor? And are there lessons the rest of us can 

learn from them?

Food in the Air and Space: The Surprising History of 

Food and Drink in the Skies, by Richard Foss (Rowman 

& Littlefield Publishers, December 2014). This book 

is the first to chart the history of food worldwide, 

exploring the intricacies of in-flight dining from 1783 

to the present day aboard balloons, zeppelins, landbased aircraft, flying boats, and spacecraft. It charts 

the ways in which commercial travelers were lured to 

try flying with the promise of familiar foods; explains 

the problems of each aerial environment and the ways 

in which chefs, engineers, and flightcrews adapted to 

them; and tells the stories of pioneers in the field.

Gemini 3: The NASA Mission Reports, by Steve 

Whitfield (Apogee Prime, December 2014). Virgil 

“Gus” Grissom and John Young flew the first crewed 

Gemini mission, which was an important step toward 

America’s moving ahead in the space race. The 

Gemini spacecraft was the new upgraded “Advanced” 

two-person vehicle that would allow its crew to live 

in space comfortably for several days at a time. The 

flight of Gemini 3—launched atop an Air Force Titan 

missile—was a high-risk moment in the early days of 

space exploration. In this book, details of this important first flight are collected, along with many diagrams 

and illustrations.

Handbook of Space Security: Policies, Applications 

and Programs, edited by K.-U. Schrogl, P. L. Hays, 

J. Robinson, D. Moura, and C. Giannopapa (SpringerVerlag, October 2014). Space security involves the 

use of space (in particular, communication, navigation, Earth observation, and electronic intelligence 

satellites) for military and security purposes on Earth 

and also the maintenance of space (in particular the 

Earth orbits) as a safe and secure area for conducting 

peaceful activities. The two aspects can be summarized 

as “space for security on Earth” and “the safeguarding of space for peaceful endeavors.” In providing a 

global and coherent analytical approach to space security today, the Handbook focuses on four areas that 

together define the entire space security area: policies, 

technologies, applications, and programs.

History of Rocketry and Astronautics, vol. 42, edited by 

Otfrid G. Liepack, American Astronautical Society 

(AAS) History Series, vol. 42, International Academy 

of Astronautics (IAA) History Symposia, vol. 31 (AAS/

Univelt, Inc., December 2014). This volume contains 

the proceedings of the 45th History Symposium of 

the International Academy of Astronautics held in 

Cape Town, South Africa, in 2011.

History of Rocketry and Astronautics, vol. 43, edited 

by Niklas Reinke, AAS History Series, vol. 43, IAA 

History Symposia, vol. 32 (AAS/Univelt, Inc., April 
23

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

2015). This volume contains the proceedings of 

the 46th History Symposium of the International 

Academy of Astronautics held in Naples, Italy, in 2012.

How Outer Space Made America: Geography, 

Organization and the Cosmic Sublime, by Daniel Sage 

(Ashgate Publishing Co.; new edition, November 

2014). In this book, the author analyzes how and 

why American space exploration reproduced and 

transformed American cultural and political imaginations by appealing to a desire for, and to an extent 

organizing, the transcendence of spatial and temporal 

frontiers. While largely engaging with the historical 

development of space exploration, it shows how contemporary cultural and social, and indeed geographical, 

research themes, including national identity, critical 

geopolitics, gender, technocracy, trauma, and memory, 

can be informed by the study of space exploration.

Infinite Worlds: The People and Places of Space 

Exploration, by Michael Soluri (Simon & Schuster, 

November 2014). This stunning collection of photographs and essays goes behind the scenes at NASA and 

introduces us to the astronauts, technicians, administrators, and ground crew that saved the Hubble Space 

Telescope. This book is an unscripted photographic 

documentary inside the world of three NASA Centers 

in Maryland, Texas, and Florida. This is the first book 

of its kind since the end of the Space Shuttle Program. 

With more than 300 full-color photographs and 15 

essays, it will appeal not only to the space history buff 

but also to the armchair traveler, as well as families 

wanting an insightful and beautiful keepsake of the 

Space Shuttle era.

Infrared Astronomy—Seeing the Heat: From William 

Herschel to the Herschel Space Observatory, by David 

L. Clements (CRC Press, November 2014). Infrared 

astronomy has revolutionized our understanding of 

the universe and has become essential to studying cosmology. Accessible to amateur astronomers, this book 

presents an overview of the science and technology 

associated with infrared astronomy. With color figures, 

it shows how infrared astronomy provides insights 

into the workings of the universe that are unavailable 

at other wavelengths.

The Interstellar Age: Inside the Forty-Year Voyager 

Mission, by Jim Bell (Dutton, February 2015). The 

Voyager spacecraft are our farthest-flung emissaries—11.3 billion miles away from the team that built 

and still operates them decades after their launch. 

Voyager 1 left the solar system in 2013; its sister craft, 

Voyager 2, will do so in 2015. The fantastic journey 

began in 1977, before the first episode of Cosmos aired. 

The mission was planned as a grand tour beyond the 

Moon; beyond Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; and maybe 

even into interstellar space. The fact that it actually 

happened makes this humanity’s greatest space mission. In this book, award-winning planetary scientist 

Jim Bell reveals what drove and continues to drive 

the members of this extraordinary team, including 

Ed Stone, Voyager’s chief scientist and the one-time 

head of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Charley 

Kohlhase, an orbital dynamics engineer who helped 

to design many of the critical slingshot maneuvers 

around planets that enabled the Voyagers to travel 

so far; and Larry Soderblom, one of the geologists 

whose Earth-bound experience would prove to be of 

little help in interpreting the strange new landscapes 

revealed in the Voyagers’ astoundingly clear images of 

moons and planets.

Mars Rover Curiosity: An Inside Account from Curiosity’s 

Chief Engineer, by Rob Manning and William L. 

Simon (Smithsonian Books, October 2014). This 

book gives a firsthand account of the trials and tribulations of engineering one of the most complex pieces 

of space technology, the Mars Rover Curiosity, by its 

chief engineer, Rob Manning. In this book, Manning 

tells of bringing the groundbreaking spacecraft to life. 

Manning and his team at JPL, tasked with designing a 

lander many times larger and more complex than any 

before, faced technical setbacks; fights over inadequate 

resources; and the challenges of leading an army of 

brilliant, passionate, and often frustrated experts.
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NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

The Meaning of Liberty Beyond Earth, edited by Charles 

S. Cockell (Springer, September 2014). The purpose 

of this book is to initiate a new discussion on liberty 

focusing on the infinite realms of space. The discussion of the nature of liberty and what it means for a 

human to be free has occupied the minds of thinkers 

since the Enlightenment. However, without exception, every one of these discussions has focused on 

the character of liberty on Earth. The emergence of 

human space exploration programs in the last 50 years 

raises a fundamental and new question: what will be 

the future of liberty in space? In this book, new questions will be addressed, such as these: Can a person 

be free when the oxygen he breathes is the result of 

a manufacturing process controlled by someone else? 

Will the interdependence required to survive in the 

extremities of the extraterrestrial environment destroy 

individualism? What are the obligations of the individual to the extraterrestrial state? How can we talk of 

extraterrestrial liberty when everyone is dependent on 

survival systems?

Michael Najjar: Outer Space, by Michael Najjar 

(Distanz; bilingual German-English edition, 

November 2014). In the near future, Najjar, one of 

Germany’s most renowned photographers, will head 

for outer space in SpaceShipTwo, a spacecraft currently 

under development. His eyes firmly set on his goal, 

the artist has utterly dedicated himself to his series on 

outer space, which is based on photographs and video 

pieces. He began work on his current series by undergoing the intense training future astronauts receive in 

Russia’s Star City. Defying physical limitations, Najjar 

pushed his body to extremes in stratospheric and 

zero-g flights, in addition to centrifuge and spacewalk 

training sessions, recording what happened to him 

with the camera in order to probe his own perceptions. 

The cultural dimension of cutting-edge space technology, as well as its implications for future insights into 

the universe, space travel, and repercussions for our 

society, are central issues in his work. The book offers 

insights into Najjar’s preparations for his spaceflight 

and presents the first cycle of works from the outer 

space series. This work includes essays by Buzz Aldrin, 

Anousheh Ansari, Andreas Beitin, Pierre Cox, Lord 

Norman Foster, Michael López-Alegría, and Sir Tim 

Smit, as well as a conversation between Camilla Péus 

and Michael Najjar.

NASA Gemini 1965–1966 (All Missions, All Models): 

An Insight into NASA’s Gemini Spacecraft, the Precursor 

to Apollo and the Key to the Moon (Owners’ Workshop 

Manual), by David Woods and David M. Harland 

(Haynes Publishing, January 2015). The Gemini 

spacecraft was an agile flying machine for fighter 

pilots; it gave the United States the tool it needed to 

fly into space and in doing so prepared NASA to travel 

to the Moon. In a breathless series of 10 crewed flights 

spread across only 20 months between 1965 and 1966, 

Gemini transformed NASA from a tentative, inexperienced space agency into a tough, competent, and 

confident organization that could send astronauts to 

another world. This book celebrates this important 

spacecraft with a thorough look at the technologies 

and techniques that were developed for the program 

during its heyday.

NASA Security and Export Control: Analyses and 

Perspectives, edited by Abraham Quinn (Nova 

Science Publishers, Inc., October 2014). Weaknesses 

in NASA’s export control policy and implementation of foreign-national access procedures at some 

Centers increase the risk of unauthorized access to 

export-controlled technologies. NASA policies provide Center Directors with the ability to implement 

export controls at their Centers. This book assesses 

NASA’s export control policies and the ways in which 

Centers implement them, along with the extent to 

which NASA Headquarters and Center Export 

Administrators apply oversight of Center compliance 

with the Agency’s export control policies.

National Space Law in China: An Overview of the 

Current Situation and Outlook for the Future, by Yun 

Zhao (Martinus Nijhoff, January 2015). China has 

made rapid developments in space technologies and 

space activities in the last few years; however, it still 

lags behind in the legal arena. In order to provide 

guidelines for and promote further development of 

space activities, China should speed up its national 
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Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

space legislation process. Zhao offers a comprehensive 

study of national space laws, regulations, and policies in China. This book contains rich information 

and materials on China’s space law and practice. As 

the first English monograph on national legislation 

on space law in China, this book will contribute to 

the understanding of China’s current legal regime for 

space activities and future national space legislation.

The New Moon: Water, Exploration, and Future 

Habitation, by Arlin Crotts (Cambridge University 

Press, September 2014). This book explores Earth’s 

closest neighbor, the Moon. What startling discoveries 

are being uncovered on the Moon? What will these tell 

us about our place in the universe? How can exploring 

the Moon benefit development on Earth? This book 

also discusses the role of the Moon in Earth’s past and 

present, as well as the lunar environment and how it 

could be made more habitable for humans. The book 

also asks if continued exploration of the Moon is justified and offers rare Apollo-era photos and film stills. 

This is a complete story of the human lunar experience, 

presenting many interesting but little-known and significant events in lunar science for the first time.

New Space Frontiers: Venturing Into Earth Orbit and 

Beyond, by Piers Bizony (Zenith Press, October 2014). 

It is easy to imagine that the Space Shuttle’s retirement 

has edged the Space Age toward closure, at least in 

terms of human flight beyond the bounds of Earth. 

However, there are now more spacecraft being constructed to carry humans than at any time since Yuri 

Gagarin became the first man in space half a century 

ago. What’s more, NASA is no longer the only big 

player in the space game. Commercial, nongovernmental space exploration is becoming a reality rather 

than just a pipe dream. What orbital adventures await 

us in the next five decades? Will humans ever again 

head as far into space as the Apollo astronauts once 

did? NASA’s new hardware is aimed toward asteroid 

missions and ultimately Mars, but there is a significant 

chance that a government-funded space agency will 

not be the only—or even the first—organization to 

send humans across the solar system. Through gorgeous photography and engaging writing, noted space 

and science author Piers Bizony speculates beyond 

today’s hardware and explores what might be possible 

for the next generation.

Nobody Owns the Moon: The Ethics of Space Exploitation, 

by Tony Milligan (McFarland & Company, January 

2015). This book explores some of the emerging ethical 

issues of the space frontier and evaluates the prospects 

for the medium-range future: Can terraforming of 

other worlds succeed? Would it be defensible? Should 

there be limits to mining in space? Do lifeless planets 

have an integrity that ought to be respected? Could 

indigenous microbacteria have intrinsic value? Do 

we have a duty to extend human life? Also discussed 

are the ethics of sending world ships on interstellar 

journeys and the risks associated with seeding other 

worlds with rudimentary forms of life. The ethics of 

space exploration is as much about humanity as it is 

about space. The book concludes with a study of the 

connection between a single home planet and a single 

moral community.

The Orbital Perspective: Lessons in Seeing the Big Picture 

from a Journey of 71 Million Miles, by Ron Garan 

(Berrett-Koehler Publishers, February 2015). For 

astronaut Ron Garan, living on the International 

Space Station (ISS) was a powerful, transformative 

experience—one that he believes holds the key to 

solving our problems on Earth. On spacewalks and 

through windows, Garan was struck by the stunning 

beauty of Earth from space but sobered by knowing 

how troubled our planet is. Yet on the ISS, Garan, a 

former fighter pilot, was working alongside Russians, 

who, only a few years before, had been “the enemy.” 

If 15 nations could collaborate on one of the most 

ambitious, technologically complicated undertakings 

in history, surely humanity could apply that kind of 

cooperation and innovation toward creating a better world. That spirit is what Garan calls the “orbital 

perspective.” Garan vividly conveys what it was like 

learning to work with a diverse group of people in an 

environment that only a handful of human beings 

have ever known. But more importantly, he describes 

how he and others are working to apply the orbital 

perspective here at home, embracing new partnerships 
26

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

and processes to promote peace and combat hunger, 

thirst, poverty, and environmental destruction. This 

book is a call to action for each of us to care for the 

most important space station of all: planet Earth.

Pathways to Exploration: Rationales and Approaches 

for a U.S. Program of Human Space Exploration, by 

the Committee on Human Spaceflight, Aeronautics 

and Space Engineering Board, Space Studies Board, 

Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, 

Committee on National Statistics, Division of 

Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, and 

National Research Council (National Academies Press, 

October 2014). The United States has publicly funded 

its human spaceflight program on a continuous basis 

for more than half a century, through three wars and 

half a dozen recessions—from the early Mercury and 

Gemini suborbital and Earth orbital missions; to the 

lunar landings; to the first reusable, winged, crewed 

space plane that the United States operated for three 

decades. Today, the United States is the major partner 

in a massive orbital facility—the International Space 

Station—that is becoming the focal point for the 

first tentative steps in commercial cargo and crewed 

orbital spaceflights. And yet the long-term future 

of human spaceflight beyond this project is unclear. 

Pronouncements by multiple Presidents of bold new 

ventures by Americans to the Moon, to Mars, and to 

an asteroid in its native orbit have not been matched 

by the same commitment that accompanied President 

Kennedy’s now-fabled 1961 speech—namely, the substantial increase in NASA funding needed to make it 

happen. Are we still committed to advancing human 

spaceflight? What should a long-term goal be, and 

what does the United States need to do to achieve it? 

Pathways to Exploration explores the case for advancing 

this endeavor, drawing on the history of rationales for 

human spaceflight, examining the attitudes of stakeholders and the public, and carefully assessing the 

technical and fiscal realities.

Planetary Exploration and Science: Recent Results and 

Advances, edited by Shuanggen Jin, Nader Haghighipour, 

and Wing-Huen Ip (Springer, November 2014). This 

monograph is the first work to present the latest results 

and findings on the field of planetary exploration and 

sciences, particularly for Japan’s SELenological and 

ENgineering Explorer (SELENE); China’s Chang’E-1 

and 2; India’s Chandrayaan-1; and the United States’ 

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Gravity Recovery and 

Interior Laboratory, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 

Mars Express, MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, 

Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging), 

and other missions.

Planet Mercury—From Pale Pink Dot to Dynamic 

World, by David A. Rothery (Springer, November 

2014). A new and detailed picture of Mercury is 

emerging thanks to NASA’s MESSENGER mission, 

which spent four years in orbit about the Sun’s innermost planet. This work is comprehensively illustrated 

by close-up images. The author describes Mercury’s 

landscapes from a geological perspective: from sublimation hollows, to volcanic vents, to lava plains, to 

giant thrust faults. He considers what its giant core, 

internal structure, and weird composition have to tell 

us about the formation and evolution of a planet so 

close to the Sun. This is of special significance in view 

of the discovery of so many exoplanets in similarly 

close orbits about their stars.

Regulation of Commercial Space Transport—The 

Astrocizing of ICAO, by Ruwantissa Abeyratne 

(Springer, November 2014). This book provides a 

look at the various nuances of the commercial aspects 

of space transport and offers a workable and practical legal and regulatory approach to be taken by the 

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). 

The book also addresses the perceived lack of wisdom 

in neglecting to consider the basic legal structure of 

a regulatory regime for commercial space transport 

as a first step and goes on to analyze ways and means 

of using the existing legal instruments pertaining to 

international civil aviation as an analogous system 

that can be molded into a separate and cohesive set 

of multilateral legal instruments that could apply to 

commercial space transport.
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Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

Remove Before Flight, by Scott Phillips (Tate Publishing, 

December 2014). As a 10-year-old boy inspired by 

fellow Ohioan Neil Armstrong when he landed on 

the Moon in 1969, the author dreamed of someday 

becoming part of something larger than himself. Ten 

years later, through a series of serendipitous life events, 

Scott Phillips embarked on a career with NASA’s 

groundbreaking Space Shuttle Program. He was the 

last team member to exit the first External Tank prior 

to its maiden flight on 12 April 1981, and he saved the 

“Remove Before Flight” ribbon as a memento. What 

followed was an extraordinary 33-year adventure 

encompassing the entire span of the program—from 

the depths of tragedy to the heights of scientific triumphs—documented by exclusive, never-before-seen 

photos and firsthand stories. This book takes the 

reader on a historical and personal journey that will 

enlighten and entertain.

The Road to Modern Rocketry: Launch Bases, Centers, 

Museums, Memorials, and Monuments, by Doug 

Gangler (Champion Books, LLC, December 2014). 

In this book, the author brings to life the fast-moving 

yet intensive history of the modern rocket. Featured are 

41 rocket and space “attractions” spread over the five 

countries—Germany, France, the United Kingdom, 

Russia, and the United States—in which the story 

of the modern rocket occurred. The present-day 

launch bases, test/engineering centers, museums, 

World War II–era planned launch bunkers, memorials, rocket/space theme parks, and monuments are 

an almost unique set of sites telling the incredible, 

inspirational story of the modern rocket.

Rockets and Revolution: A Cultural History of Early 

Spaceflight, by Michael G. Smith (University of 

Nebraska Press, 2014). This book offers a multifaceted 

study of the race toward space in the first half of the 

20th century, examining how Russian, European, and 

American pioneers competed against one another in 

the early years to acquire the fundamentals of rocket 

science, engineer simple rockets, and ultimately prepare the path for human spaceflight.

Rocket Manual, 1942 Onwards: An Insight into 

the Development and Technology of Space Rockets 

and Satellite Launchers, by David Baker (Haynes 

Publishing, January 2015). This book tells the story 

of rocket motors: how they were first developed, how 

they work, how they are used, and how they are operated. This manual explains and describes not only the 

engines themselves, but also the rockets that carry 

payloads into space, to the Moon, and to the planets.

The Scientific Exploration of Venus, by Fredric W. Taylor 

(Cambridge University Press, September 2014). 

Venus is the brightest “star” in the night sky, and it 

has been observed since ancient times. Often dubbed 

Earth’s “twin,” it is the planet most similar to Earth in 

size, mass, and composition. There the similarity ends: 

Venus is shrouded by a dense carbon dioxide atmosphere, its surface is dominated by thousands of volcanoes, and it lacks a protective magnetic field to shield 

it from energetic solar particles. So why isn’t Venus 

more like Earth? In this book, a leading researcher of 

Venus addresses this question by explaining what we 

know through our investigations of the planet. Venus 

presents an intriguing case study for planetary astronomers and atmospheric scientists, especially in light of 

the current challenges of global warming.

Space Architecture: The New Frontier for Design Research, 

edited by Neil Leach (Wiley, January 2015). Forty 

years since the first Moon landing, space architecture is entering a new era. Over the last decade, there 

has been a fundamental shift in the space industry 

from short-term pioneering expeditions to long-term 

planning for colonization, as well as new ventures 

such as space tourism. Architects are now involved 

in designing the interiors of long-term habitable 

structures in space; researching advanced robotic 

fabrication technologies for building structures on 

the Moon and Mars; envisioning new “space yachts” 

for the super-rich; and building new facilities, such 

as the Virgin Galactic Spaceport America in New 

Mexico designed by Foster + Partners. Meanwhile, 

the mystique of space remains as alluring as ever, as 

high-profile designers and educators—such as Greg 
28

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

Lynn—are running design studios drawing upon 

ever-more-inventive computational design techniques. 

This book features the most significant current projects under way and highlights key areas of research in 

space, such as energy, materials, manufacturing, and 

robotics. It also looks at how this research and investment in new technologies might transfer to terrestrial 

design and construction.

Space Record Breakers, by Anne Rooney (Carlton Kids, 

November 2014). Space is mind-boggling. Time is 

measured in billions of years, and distances in trillions 

of miles. This book takes all this wonder and packages it in digestible, factual form, focusing half on the 

natural wonders of space and half on the history (and 

future) of humankind’s exploration.

Space Systems for Disaster Warning, Response and 

Recovery, by Scott Madry (Springer, October 2014). 

This book provides a general overview of the role of 

satellite applications for disaster mitigation, warning, 

planning, recovery, and response. It covers the overall 

role and perspective of emergency management professionals as well as the space applications that support 

their work. Key insights are provided as to how satellite telecommunications, remote sensing, navigation 

systems, geographic information systems, and the 

emerging domain of social media are utilized in the 

context of emergency management needs and requirements. These systems are now critical in addressing 

major humanmade and natural disasters.

Spies and Shuttles: NASA’s Secret Relationships with the 

DoD and CIA, by James E. David (University Press of 

Florida, January 2015). In this book, the author reveals 

the extensive and largely hidden interactions between 

NASA and United States Department of Defense 

(DOD) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The 

story begins with the establishment of NASA in 1958 

and follows the Agency through its growth, not only 

in scope but also in complexity. In Spies and Shuttles, 

the author digs through newly declassified documents 

to ultimately reveal how NASA became a strange bedfellow to DOD and the CIA.

Starmus: 50 Years of Man in Space, with contributions 

from Garik Israelian, Brian May, and David J. Eicher 

(Carlton Books, Ltd., October 2014). Starmus is a 

series of talks, articles, and recollections that celebrate 

the human exploration of space. The book is the result 

of the Starmus meeting in 2011, where legendary 

Russian and American pioneers of the Space Age met 

for the first time to share the moments that electrified the human race. An all-star cast of international 

celebrities joined forces in this book to discuss and 

celebrate humanity’s first half century in space.

Survival and Sacrifice in Mars Exploration—What 

We Know from Polar Expeditions, by Erik Seedhouse 

(Springer Praxis, April 2015). The experience gained 

in polar exploration more than 100 years ago provides crews and mission planners with a framework 

to deal with contingencies, and it is this framework 

that forms the core of this book. Why the parallels 

between polar and space exploration? Because polar 

exploration offers a better analogy for a Mars mission 

today than those invoked by the space community. 

Although astronauts are routinely compared to Lewis 

and Clark, Mars-bound astronauts will be closer in 

their roles to polar explorers. And, as much as space 

has been described as a new frontier, Mars bears a 

greater similarity to the polar regions, which is why 

so much can be learned from those who venture there.

The Twenty-first Century in Space, by Ben Evans 

(Springer-Praxis, December 2014). Picking up where 

Partnership in Space left off, the story commemorating 

the evolution of human space exploration unfolds in 

further detail. Twenty-first Century in Space, the sixth 

book in the History of the Human Space Exploration 

series, explores how the fledgling partnership between 

the United States and Russia in the 1990s gradually bore fruit and laid the groundwork for today’s 

International Space Station. The narrative follows the 

convergence of the Shuttle and Mir programs, together 

with stand-alone missions (including servicing the 

Hubble Space Telescope), many of which provided 

technical and human lessons that enabled the first 

efforts to build the ISS in orbit. The book also looks to 

the future of developments in the 21st century.
29

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

Vandenberg Air Force Base, by Joseph T. Page II (Arcadia 

Publishing, December 2014). Stretching over 45 miles 

of pristine California coastline and covering over 

99,000 acres, Vandenberg Air Force Base has been 

the vanguard for the United States’ space and missile 

program. The site of over 1,900 launches since 1957, 

Vandenberg put the world’s first photoreconnaissance 

(spy) satellite into orbit and is the only launch location 

for America’s operational intercontinental ballistic 

missile force. Within these pages are stories and photographs that highlight Vandenberg Air Force Base’s 

legacy as the free world’s first missile base.

Virgin Galactic: The First Ten Years, by Erik Seedhouse 

(Springer-Praxis, April 2015). Today, Richard Branson 

flies airlines on six continents; employs hundreds of 

jets; and, in 2014, was predicting that his spaceship 

company—Virgin Galactic—would soon open the 

space frontier to commercial astronauts, payload 

specialists, scientists, and space tourists. With more 

than 600 seats sold at $250,000 each, what started 

off as a dream to send people just for the excitement, 

to look back and marvel at Earth, was on the cusp 

of finally being turned into a business. Then, on 

21 October 2014, tragedy struck with the disintegration of SpaceShipTwo. Soon after the event, Branson 

vowed to continue his space tourism venture. Already, 

a second SpaceShipTwo is being built, and ticket 

holders eagerly await the day when Virgin Galactic 

will offer quick, routine, and affordable access to the 

edge of space. This book explains the hurdles Virgin 

Galactic has had and still has to overcome en route 

to developing suborbital space travel as a profitable 

economic entity, and it describes the missions that will 

be flown on board SpaceShipTwo Mk II, including 

high-altitude science studies as well as astronomy, life 

sciences, and microgravity physics experiments.

Voices of the Soviet Space Program: Cosmonauts, Soldiers, 

and Engineers Who Took the USSR into Space, by Slava 

Gerovitch (Palgrave Macmillan, December 2014). 

Despite the wealth of information and archival material that have become available in the years following 

the fall of the Soviet Union, the history of the Soviet 

space program has been dominated by the accounts 

of a select few, such as the recent four-volume English 

translation of Russian rocket designer Boris Chertok. 

In this remarkable oral history, author and interviewer 

Slava Gerovitch helps to enrich and complicate space 

historiography by presenting interviews with the men 

and women who witnessed Soviet space efforts firsthand: from the cosmonauts themselves, to the military 

officials who directed the program, to the engineers 

who made real their country’s grand ambitions.

Yearbook on Space Policy 2012/2013: Space in a 

Changing World, edited by Cenan Al-Ekabi, Blandina 

Baranes, Peter Hulsroj, and Arne Lahcen (Springer, 

February 2015). The Yearbook on Space Policy is the 

reference publication analyzing space policy developments. Each year, it presents issues and trends in space 

policy and the space sector as a whole. Its scope is 

global, and its perspective is European. The Yearbook

also links space policy with other policy areas. It highlights specific events and issues and provides useful 

insights and information on space activities. The book 

was edited by members of the European Space Policy 

Institute, based in Vienna, Austria.

You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes—

Photographs from the International Space Station, by 

Chris Hadfield (Little, Brown and Company, October 

2014). Organized by continent, this book represents 

one (idealized) orbit of the International Space Station. 

This planetary photo tour is also punctuated with fun, 

fascinating commentary on life in microgravity. In the 

spirit of his bestselling An Astronaut’s Guide to Life 

on Earth, Hadfield opens a singular window on our 

planet, using remarkable photographs to illuminate 

the history and consequences of human settlement, 

the magnificence (and wit) of never-before-noticed 

landscapes, and the power of the natural forces shaping our world and the future of our species.

The History Program Office wishes to thank volunteer 

Chris Gamble, who compiles this section for us every 

quarter. Please note that the descriptions have been 

derived by Chris from promotional material and do not 

represent an endorsement by NASA.
30

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE — News & Notes

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The joint meeting of the Council of State Archivists 

and the National Association of Government Archives 

and Records Administrators will be held 22–25 July 

2015 in Austin, Texas. Visit http://www.statearchivists.

org for more details.

The annual meeting of the Society of American 

Archivists will be held 16–22 August 2015 in 

Cleveland, Ohio. Visit http://www2.archivists.org/

conference for more details.

The annual meeting of the Society for the History 

of Technology will be held 8–11 October 2015

in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Visit http://www.

historyoftechnology.org/ for more details.

The 66th International Astronautical Congress will be 

held 12–16 October 2015 in Jerusalem, Israel. Visit 

http://www.iac2015.org/ for details.

The annual meeting of the Oral History Association 

will be held 14–18 October 2015 in Tampa, Florida. 

Visit http://www.oralhistory.org/annual-meeting/

for details.

The annual meeting of the Society for Social Studies 

of Science will be held 11–14 November 2015 in 

Denver, Colorado. Visit http://www.4sonline.org/

meeting for details.

The annual meeting of the History of Science 

Society will be held 19–22 November 2015 in 

San Francisco, California. Visit http://hssonline.org/

meetings/2015-hss-annual-meeting/ for more details.

The 48th Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical 

Union will be held 14–18 December 2015 in San 

Francisco, California. Visit http://fallmeeting.agu.

org/2015/ for details.

OBITUARY

PHILIP EDGAR CULBERTSON

Sadly, Philip Edgar Culbertson passed away on 4 April 2015. Culbertson’s long and illustrious 

career in the aerospace industry began 

after he received his bachelor’s degree 

in aeronautical engineering from 

the Georgia Institute of Technology 

(Georgia Tech) after World War II 

ended. Culbertson worked on missile 

guidance systems as a commissioned 

officer in the Navy. When he left military service, he attended the University 

of Michigan, where he obtained a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering 

and worked on wind tunnel testing as 

a research associate. Culbertson spent 

11 years working at General Dynamics/

Convair in engineering and technical management, 

overseeing the conversion of the Atlas missile into 

a booster for the Mercury program and for a deep 

space launch vehicle through the use of the Agena 

and Centaur upper stages. In 1965, 

Culbertson began his career at NASA, 

serving in management positions for 

human spaceflight, including Skylab, 

the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, and the 

International Space Station. During his 

23-year career at the Agency, he served 

as the Associate Deputy Administrator 

(1981–84), Associate Administrator for 

Space Station (1984–85), and Associate 

Administrator for Policy and Planning 

(1987–88). Although he retired in 

1988, he remained active in the aerospace industry through consulting.

In this image from 27 July 1982, 

Culbertson speaks before an audience at 

the first workshop on space debris at the 

Gilruth Center.
31

Volume 32, Number 2 Second Quarter 2015

IMAGE IN NASA HISTORY

On 7 May 1945, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) 

established the Pilotless Aircraft Research 

Station on Wallops Island, Virginia, under the 

Langley Aeronautical Research Laboratory for 

aeronautical research and also missile research 

during World War II. On 27 June 1945, Wallops 

launched its first test rocket (see image); then it 

launched the first research rocket (a Tiamat) on 

4 July. In 1958, the Pilotless Aircraft Research 

Station became Wallops Station under the new 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA). Wallops Station expanded into the 

field of human spaceflight research and tested 

the Mercury space capsule design. In the 1970s, 

Wallops was renamed Wallops Flight Center. In 

1981, Wallops finally received the name that 

we know today—Wallops Flight Facility, under 

Goddard Space Flight Center.

NASA HEADQUARTERS HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE 

STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION:

William Barry bill.barry@nasa.gov

Chief Historian 202-358-0383

Nadine Andreassen nadine.j.andreassen@nasa.gov

Program Support Specialist 202-358-0087

Colin Fries cfries@mail.hq.nasa.gov

Archivist 202-358-0388

Stephen Garber stephen.j.garber@nasa.gov

Historian 202-358-0385

Jane Odom jane.h.odom@nasa.gov

Chief Archivist 202-358-0386

Yvette Smith yvette.smith-1@nasa.gov

Editor 202-358-5196

Elizabeth Suckow elizabeth.suckow-1@nasa.gov

Archivist 202-358-0375

Warren Dennis

Intern

warren.j.dennis@nasa.gov 

202-358-0680

Melissa Joskow

Intern

melissa.c.joskow@nasa.gov

202-358-2577
CREATED AND PRODUCED BY:

Giny Cheong, Newsletter Editor 

Lisa Jirousek, Editor

Michele Ostovar, Graphic Designer

Tun Hla, Printing Specialist

Trenita Williams, Mail Coordinator

Carl Paul, Distribution

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