NASA HISTORY DIVISION

Office of External Relations

volume 27, number 1 Fourth Quarter 2009/First Quarter 2010

From

the ChieF

historian

One aspect of my job that continues to amaze 

and engage me is the sheer variety of the work 

we do at NASA and in the NASA History 

Division. As a former colleague used to say, 

NASA is engaged not just in human spaceflight and aeronautics; its employees engage 

in virtually every engineering and natural 

science discipline in some way and often at 

the cutting edge. This breadth of activities is, 

of course, reflected in the history we record 

and preserve. Thus it shouldn’t be surprising 

that our books and monographs cover such a 

wide range of topics. So to whet your appetite, 

here’s a quick rundown on some upcoming 

publications.

Currently at the printer we have a fascinating book co-edited by former NASA Chief 

Historian Steve Dick and Mark Lupisella, 

Cosmos and Culture. The second volume in our 

Societal Impact subseries, this book examines 

the three stages of cosmic evolution: physical, 

biological, and cultural. I’m sure many readers will enjoy it. 

In layout we have three publications covering lesser-known topics and facilities. From 

NASA’s Stennis Space Center, we will be publishing a conference proceedings monograph 

regarding wisdom gained from the testing of 

Saturn rockets during the Apollo era. From 

Glenn Research Center, Bob Arrighi has written a full-length book on the Altitude Wind 

Tunnel. His innovative CD-ROM on this subject already won an award from the Society 

for History in the Federal Government. 

Michael Meltzer, whose history of the Galileo 

continued on page 2

homespun history: 

DoCumenting apollo

on the Web

By David Woods, editor, The Apollo Flight Journal

Bearsden, Scotland

In 1994 I got access to the Internet via a 0.014 Mbps modem through my 

phone line. As happens with all who access the Web, I immediately gravitated towards the sites that interested me, and in my case, it was astronomy 

and spaceflight. As soon as I stumbled upon Eric Jones’s burgeoning 

Apollo Lunar Surface Journal (ALSJ), then hosted by the Los Alamos 

National Laboratory, I almost shook with excitement.

Eric was trying to understand what had been learned about working on 

the Moon by closely studying the time that 12 Apollo astronauts had spent 

there. To achieve this, he took dusty, old transcripts of the air-to-ground 

communication, corrected them, added commentary and, best of all, managed to get most of the men who had explored the surface to sit with him 

and add their recollections. The result was far too unwieldy for a book but 

Eric recognized that the Web could give it an excellent home. Almost every 

day, I looked to see if Eric had added more material. As soon as something 

became available, I laboriously downloaded it through my painfully slow 

modem for fear that this goldmine would disappear. I found that reading 

continued on next page 3

in this issue:

From the Chief Historian 1

Homespun History (AFJ) 1

News from Headquarters and the Centers 4

Ares Historian Views Ares I-X Flight Development Test 10

Recent Publications 13

Online Resources 21

Historic Preservation News 21

Other Aerospace History News 22

Upcoming Meetings 25

Obituaries 25
nasa history division

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From the Chief Historian (continued)

spacecraft project we published several years ago, has written a history of a very 

engaging topic, planetary protection. (Anybody remember the movie The Andromeda 

Strain?)

In copyediting, Steve Dick has another book in the queue: the proceedings of the 

conference we held to mark NASA’s 50th anniversary. There’s also another volume 

that holds special interest for me: The Psychology of Space Exploration. This collected work, edited by Douglas Vakoch of the SETI Institute, covers some oftenneglected, most human challenges of long-term exploration. 

Several manuscripts have gone through peer review already and their authors are 

making final revisions. Rob Ferguson is finishing up an excellent overview of aeronautics at NASA since 1958. Bill Clancey has written an ethnographic study of the 

science team members behind the Mars rovers. The third volume of our aerodynamics documentary history, The Wind and Beyond, has been edited by a team that Jim 

Hansen led. 

Of course, we have many more projects that are still in the research and writing 

phase. These include such staples of the NASA History Series as the fourth and final 

volume of Boris Chertok’s Rockets and People, as well as the eighth and final volume 

of the Exploring the Unknown space documentary history series. Readers who are 

interested in historic preservation or aeronautics will also be pleased to know about 

Larry Lee’s upcoming volume about NASA’s wind tunnels. A team led by John 

Krige of Georgia Tech is completing an analytical survey of NASA’s international 

relations efforts, a particularly challenging task given the vast scope of material on 

this topic. Michael Meltzer is also writing a history of the Cassini spacecraft project 

that integrates scientific, engineering, management, and international relations 

threads of this complex endeavor. There are also 10 other space and Earth science 

projects that were generously funded by the Science Mission Directorate. Several 

authors are writing their memoirs and Art Slotkin is working closely with George 

Mueller to write a history of Mueller’s systems engineering management approach 

for the Apollo program. 

This is just a small sampling of the many publications projects we have under way. 

Please let me know if you have questions about any of these projects. More good 

things are on the way!

Stephen Garber

Acting Director, NASA History Division
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

3

Homespun History (continued)

this work could take me there in my imagination like no other account because of 

the immense detail with which Eric had endowed it.

Eric proved to be a friendly, supportive, and tactful editor of the ALSJ. When this 

inexperienced Apollo fan from another continent sent him lists of minor typos I had 

found, he responded to my e-mails in his easy, courteous manner. This was a project 

I felt I could be involved with and when I offered to scan out-of-print NASA history 

books for him, he encouraged my enthusiasm by passing me over to the NASA history people. Me? Work for NASA? The idea of this small-time guy in Scotland doing 

work for people who had enchanted me as a kid with their mastery of spaceflight 

seemed little short of being told I could go to the Moon myself.

Scanning books was great fun—I’m good at that kind of grunt work. But after a 

while I wanted to go deeper into the complexities of Apollo than scanning books 

would allow, and an idea had come into my head. Film documentaries on Apollo 

sometimes included recordings of the air-ground communication where mission 

control would read long lists of numbers to the crew. The director invariably wanted 

to give an impression of the technical, mathematical, dehumanised nature of spaceflight by including a soundtrack of impenetrable numbers. I, however, wanted to 

know what the numbers meant. A way to do that might be to extend Eric’s work 

to cover an entire Apollo flight. I would leave the parts that included the surface 

exploration to the master, but I would try to achieve a similar result by presenting 

the flight portions of the transcript on the Web. I would correct the transcript where 

I could and add commentary.

What was I thinking? Just add commentary? What did I know about Apollo? But 

that was the power behind the idea. To write commentary, I would have to research 

the very depths of the spacecraft, its technology, and its operational procedures. 

I would also need to learn about how mission control worked with the crew and 

how ground staff across the world applied many varied techniques to make a flight 

successful. I put my idea past Eric who gave it his effervescent thumbs-up and the 

Apollo Flight Journal (AFJ) was born.

One important suggestion from Eric was to bring Frank O’Brien on board. Frank 

is a New Jersey computer guru who had studied the deeper technical aspects of 

Apollo’s computers (and hence large chunks of the mission they were involved with). 

Initially Frank was a little skeptical of the AFJ’s value and felt it would consist of 

little more than the crew regularly realigning their guidance platform. However, 

over time, we learned how much more there was to these missions and just how 

difficult Apollo was to fly. My contact at NASA’s History Division, Stephen Garber, 

offered to host the AFJ on NASA’s servers, seeing as how the ALSJ was now residing 

there. I was off and running.

Various aspects of the task became apparent. The ALSJ is a “living document” 

so that, unlike books, it can easily be corrected and added to as more information becomes available. This meant I didn’t have to worry about having to know 

absolutely everything before getting started. I could just get the core text in place 

and comment as I learned. But what mission to cover? Apollo 11 was obvious, 

given its historical importance. However, it was a simpler mission operationally 

and I wondered if I might only have the energy to cover one flight before the fun 

faded. I preferred to cover an advanced mission and the magnificent Apollo 15 flight 

seemed like a good bet. Also I had noticed how its commander, David Scott, had 

continued on page 4
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Homespun History (continued)

bought into the idea of the ALSJ and he seemed keen to help out with the first draft 

of Apollo’s historical record. So with Frank O’Brien to keep me honest, Eric Jones’s 

enthusiasm, the wisdom of David Scott and others, and with backing from Stephen 

Garber and NASA’s History Division with its resources, the Apollo 15 Flight Journal 

began to appear in 1998.

The beauty of the Apollo journals is that they provide context to historical material because they have a chronological core text around which other types of data 

could be hung. Since I first saw the ALSJ in 1994, rich seams of information on 

the missions had been opened up. For example, after a trail was blazed by another 

Apollo enthusiast, Kipp Teague, great chunks of the Apollo photographic record 

were scanned and placed online. The detailed research that goes into the transcripts 

make it possible to identify when most of the photographs were taken and what their 

subjects are. More recently the audio recordings of the Apollo 11 mission were digitized by John Stoll at Johnson Space Center who then contributed them to the AFJ. 

The audio was then chopped up and made available in the transcript so that readers 

could both hear and read what was being said on this historic flight.

Growing the AFJ has not been quick. Though a number of enthusiasts have come in 

to help with the work, we all have day jobs and other interests. Nevertheless, the AFJ 

has gradually blossomed and covers seven missions to varying degrees. Slowly and 

continuously the document has grown, like a moderated wiki site. It would be true to 

say that the AFJ is far from being a perfect resource. It seems in a state of permanent 

incompleteness. But it has the energy of a team of people from around the world that 

has made it an accurate and trusted document of the Apollo journeys to the Moon.

neWs From heaDquarters

anD the Centers

Headquarters

As Jane Odom continues to evaluate and acquire new material for the Historical 

Reference Collection (HRC) she also appraises items for historical value, directs the 

subsequent processing of collections, and answers reference requests. Jane is publishing speeches of key officials in NASA’s history and also press releases from 1963–1976 

to the Internet at https://mira.hq.nasa.gov/history/. Collectively, Colin Fries, John 

Hargenrader, and Liz Suckow share reference duties, answering inquiries received by 

e-mail, assisting walk-in researchers, and helping Jane with Freedom of Information 

Act (FOIA) requests. They are also working to further preserve our hardcopy collection by photocopying deteriorating news clippings, replacing worn folders, and updating abstracts of folder contents. Their preservation work is currently focusing on earth 

science, international cooperation, and space program impact files. They also recently 

reviewed the introduction and cover for the reprint of Apollo Expeditions to the Moon.

Colin recently processed a collection of former Deputy Administrator Shana Dale’s 

presentations given at Future Forums and CEO Days during 2007 and 2008. He finished organizing a set of NASA HQ news releases in PDF format, dated 1975–1984 

in the database. He has also completed the evaluation of a collection of mainly NASA/
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

5

government-only documents to determine disposition. Colin and Liz continue to 

appraise a collection of administrators’ chronological correspondence files, ca. 1963-

1978, copying historically significant items to add to existing subject files in the HRC. 

In addition, Colin continues to assist in maintaining the History Division Web pages.

Liz Suckow continues to appraise a 53-box collection borrowed from the Federal 

Records Center. The collection contains life sciences history sources, papers of 

Langley Research Center engineer/HQ official T.L.K. Smull, and chronological 

correspondence from a number of Headquarters offices. Liz is updating the HQ 

oral history inventory available at http://history.nasa.gov/oralhistory/ohcatalog.htm 

and is entering descriptive information about our oral histories into the database. 

Liz completed the processing of two small collections recently: the NASA Advisory 

Council Task Force on International Relations and the Office of External Relations 

files on Space Station Freedom.

John completed the processing of the Charles King collection that consists primarily of Apollo Program propulsion and engineering troubleshooting materials. King 

is a retired HQ engineer. John is also verifying photo dates in the Great Images in 

NASA (GRIN) database to ensure they conform as closely as possible to the dates 

the photos were taken after some errors were discovered in GRIN.

Ames Research Center (ARC)

On 20 December 2009, ARC celebrated its 70th anniversary—and the Ames community has already started its celebration. Recent events included an Ames family 

portrait on the tarmac near Hangar 1, a series of historical exhibits in downtown 

ARC staff gathered on the tarmac near historic Hangar One to take a photograph that has become an 

ARC anniversary tradition.

continued on next page
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News From Headquarters and the Centers (continued)

Mountain View and Sunnyvale, a meeting of Deputy Center Directors emeritus, and 

a Directors Forum where former Directors give their insights on Ames’s legacy and 

what it means for the Center’s future. On 23 January, the Center celebrates with a 

gala dinner at Santa Clara University. 

Glenn Bugos circulated a complete draft of his history of ARC, since 1958 and 

updated for the 70th anniversary, and it is being prepared for publication. 

The City of Mountain View invited ARC, in honor of its 70th anniversary, to display artifacts, 

photographs, and banners in windows along downtown Castro Street. At a ribbon cutting ceremony are 

ARC historian Jack Boyd, Mountain View Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga, ARC Deputy Center Director 

Lew Braxton, and Julie Smiley of the Mountain View Central Business Association. 

As part of its 70th anniversary celebration, the Ames Exchange Council hosted a Visionary Forum. 

Young staffers, including historian Alex Macdonald, speculated on what the Center and space 

exploration might look like 70 years in the future. 
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

7

David Des Marais and Sherwood Chang at the dedication of the Sherwood Chang Conference Room. 

The ARC directorate for space science dedicated its conference room in building 

N239— the site of many key meetings in the history of exobiology—in honor of 

Sherwood Chang. David Des Marais led a rousing review of Chang’s work and friendships. The citation reads “Dr. Sherwood Chang played a keystone role in Exobiology 

and Space Sciences during his career at NASA Ames Research Center from 1967 to 

1998. He was first Exobiology team leader and then Chief of the Exobiology Branch 

from the early 1970’s until 1998. His distinguished research accomplishments include 

discoveries about carbon and other life-related elements and compounds in lunar 

regolith, meteorites, prebiotic environments 

and the cosmos. As a physical organic chemist, Sherwood was among the leading intellectual figures who united cosmochemistry, 

origins of life research and molecular biology 

to create the field of astrobiology that ultimately emerged at the dawn of the twenty-first 

century. This conference room is dedicated to 

perpetuate the historic dialog that Sherwood 

Chang maintained for more than a quarter 

of a century along these hallways and in the 

broader NASA community.”

April Gage completed a self-guided tour of 

primary research facilities at ARC for the 

Historic Preservation Office Web site. The 

tour includes interactive image maps with 

rollovers showing photographs and descriptions of more than 50 facilities as well as a 

downloadable companion brochure. 

Archivist April Gage, shown here with 

Deputy Center Director Lewis Braxton, 

was awarded a Certificate of Excellence 

from the ARC Contractor Council. 

Nominated by her site lead Arshad Mian 

of Intrinsyx Technologies, April was 

cited for her work in student mentoring. 

continued on next page
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News From Headquarters and the Centers (continued)

The History Office continues to acquire and process material, more than 55 cubic 

feet and 18 linear feet of records and artifacts so far in 2009. Notable arrivals include 

21 cubic feet of records documenting the construction, operation, and maintenance 

of the recently demolished Propulsion Simulator Calibration Laboratory and its 

predecessor, the one-by three-foot wind tunnel. Both wind tunnels were located in 

N207, the building that now houses the History Office. 

Dorothy Leung and Laura Williams, graduate students in the San Jose State 

University School of Library and Information Science, completed their fall semester 

internships in the History Office. Dorothy processed the Donald E. Wilson Earth 

Resources Survey Program Papers, 1972-1983, which document remote sensing 

applications and technology transfer to establish Landsat data analysis capabilities 

in the Pacific Northwest. Laura processed the Robert E. Slye Papers, 1961-2001, 

which relate to Slye’s work for NASA’s Mission Analysis Division and his research 

in ecosystem science, remote sensing, and computational image analysis. Dorothy’s 

and Laura’s EAD-encoded finding aids for the collections are now available in the 

Online Archive of California. 

Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) 

Peter Merlin published Ikhana Unmanned Aircraft System Western States Fire 

Missions, (Monographs in Aerospace History, NASA SP-2009-4544) in October 

2009. Individuals interested in receiving a copy should send a self-addressed, 

stamped Priority Mail envelope ($4.95 postage) to: History Office, NASA Dryden 

Flight Research Center, Bldg. 4839, 4800 Lilly Drive, Edwards, CA, 93523, and 

request the monograph by title. 

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics will issue a second printing 

of Peter’s From Archangel to Senior Crown: Design and Development of the Blackbird 

(AIAA, 2008, Library of Flight Series) in 2010.

Curtis Peebles completed the manuscript of his Hyper-X project history. The book 

examines Hyper-X in the larger context of hypersonic research and the development 

of scramjet engines. He has started research on his next project, “The Forgotten 

X-Planes,” which is a reassessment of formative post war years of flight.

Christian Gelzer has completed his truck fairing monograph and is making edits 

before sending it out for peer review. He has had several speaking engagements 

recently, including one at Auburn University in celebration of the 40th anniversary 

of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

Betty Love continues sorting archival files moving from R. Dale Reed’s papers to 

Walter “Whitey” Whiteside’s material, a man whose life often redefined the term 

colorful. In October, Betty was among four individuals honored as 2009 Eagles 

by the Flight Test Historical Foundation during the group’s annual Gathering of 

Eagles. The foundation supports operation and improvements to the Air Force 

Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards Air Force Base. Each year it inducts a select 

few new Eagles into its fold in recognition of their contributions to flight research. 

Current and past Eagles include Scott Crossfield, Joe Engle, Bob White, and many 

other luminaries in the field. Betty takes her proper place among them.
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

9

Glenn Research Center (GRC)

The Glenn History Program and the Glenn Imaging Technology Center are pleased 

to announce the new, interactive Web feature on the history of NASA’s past and 

present aircraft, “Lessons of A Widowmaker (and Other Aircraft).” The page can be 

viewed at http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/portal/flash/aero/. This creatively arranged 

portal allows users to select different NASA aircraft and learn about its history, 

specifications, and view images. Visitors to the page can also view video, listen to 

audio programming, and play educational games. This site was made possible by the 

hard work and talent of RSIS employees Emery Adanich, Bob Arrighi, Bill Fletcher, 

Eric Mindek, and Gary Nolan.

Work is also underway on another interactive Web site detailing the history of the 

recently razed Propulsion Systems Labs 1 & 2. It will include a history of the facility 

and research conducted there and a wide variety of multi-media materials. The site 

will be similar to the award-winning Altitude Wind Tunnel interactive history that 

can be seen at http://awt.grc.nasa.gov/interactive.aspx. 

Langley Research Center (LaRC)

LaRC’s Full Scale Tunnel closed its doors on September 30 and is set for demolition 

in 2010. Also known as the 30- by 60-Ft Tunnel, it began operation in 1931. NACA 

notables Smith DeFrance, Abe Silverstein, Harry Goett, and Clinton Dearborn 

designed the tunnel. During World War II, three shifts worked seven days a week 

conducting drag reduction studies on full-size production military aircraft. In later 

years Mercury spacecraft, blended wing body, and many other models were also 

tested. 

The Full Scale Tunnel was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. 

However, due to high maintenance costs, NASA closed the tunnel in 1995. A few 

years later, an agreement was signed with Old Dominion University who used the 

tunnel until its closure to train future engineers. LaRC’s Historic Preservation group 

has created a Web site with details and photos of the tunnel at http://gis.larc.nasa.

gov/documents/643/historic/WebApp.html.

The Full Scale Tunnel played a role in the 2009 movie The Box starring Cameron 

Diaz and James Marsden. Set designers added Hollywood glam with visual effects, 

lighting and black consoles, but the tunnel’s distinctive fan blades and upper operating booth are recognizable to those who worked in the tunnel to advance understanding of America’s aircraft and spacecraft. The film’s director and screenwriter, 

Richard Kelly, is the son of Lane Kelly who worked at LaRC on the Viking mission 

to Mars in the 1970s. See http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/

rn_boxstars.html for a photo and details of the Full Scale Tunnel’s role in the movie.

In October, the Center celebrated the people who worked in the tunnel with a 

reception and tours attended by retirees, community leaders, and employees. LaRC 

retiree and author Joseph Chambers, a former Full Scale Tunnel branch head, 

presented an overview of the work performed at the tunnel. Some former tunnel 

employees brought in their written memories, which are now being compiled into 

a book. A videographer and interviewer were on hand at the celebration to record 

memories also. Mr. Chambers’s presentation, the video memories, and a historic 

photographic montage are being compiled into a history of the tunnel that will be 

continued on next page
nasa history division

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News From Headquarters and the Centers (continued)

available on DVD. See http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/fst_ceremony.

html for details of the celebration. 

The city of Hampton, Virginia, home to LaRC, is planning its 400th anniversary 

in 2010. Langley will be participating in the Hunt for Hampton History, a daylong 

history celebration in March 2010. NASA employees were interviewed for a possible local television history program and DVD that will include other aspects of 

Hampton’s history. Dr. Joel Levine was interviewed about Viking and other LaRC 

contributions to Mars exploration, Mr. Roy Harris was interviewed about aeronautics history, Ms. Kathy Barnstorff was interviewed about Langley’s Collier Trophies, 

Dr. Bruce Wielicki was interviewed about atmospheric science history, Mr. Marshall 

Smith was interviewed about LaRC’s role with Ares 1-X, Mr. Barry Meredith was 

interviewed about LaRC’s work on the Space Shuttle. Ms. Gail Langevin was interviewed about the Space Task Group and the Mercury 7 astronauts.

Wording is being finalized for a marker placed by the City of Hampton detailing LaRC’s role in space exploration. Hampton’s main thoroughfare, Mercury 

Boulevard, honors America’s first crewed space program. In addition, six small 

bridges throughout the city are named for six of the Mercury astronauts. Commander 

Shepard Boulevard, which leads from LaRC to Hampton, honors the first American 

in space. An elementary school bears the name of Hampton native Christopher 

Kraft, Jr. Kraft, who began his career at LaRC, was flight director for the Mercury, 

Gemini, and Apollo programs and eventually director of Johnson Space Center. 

Details of these Hampton place names are also given on the marker. An additional 

history marker and taped-for-broadcast history minutes are also planned.

ares historian VieWs ares i-X 

Flight DeVelopment test

Tracy McMahan, who has been chronicling the Ares I launch vehicle development 

for the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), witnessed history as it happened on 

28 October. She was among those who watched the first Ares I flight test launch from 

the Banana Creek viewing area at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). 

“As the Ares I-X test vehicle climbed into the blue sky, you could see it for a long 

time. The trajectory looked perfect.” McMahan said. “The Constellation team has 

been working on this test flight for three years, so it was thrilling when the rocket 

lifted off from Launch Complex 39B. 

The portion of flight powered by a four-stage solid rocket booster borrowed from 

the Space Shuttle program lasted 2 minutes, and the test vehicle ascended to an 

altitude of 28.41 statute miles (45.72 kilometers). The entire test flight lasted 6 minutes from lift-off to splashdown of the rocket’s booster in the ocean about 150 miles 

(240 kilometers) down range. The upper stage and the crew module were simulators 

that separated from the booster, landed in the ocean, and were not recovered. The 

successful separation of the first and second stage was a crucial part of the flight. 

Engineers in the launch complex also monitored the roll of the vehicle. Some predicted a vehicle with this design might roll significantly on its axis during launch and 
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

11

continued on next page

The Ares I-X test flight lasted about six minutes from its launch until splash down of the rocket’s booster 

stage nearly 150 miles down range. This shot was taken from the rocket looking back at the launch pad. 

The roll control motors were used to control the vehicle during flight.

ascent. This did not occur, and the roll control system designed to counteract vehicle 

roll was only fired a few times during the flight. 

“I don’t believe you can overestimate the significance of the first development flight 

test for the Ares I crew launch vehicle,” McMahan said. “It has been more than 

40 years since NASA has performed an unmanned test flight for a rocket being 

designed to carry crews to space.” 

This will be remembered as the first test of a rocket this size that uses only a solidpropellant first stage to lift the rocket off the pad. Another unusual design feature 

shared by the 327-foot-tall (99.67-meters-tall) test vehicle and Ares I is the larger 

diameter second stage (18 feet/5.5 meters) and the smaller diameter first stage (12.2 

feet/3.72 meters). One primary flight objective was to prove that an in-line rocket 

with this design could be controlled during launch and ascent. The mission achieved 

all its primary objectives. 

More than 700 sensors were located throughout the vehicle and recorded data on 

the aerodynamics of the flight and pressure oscillations. Most sensors worked, and 

engineers recorded and downlinked terabytes of data that now are being analyzed. 

The Ares I-X flight was proposed early in the design phase of the vehicle to provide 

data for improving the Ares I design before the Critical Design Review scheduled 

for 2011. Ares I-X and the Ares I outer mold lines were not identical, and Ares I-X 

used a four-segment booster with a dummy fifth segment simulator, while Ares I will 

be powered by a five-segment solid rocket booster motor. However, the two vehicle 
nasa history division

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Ares Historian Views Ares I-X Flight Development Test (continued)

designs are similar enough to provide valuable data on how an integrated vehicle 

with an Ares design is controlled and flies and how the space environment affects the 

vehicle from launch to booster recovery. 

“So far, the Ares Projects have conducted more than 7,500 hours of wind tunnel 

tests and produced numerous complex computer models,” McMahan said. “Now, 

designers can compare flight data to the wind tunnel test data and models.” This 

information will be valuable to all launch vehicle designers. Most modern designers 

rely far more on computer modeling than testing because testing and flight tests are 

more expensive than modeling.

The parachute recovery system was another key system that everyone was interested 

in since the three, 150-foot diameter parachutes represented the largest parachutes 

of this type ever manufactured. Unfortunately, the parachute system did not work 

as planned. Soon after the flight, the team learned that the first stage booster hit the 

ocean harder than expected, which has happened to solid rocket boosters on Shuttle 

missions. The steel booster case received some damage, but the data recorders on the 

booster appeared to be fine. 

“The parachute recovery system was identical to the system being tested for Ares 

I, so this is one area were Ares I-X data will directly impact the Ares I design,” 

McMahan said. The recovery system performed as planned during one ground drop 

test of the whole system in May 2009, but a flight test was the only way to test the 

system fully at the correct loads.

In addition to technical lessons learned, Ares I-X taught the Constellation team 

many lessons about managing and organizing a test flight with a lean team involving 

multiple NASA Centers with different cultures. These issues as well as technical lessons learned are being recorded during knowledge capture sessions led by the NASA 

Headquarters Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. The goal is to capture 

knowledge that will mitigate risks. McMahan attended some these sessions, and 

immediately after the launch, she conducted five oral history interviews with NASA 

and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) managers who worked in the Launch Control 

Center during the test flight.

“Watching the launch was a unique cultural experience,” McMahan recalled. “A 

number of the launch attendees were family members of people who were working 

during the mission. Many had never seen a space launch before.”

This mission was managed by the Johnson Space Center through the Constellation 

Program and involved traditional human space flight centers (KSC and MSFC) 

as well as NASA Centers (Glenn Research Center and Langley Research Center) 

that have not been as involved in human space flight launches. During the last few 

months before flight, many people moved to KSC to help with final launch vehicle 

assembly, testing, and checkout. This meant long workdays away from home. “Many 

people told me how proud they were to attend the launch and witness the result of 

their family member’s hard work,” McMahan said. 

People who worked on Ares I-X will now become part of teams developing NASA’s 

next-generation of launch vehicles. Ares I-X knowledge and people will help improve 

the design and safety of vehicles that will help humans explore space.
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

13

An Ares I-X mission report was issued 30 days after the mission. Subsequent reports 

will be issued 60 and 90 days after the flight. Updates on the mission results are 

being posted at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/flighttests/

aresIx/index.html.

reCent publiCations

NASA Publications 

NASA Historical Data Book, Volume VII: NASA Launch Systems, Space 

Transportation, Human Spaceflight, and Space Science 1989-1999 (NASA SP-2009-

4012) by Judy A. Rumerman. A fundamental reference tool, this new work presents 

information, much of it statistical, documenting the development of critical areas of 

NASA responsibility for the period between 1989 and 1998. This volume can be purchased for $55 from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI) at http://

ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp, the NASA Information Center, the Government Printing 

Office, or private vendors.

Ikhana: Unmanned Aircraft System Western States Fire Missions (NASA SP-2009-

4544 Monograph in Aerospace History No. 44) by Peter W. Merlin. Individuals 

interested in receiving a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped Priority Mail 

envelope ($4.95 postage) to: History Office, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, 

Bldg. 4839, 4800 Lilly Drive, Edwards, CA, 93523, and request the book by title.

Nose Up: High Angle-of-Attack and Thrust Vectoring Research at NASA Dryden 

1979-2001 (NASA SP-2009-4534) by Lane Wallace and Christian Gelzer. Individuals 

interested in receiving a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped Priority Mail 

envelope ($4.95 postage) to: History Office, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, 

Bldg. 4839, 4800 Lilly Drive, Edwards, CA, 93523, and request the book by title.

John A. Eddy, The Sun, The Earth, and Near-Earth Space: A Guide to the Sun-Earth 

System (NASA NP-2009-1-066-GSFC) is a very accessible primer for students and 

other interested lay readers on the subject of heliospheric science. Published posthumously, this book project was shepherded by Jennifer Rumburg of the Science 

Mission Directorate. The book covers an important, yet often ignored or little 

understood, scientific subject that has significant practical effects, such as “space 

weather.” This book is not in the NASA History Series but may interest newsletter 

readers. 

NASA Publications Reprinted by Dover Publications

Apollo Expeditions to the Moon: The NASA History, edited by Edgar M. Cortright 

(Dover Publications, November 2009). This new edition of an official NASA publication presents the thrilling inside story of the Apollo program. Engineers, administrators, and astronauts offer firsthand accounts of the program’s unprecedented 

challenges and triumphs. Written in direct, jargon-free language and featuring 

numerous illustrations, including more than 160 dazzling color photographs, this is 

a compelling adventure story.

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nasa history division

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Recent Publications (continued)

Commercially Published Works

Compiled by Chris Gamble.

U.S. and Russian Cooperation in Space Biology and Medicine: Space Biology and 

Medicine, Volume 5, edited by Arnauld E. Nicogossian, Stanley R. Mohler, Oleg 

G. Gazenko, and Anatoliy I. Grigoriev (American Institute of Aeronautics and 

Astronautics [AIAA], October 2009). This fifth and final volume of the joint U.S.–

Russian series Space Biology and Medicine is a comprehensive summary of U.S. and 

Russian cooperation in the fields of space biology and medicine. It summarizes the 

experience and insights drawn from many years of Russian and American cooperation in the peaceful study and use of outer space.

Space Shuttle Operations and Technology, by Lance K. Erickson (Linus Publications, 

June 2009). Space Shuttle Operations and Technology is a broad review of NASA’s 

Space Transportation System that is focused primarily on the program and hardware. The book also provides a historical backdrop for examining the vehicle’s 

development and its operations, from the early Space Shuttle concepts to its recent 

missions. 

The Seventh Landing: Going Back to the Moon, This Time to Stay, by Michael 

Carroll (Springer, August 2009). Just 40 years ago, in July 1969, one of humankind’s 

greatest dreams was accomplished. Men flew safely to the Moon, landed and walked 

on its surface, and then returned home. There were six Moon landings by the Apollo 

team in that time period, but today we are making big plans again, and this time, our 

plans include not only setting up a permanent settlement on the Moon, but preparing the way for an eventual trip to Mars. Many countries, in fact, are contributing 

to this effort, some as part of an international venture with the United States spearheading the effort, some making plans to go on their own. The “seventh landing” on 

the Moon will begin a new era in spacefaring. 

Solar System Moons: Discovery and Mythology, by Jürgen Blunck (Springer, 

November 2009). Starting from Mars outward this concise handbook provides thorough information on the satellites of the planets in the solar system. Each chapter 

begins with a section on the discovery and the naming of the planet’s satellites or 

rings, followed by a section presenting the historic sources of those names. The 

book contains tables with the orbital and physical parameters of all satellites and is 

illustrated throughout with modern photos of the planets and their moons as well as 

historical and mythological drawings. 

The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary, by Bill Gunston (Cambridge University 

Press, 2nd edition; September 2009). The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary is an 

authoritative and accessible reference useful to scholars and enthusiasts alike. This 

dictionary is an essential tool for professionals involved in the aerospace industry 

and flight, and for anyone who must read and understand the technical literature of 

the aerospace industry and about specific air and spacecraft.

Nutritional Biochemistry of Space Flight, edited by Scott M. Smith, Sara R. Zwart, 

Vickie Kloeris, and Martina Heer (Nova Science Publishers, September 2009). 

Besides covering a broad range of issues relating to space nutrition, this book 

presents the knowledge of nutritional biochemistry of spaceflight that has resulted 

from five decades of space life sciences research and operations. It covers research 

and observational findings on space travelers, as well as ground-based analogue 
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

15

studies with human subjects in such venues as bed rest, closed chambers, Antarctica, 

and under the sea. This book serves as a historical record of nutrition as related to 

spaceflight, specifically to nutrient requirements in a spaceflight environment. 

Remote Sensing from Space: Supporting International Peace and Security, edited 

by Bhupendra Jasani, Martino Pesaresi, Stefan Schneiderbauer and Gunter Zeug 

(Springer, August 2009). This book provides the reader with an overview of the 

state-of-the-art Earth Observation (EO) related research in the most relevant topics 

of security research. Whilst focusing on remote sensing technologies the book follows an interdisciplinary approach. It comprises management aspects (issues and 

priority of security research, crisis response), applied methodologies and process 

chains (treaty monitoring, estimation of population densities and characteristics, 

border permeability models, damage assessment) and the latest developments in 

generic tools (feature recognition, change detection, and visualization). Additionally 

the book tackles the issues of data sharing, data standards, and new approaches of 

training security relevant techniques.

Apollo 17: The NASA Mission Reports Volume Two, by Robert Godwin (Apogee 

Books Space Series/Collector’s Guide Publishing, Inc., August 2009). Packed with 

never-before-seen materials, this reference is a complete guide to the Apollo 17 mission and includes press releases from the launch as well as NASA mission reports. 

Easily accessible NASA resources pair with mission details and accomplishments. A 

companion DVD, featuring an exclusive interview with astronaut Gene Cernan, the 

last man to set foot on the Moon, is also included.

Canadians in Space: The Forever Frontier, by John Melady (Dundurn Press, August 

2009). On 5 October 1984, Marc Garneau became Canada’s first astronaut when 

he rocketed into space from a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. In doing so, 

Garneau became a national hero. Seven of his fellow citizens followed in his footsteps, many more than once. This book was written as a 25th anniversary tribute 

to these brave men and women who defied tremendous odds, risked their lives, 

and soared from Earth on sheets of flame. By leaving the only planet known to be 

habitable, they became true explorers in an ever-expanding universe we will never 

completely know.

Cosmic Collisions: The Hubble Atlas of Merging Galaxies, by Lars Lindberg 

Christensen, Davide de Martin, and Raquel Yumi Shida (Springer, September 

2009). Like no other telescope ever invented, the Hubble Space Telescope has given 

us magnificent high-resolution views of the gigantic cosmic collisions between 

galaxies. Hubble’s images are snapshots in time and catch the colliding galaxies in 

different stages of collision. Thanks to a new and amazing set of 60 Hubble images, 

for the first time these different stages can be put together to form a still-frame 

movie-like montage showing the incredible processes taking place as galaxies collide 

and merge. 

The Astronaut’s Cookbook, by Charles T. Bourland and Gregory L. Vogt (Springer, 

October 2009). Astronauts, cosmonauts, and a very limited number of people have 

experienced eating space food due to the unique processing and packaging required 

for space travel. This book allows anyone with a normal kitchen to prepare space 

food. Since some of the processing such as freeze dehydration, and packaging cannot be accomplished in the normal kitchen, many of the recipes will not produce 

the food that would be launched in space, but will prepare food similar to what the 

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nasa history division

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Recent Publications (continued)

astronauts would eat after they had added water to the food in space. Recipes in this 

book are extracted from the NASA food specifications and modified for preparation 

in a normal kitchen. In addition, astronaut home favorite recipes and NASA quarantine food recipes are included. Interesting tidbits of space food history is spread 

throughout the book.

Conquering the Sky: The Secret Flights of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, by 

Larry E. Tise (Palgrave Macmillan, September 2009). Despite their great achievements following their first powered flights in 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright still 

enjoyed virtual anonymity until 1908. In seven crucial days in May of that year, 

however, the eyes of the world were suddenly cast upon them as they sought lucrative 

government contracts for their flying technology and then had to prove the capabilities of their machines. In these pivotal moments, the brothers were catapulted into 

unwanted worldwide fame as the international press discovered and followed their 

covert flight tests, and reported their every move using rudimentary telegraphs and 

early forms of photography. From the brothers’ rise to fame on the historic Outer 

Banks, to the quickly expanding role of the world press and the flights’ repercussions 

in war and military technology, Tise weaves a fascinating tale of a key turning point 

in the history of flight.

400 Years of Astronomical Telescopes: A Review of History, Science and Technology, 

edited by Bernhard R. Brandl, Remko Stuik, and J.K. (Jet) Katgert-Merkeli. 

Reprinted from Experimental Astronomy journal, Vol. 25/1-3 and 26/1-3, 2009 with 

additional contributions and CD-ROM (Springer, November 2009). To celebrate 

the invention of the telescope and the resulting developments, Leiden Observatory, 

in cooperation with ESTEC, organized an international meeting on “400 Years of 

Astronomical Telescopes.” The meeting took place from 29 September–2 October 

2008 at the ESTEC conference centre. This book presents the meeting’s highlights.

Women Aviators: From Amelia Earhart to Sally Ride, Making History in Air and 

Space, by Bernard Marck (Flammarion, October 2009). This book charts the rise 

of women in the male-dominated field of aviation through the stories of recordbreaking aviatrixes: from those who piloted the earliest aircrafts to the first women 

in space almost a century later. These women from across the world took to the 

skies, fighting their way to recognition against all odds. The backgrounds and life 

stories of these women differ wildly, and yet they all offer a reminder of what can be 

achieved through ambition and perseverance. 

The Search for Extraterrestrials: Intercepting Alien Signals, by Monte Ross (SpringerPraxis, October 2009). Here Monte Ross explores in detail the key problems in starting a search, the programs that have failed and those that continue. He includes the 

fundamental considerations and the physics of the necessary laser, UV, IR, and RF 

technologies, as well as coding and information theory considerations.

Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle, by Michael Benson (Abrams, October 2009). In 

Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle, author and filmmaker Michael Benson assembles 

an outstanding collection of astronomical images from observatories around the 

world and in space. We live in a golden age of astronomical observation. Some of 

the resulting images are well known and have inspired millions of people; others, 

equally breathtaking, have never been published before. For this book, Benson 

has culled the very best and organized them into a thrilling journey through space 

and time to the universe’s great places, ranging from “nearby” nebulae in our own 
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

17

Milky Way galaxy to the light of the Hubble Deep Field that has traveled billions of 

light-years.

The Apollo Story, by John Christopher (The History Press Ltd, October 2009). When 

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the surface of the Moon in July 1969, it 

marked the pinnacle of the Apollo program and a victory over the Soviets. But victory 

came at a terrible price, as politicians drove engineers forwards, beginning with the 

disastrous Apollo 1 launch-pad fire that killed three astronauts, and ending with the 

unfolding drama of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission. Following on from the Moon landings, the Apollo program went on to push the boundaries of long-endurance space 

missions aboard Skylab, and it finished on a triumphant note with the American and 

Soviets joining forces in orbit, concluding a decade of feuding and paving the way for 

the International Space Station. Eight short years saw not only an incredible technological advancement, but also the unbelievable bravery of an elite team of astronauts 

who rode into the unknown on the most powerful rockets ever devised.

Energy Crisis: Solution from Space, by Ralph Nansen (Collector’s Guide Publishing, 

Inc./Apogee Books Space Series, October 2009). Presenting a bold solution for 

global climate change and dependence on oil—and the threat of war over its diminishing supply—this visionary reference explores how developing solar energy could 

bring about unprecedented economic prosperity and opportunity on a global scale. 

By using existing technology in revolutionary ways, this new energy plan would 

have the potential to create jobs and revitalize the economy while offering a clean, 

affordable, and long-term solution. 

Red Cosmos: K.E. Tsiolkovskii, Grandfather of Soviet Rocketry, by James T. Andrews 

(Texas A&M University Press, October 2009). Long before the space race captured 

the world’s attention, K.E. Tsiolkovskii, often called the grandfather of Russian 

rocketry, first conceived of multi-stage rockets that would later be adapted as the 

basis of both the U.S. and Soviet rocket programs. James T. Andrews explores the 

complexities of this man to show that Tsiolkovskii was much more than either a 

rocket inventor or a propaganda tool. He was a science popularizer, novelist, technical inventor, and visionary, whose science fiction writings included futuristic drawings of space stations long before they appeared on any engineer’s drawing board.

Titan from Cassini-Huygens, edited by Robert Brown, Jean Pierre Lebreton, and 

Hunter Waite (Springer, October 2009). This book reviews our current knowledge 

of Saturn’s largest moon Titan featuring the latest results obtained by the CassiniHuygens mission. A global author team addresses Titan’s origin and evolution, 

internal structure, surface geology, the atmosphere and ionosphere as well as magnetospheric interactions. The book closes with an outlook beyond the CassiniHuygens mission. 

Servicing the Hubble Space Telescope: Shuttle Atlantis—2009, by Dennis Jenkins 

and Jorge Frank (Specialty Press, September 2009). This book follows the final 

shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope from the press conference 

announcement through crew training and vehicle launch preparation. Stunning onorbit photography taken by the astronauts during five spacewalks is featured along 

with Altantis’s triumphant return to the Kennedy Space Center.

Canadian Wings: A Remarkable Century of Flight, by Stephen Payne (Douglas & 

McIntyre, November 2009). This book gives a full and copiously illustrated account 

of how powered flight developed during its first century in Canada, as well as the 

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nasa history division

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Recent Publications (continued)

contribution that Canadians made to the wider story of flight in the world. Canadian 

Wings draws on the unparallelled collections of the Canada Aviation Museum in 

Ottawa, for its nearly 200 images including archival photographs, paintings, and 

memorabilia.

Space Project, by Lynn Davis (The Monacelli Press, November 2009). Lynn Davis’s 

photographs of the architectural icons, cornerstones, and abandoned sites of the 

space race reflect the many facets of a historically complex industry: the beginnings of space exploration; the changing nature of technology; and a fascination 

with otherworldly ruins. She emphasizes the bold modernism of these sites while 

evoking the presence of obsolete technologies. Davis traveled to historic sites in 

Kazakhstan, Russia, Germany, French Guiana, and the United States. She received 

special permission to visit Baikonur in Kazakhstan, a leading launch site shrouded 

in secrecy since the 1950s, and her photographs offer one of the first inside glimpses 

of launches, transmission towers, fuel lines, and satellites.

Hitler’s Miracle Weapons Volume 3: From the ‘America Rocket’ to an Orbital Station. 

Germany’s Efforts to Develop Intercontinental Weapons and the First Space Programme, 

by Friedrich Georg (Helion and Company, October 2009). The third volume in this 

now-established series expand its coverage to examine Nazi Germany’s efforts to 

develop intercontinental weapons and nothing short of a space program. The author 

begins by examining whether the V2 rocket was the final development produced by 

Hitler. He then proceeds to examine, in great detail, Germany’s efforts to develop 

what was called the ‘America Rocket,’ an intercontinental weapon. A final section 

of the book examines further German rocketry projects that were on the drawing 

board by the end of the war, including sophisticated orbital craft.

History of Rocketry and Astronautics, vol. 31, edited by Hervé Moulin, American 

Astronomical Society History Series (IAA History Symposia 1967–2000, Abstracts 

and Index; 2009). Since 1967, the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has 

held history symposia at the International Astronautical Congresses. The papers 

delivered at these symposia have, in turn, been republished, or, in many cases, 

published for the first time in the AAS History Series. This volume is a general index 

and abstracts of all the papers presented at the 1967–2000 IAA History Symposia, 

and is designed to help the user find exactly where the full papers are published using 

several methods.

Yesterday We Were in America: Alcock and Brown—First to Fly the Atlantic NonStop, by Brendan Lynch (Haynes Publishing, November 2009). On 14 June 1919 

John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown took off from Newfoundland in their 

open-cockpit Vickers Vimy converted bomber to attempt a non-stop crossing of the 

Atlantic. Some 16 hours later they landed at Derrygimla in Connemara, Ireland, 

to become national heroes. Navigating blind for most of the way, they had flown 

almost 1,900 miles, the longest distance ever flown by man. In researching one of the 

most significant flights in history, Brendan Lynch has drawn on the written records 

of Alcock and Brown, and interviewed the last surviving witness of their dramatic 

arrival in Ireland and the adventurer Steve Fossett, who recreated the flight in 2005.

Ambassadors from Earth: Pioneering Explorations with Unmanned Spacecraft, by 

Jay Gallentine (University of Nebraska Press, November 2009). Ambassadors from 

Earth relates the story of the first unpiloted space probes and planetary explorers—

from the Sputnik and Explorer satellites launched in the late 1950s to the thrilling 
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

19

interstellar Voyager missions of the ‘70s—that yielded some of the most celebrated 

successes and spectacular failures of the Space Age. Utilizing original interviews 

with key players, bolstered by never-before-seen photographs, journal excerpts, 

and primary source documents, Jay Gallentine delivers a quirky and unforgettable 

look at the lives and legacy of the Americans and Soviets who conceived, built, and 

guided those unmanned missions to the planets and beyond. 

Rocketbelt Pilot’s Manual: A Guide by the Bell Test Pilot, by William P. Suitor 

(Apogee Books Space Series/ Collector’s Guide Publishing, Inc., November 2009). 

The rocketbelt—a device designed by Bell Aerosystems in the 1960s to be a tactical 

rescue vehicle for the United States Army—is described here for the first time by 

one of the machine’s original test pilots. Covering everything from service and fueling to step-by-step directions for use, the guide also includes an in-depth technical 

background of the flying device and a detailed, easily accessible explanation of 

the science behind jet propelled flight. Accompanied with photos of each distinct 

component of the machine and an explanation as to how the parts relate to one 

another, this unique guide answers more than four decades worth of questions on 

the rocketbelt and ultimately encapsulates the sheer excitement of flight from a man 

who experienced it firsthand.

Saturn from Cassini-Huygens, edited by Michele Dougherty, Larry Esposito and 

Tom Krimigis (Springer, November 2009). This book reviews our current knowledge 

of Saturn featuring the latest results obtained by the Cassini-Huygens mission. A 

global author team addresses the planet’s origin and evolution, internal structure, 

composition and chemistry, the atmosphere and ionosphere, the magnetosphere, as 

well as its ring system. Furthermore, Saturn’s icy satellites are discussed. The book 

closes with an outlook beyond the Cassini-Huygens mission. 

America’s Future in Space: Aligning the Civil Space Program with National Needs, 

by Committee on the Rationale and Goals of the U.S. Civil Space Program and 

National Research Council (National Academies Press, September 2009). As civil 

space policies and programs have evolved, the geopolitical environment has changed 

dramatically. Although the U.S. space program was originally driven in large part 

by competition with the Soviet Union, the nation now finds itself in a post-Ccold 

Wwar world in which many nations have established, or are aspiring to develop, 

independent space capabilities. Furthermore discoveries from developments in the 

first 50 years of the Space Age have led to an explosion of scientific and engineering 

knowledge and practical applications of space technology. The private sector has 

also been developing, fielding, and expanding the commercial use of space-based 

technology and systems. Recognizing the new national and international context for 

space activities, America’s Future in Space is meant to advise the nation on key goals 

and critical issues in 21st century U.S. civil space policy.

Fostering Visions for the Future: A Review of the NASA Institute for Advanced 

Concepts, by Committee to Review the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts 

and National Research Council (National Academies Press, October 2009). The 

NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) was formed in 1998 to provide 

an independent source of advanced aeronautical and space concepts that could 

dramatically impact how NASA develops and conducts its missions. Until the 

program’s termination in August 2007, NIAC provided an independent open forum, 

a high-level point of entry to NASA for an external community of innovators, and 

an external capability for analysis and definition of advanced aeronautics and space 

continued on next page
nasa history division

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Recent Publications (continued)

concepts to complement the advanced concept activities conducted within NASA. 

As requested by Congress, this volume reviews the effectiveness of NIAC and makes 

recommendations concerning the importance of such a program to NASA and to 

the nation as a whole, including the proper role of NASA and the federal government 

in fostering scientific innovation and creativity and in developing advanced concepts 

for future systems. 

Out of This World: The New Field of Space Architecture, edited by A. Scott Howe 

and Brent Sherwood (American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics-AIAA, 

December 2009). Written by the global network of practicing space architects, the 

book introduces a wealth of ideas and images explaining how humans live in space 

now, and how they may do so in the near and distant future. It describes the governing constraints of the hostile space environment, outlines key issues involved in 

designing orbital and planet-surface architecture, surveys the most advanced space 

architecture of today, and proposes far-ranging designs for an inspiring future. It 

also addresses earth-based space architecture: space analogue and mission support 

facilities, and terrestrial uses of space technology.

Australia’s Astronauts, by Colin Burgess (The Communications Agency, 2nd edition, 

2009). This is the story of Australia’s three astronauts: Philip Chapman, Paul ScullyPower, and Andy Thomas. It details the experiences of these three exceptional men 

and their roles in the space programs of the United States and Russia. The book 

also narrates the missed opportunities to fly more Australians in space as part of 

NASA’s international payload specialist program and reveals the true story behind 

adventurer Nik Halik’s attempt to become the first Australian space “tourist.”

Histoire(S) d’Espace (Space Stories) by Jean-François Clervoy (Paris: Jacob Duvernet 

Editeur, 2009). In this book Jean-Francois Clervoy recounts his third space mission 

in 1999 aboard the U.S. space shuttle Discovery mission devoted to repair the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. From the ruthless selection to the unique long-awaited 

launch of the shuttle, he gives us the chance to experience what some chosen few 

only lived: orbiting the world in an hour and a half, the exhilarating experience 

of weightlessness, the risk of flight, life on board, work in a vacuum, the technical 

prowess, the human challenge of space exploration, the passionate observation of 

the planet and the extraordinary solitude amid the universe. His story points to the 

extraordinary uniqueness of Earth.

50 Years of Rockets & Spacecraft, by Ed Buckbee (Ed Buckbee & Associates, Inc., 

November 2009). U. S. manned space flight began in the Rocket City, Huntsville, 

Alabama. It’s the home of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, world’s premier rocket center. The men and women, who made up the Marshall team, tell their 

story in, 50 Years of Rockets and Spacecraft. It’s an exciting space history lesson 

beginning with Alan Shepard’s flight on the Mercury -Redstone and continuing with 

Saturn rocket rides to the Moon, Skylab, Space Shuttle, International Space Station, 

Hubble, Ares, and the future. Wernher von Braun’s personal Weekly Notes, recently 

discovered in the archives, are published and reviewed for the first time. The book 

contains personal behind the scenes stories told by the men and woman who made 

critical decisions to send American astronauts on journeys into space and on to 

the Moon. The stories range from humorous anecdotes to gut-wrenching decisions 

required to safely flying humans to this new frontier.
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

21

online resourCes

NASA History

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/portal/flash/aero/

Created by the Glenn History Program and the Glenn Imaging Technology Center, 

“Lessons of A Widowmaker (and Other Aircraft)” is an interactive Web site allows 

users to select different NASA aircraft and learn about its history, specifications, 

and view images. Visitors to the page can also view video, listen to audio programming, and play educational games. 

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/398311main_Apollo_11_Report.pdf 

NASA recently released a report on the search for the Apollo 11 telemetry tapes.

Other Sites of Interest

http://www.lib.purdue.edu/moon/ 

Sponsored by the Archives and Special Collections at Purdue University, with help 

from Lockheed Martin, “Purdue’s Place in Space: From the Midwest to the Moon” 

is an online exhibition of their role in aviation history and space exploration, which 

includes digital artifacts from their numerous alumni who became astronauts. 

http://www.nixontapes.org/nasa.htm 

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing, this Web site presents 

the digitized versions of the original audio and summaries of the conversations 

between President Richard Nixon and the crews of Apollo XV, XVI, and XVII.

historiC preserVation neWs

Space Transportation System (STS) Recordation 

Complying with the National Historic Preservation Act

By Tina Norwood, NASA HQ and Jim Ellis, DP Associates

There is a vast amount of ongoing history capture associated with the Space Shuttle 

program. In addition to documenting historic facilities that have supported the program, one recordation effort is focused on the Space Transportation System (STS) 

“stack” and the shuttle carrier aircraft. The STS falls under the National Historic 

Preservation Act (NHPA) since the orbiters were surveyed and determined eligible 

for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Space Shuttle 

Main Engines (SSME), the External Tank (ET) and the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) 

are not considered individually eligible but have been determined to be contributing 

elements to the STS “stack.” 

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nasa history division

Other Historic Preservation News (continued)

NASA is required to comply with the NHPA, which applies to properties that are listed or eligible for listing on the NRHP. The act requires 

consultation and mitigation for any “undertaking” (a federal program 

or project) determined to have an adversely affect on historic properties. In this case the undertaking is defined as the Removal of the STS 

from Service. To mitigate this, NASA has begun recording history, also 

known as “recordation.” It’s proving to be an arduous but rewarding 

process for all involved. 

All phases of the shuttle program, from concept development to retirement, will be documented; however, special emphasis will be placed 

on design and hardware evolution and the changes that occurred in 

response to the two shuttle accidents. Although documentation will 

include all three orbiters, Discovery has been identified as the “shuttle 

of record.” Representatives at each of the responsible Centers are 

working closely with their Center HPO, historian, archivist, artifacts 

manager, property managers, and records managers to ensure that all 

recordation requirements are being met. 

Johnson Space Center (JSC) is leading the recordation effort in consultation with the Texas State Historic Preservation Officer in Austin 

and other consulting parties, supported by a team of representatives 

from the Space Shuttle program and NASA Centers. As Ms. Fox, JSC 

Transition Manager explains, “We are pushing to complete this recordation quickly since 

it involves collecting photographs, oral histories, technical drawings, and operational 

information from shuttle managers before the program ends.” 

This information will be used to develop a Historic American Engineering Record 

(HAER) in accordance with Department of Interior standards. The HAER collection is 

maintained by the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, and will available to future 

aerospace students and researchers. Final recordation products will also be made available 

through state repositories, museums, universities, libraries, and appropriate Web sites. 

Public Input Welcome: As with all undertakings conducted in accordance with the 

NHPA, public input is sought. Anyone wishing to submit a comment or suggestion 

about this recordation activity can send it to jsc-sts-recordation@mail.nasa.gov.

Note that the scope of this undertaking is focused on the engineering uniqueness 

of the STS and does not include disposition of the orbiters or mission specific 

artifacts. For more information visit www.nasa.gov/transition.

other aerospaCe history neWs

National Air and Space Museum (NASM)

Roger D. Launius, Division of Space History, has published a second edition of 

Space Stations: Base Camps to the Stars (New York: Konecky & Konecky, 2009). 

The original edition appeared in 2003, and this second edition brings the story of 

the International Space Station up to date. He also has been working with National 
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

23

Academies on two studies, contributing to Approaches to Future Space Cooperation 

and Competition in a Globalizing World: Summary of a Workshop (Washington, DC: 

National Academies Press, 2009) and Radioisotope Power Systems: An Imperative 

for Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Space Exploration (Washington, DC: National 

Academies Press, 2009).

Roger Launius will be awarded the John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award offered by 

the American Astronautical Society recognizing, as the award Web site notes, “an 

individual who has made an outstanding contribution by promoting the Nation’s 

space programs for the exploration and utilization of outer space.”

Roger Launius and Valerie Neal, also from Division of Space History, presented at 

the annual meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) on 31 October 

in Crystal City. Roger’s topic was “Constructing the Origins of the Solar System” 

and Valerie’s was “Microgravity Science: The Quest for Gravitas” in a session on 

“Inventing the Space Sciences: Constructing Identity and Legitimacy for New 

Multidisciplinary ‘Disciplines,’” organized by Linda Billings.

“Moving Beyond Earth,” the first stage of a new exhibition on human spaceflight 

in the shuttle-space station era and beyond, opened 19 November. It features a 

presentation stage, decision-making interactives, signature artifacts including the 

COSTAR corrective optics package returned from the Hubble Space Telescope, and 

an environment that visually puts you in space. The exhibition is funded by NASA. 

At the same time, NASM began showing to the public the WFPC2 camera, on twomonth loan from NASA, also returned from the HST by the last servicing mission 

in May 2009. Both the exhibit and the instruments were unveiled for the press on 18 

November, the day of all-day symposium on the HST in the new gallery, organized 

by Roger Launius and David DeVorkin. The night before, Dr. John Grunsfeld, the 

astronomer-astronaut and veteran of five shuttle missions, three of them to HST, 

gave a public lecture in the IMAX theater.

American Astronautical Society

The American Astronautical Society recognized David Mindell with the 2008 

Eugene E. Emme Award for Astronautical Literature for his recent book, Digital 

Apollo—Human and Machine in Spaceflight (MIT Press).

Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly 

David Arnold, editor of Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly, is seeking 

articles for publication. The journal is published quarterly and is dedicated to the 

history of spaceflight. Stories cover the people, projects, and programs that comprise 

the civil, military, and commercial space programs of the world. Articles submitted 

by amateur and professional historians are welcome. For more about the journal, go 

to: http://www.spacebusiness.com/quest, or contact Arnold at: historyofspace@aol.com. 

NASA Announces Screening of Space Shuttle Artifacts 

NASA invites eligible educational institutions, museums, and other organizations 

to begin the prescreening process to request potential Space Shuttle artifacts. 

These artifacts represent significant human spaceflight technologies, processes, and 

accomplishments of the shuttle program. 

continued on next page
nasa history division

24

Other Aerospace History News (continued)

More information about the types of artifacts that may be available is included 

in a brochure, “Space Shuttle Program Artifacts,” located at http://www.nasa.gov/

transition.

Fellowships

Monique Laney defended her dissertation, titled “Transnational Migration 

and National Memory: How German Rocket Engineers Became Americans in 

Huntsville, Alabama,” on 20 August 2009. As the recipient of this year’s postdoctoral fellowship offered by the Society for History of Technology and supported by 

NASA, Dr. Laney is currently revising her dissertation for a book publication and 

seeking employment in the DC area.

The Future in the Stars: German Research 

Foundation Funds New Emmy Noether Group 

with More than One Million Euros

Alexander C.T. Geppert, who teaches cultural history at Freie Universität Berlin, 

was recently awarded an Emmy Noether Research Grant by the German Research 

Foundation (DFG). Over the course of the next five years, Geppert will receive more 

than 1.1 million Euros to set up and direct an independent research group composed 

of several Ph.D. students and postdocs working on European astrofuturism in the 

20th century.

How have European conceptions of the cosmos and extraterrestrial life changed parallel to the continuous exploration of outer space? Has a specifically European perspective on space evolved since the Second World War? And how can the European 

paradox of comprehensive space enthusiasm concomitant with a decades-long 

abstinence from actual spaceflight be explained?

The Emmy Noether Grant, the most valuable award for young researchers in 

Germany, will allow Alexander Geppert to help integrate the cultural history of 

space into mainstream historiography, and to contribute to the development of a 

hitherto largely unestablished research field in Europe.

The Emmy Noether Program enables outstanding and highly qualified young 

researchers to become eligible for tenure-track positions at a German university. 

This program offers an alternative to the traditional professorial track requiring 

the so-called Habilitation by giving researchers the opportunity to achieve the 

qualifications by directing an independent junior research group and assuming an 

appropriate amount of relevant teaching duties.

Two research positions, one postdoc and one for a Ph.D. student, will be advertised 

in January 2010.

For additional information please contact Dr. Alexander C.T. Geppert at alexander.

geppert@fu-berlin.de or consult http://www.geschkult.fu-berlin.de/astrofuturism.
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

25

upComing meetings

The Fourteenth Annual International Symposium of the International Space 

University, “The Public Face of Space,” will be held 16–18 February 2010 in 

Strasbourg, France. Please see http://www.isunet.edu/annualsymposium for more 

details.

The annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians will be held 7–10 

April 2010 in Washington DC. Please see http://www.oah.org/meetings/index.html for 

more details.

The 16th Annual Space Exploration Educators Conference will take place on 16–18 

February 2010 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Please see http://www.

spacecenter.org/TeachersSEEC.html for more details. 

The 41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference will be held 1–5 March 2010 in 

Woodlands, Texas. Please see http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2010/ for more 

details. 

The 8th Responsive Space will be held 8–11 March 2010 in Los Angeles, California. 

Please see http://www.responsivespace.com for more details.

The 48th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium, “Earth and Beyond: The 

Next Decades” will be held 10–11 March 2010 in Greenbelt, Maryland. Please see 

http://astronautical.org/events/goddard/ for more details.

The 26th National Space Symposium will be held 12–15 April 2010 in Colorado 

Springs, Colorado. Please see http://www.nationalspacesymposium.org/ for more 

details.

SpaceOps 2010 will be held 25–30 April 2010 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, 

Alabama. Please see http://www.spaceops2010.org for more details.

The 29th Annual International Space Development Conference (ISDC) will be held 

27–31 May 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. Please see http://isdc.nss.org/2010 for more 

details.

obituaries

Konrad Dannenberg

The family of Konrad Dannenberg, a member of the original von Braun team 

that built the V-2 (A-4) rocket, bequeathed his personal papers to the University 

of Alabama-Huntsville’s (UAH) Salmon Library on 28 October. Mr. Dannenberg 

died on 16 February 2009. To commemorate this donation—which included photos, 

memorabilia, journals, artifacts, papers, and awards—UAH’s Salmon Library, 

the Dannenberg family, and the Huntsville Alabama L5 Society (HAL5) hosted a 

daylong tribute to Dannenberg’s life and work. According to HAL member Bart 

Leheay from Huntsville, the event attracted 60 attendees. Originally an expert in 

continued on next page
nasa history division

26

Obituaries (continued)

diesel engines, Mr. Dannenberg became captivated with the idea of building rockets 

to go to Mars when he was in high school.

When he and the other German rocket men were brought to the U.S. through 

“Operation Paperclip,” they brought their lessons learned in wartime rocketry 

to the Redstone engines that powered the first American satellite and astronauts 

into space. These engines in turn became the basis for the Saturn I and Saturn IB, 

which launched the first manned Apollo mission and the missions to Skylab and 

the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. At Marshall Space Flight Center, Dannenberg, as 

deputy manager of the Saturn V, went on to train and supervise the teams that 

developed the Saturn V’s F-1 and J-2 engines that sent astronauts to the Moon.

After retiring from NASA in 1973, Dannenberg remained active in space exploration 

advocacy and education, helping to found HAL5, supporting tours at the U.S. Space 

& Rocket Center, and serving at Space Camp as a “resident rocket scientist.”

Konstantin Feoktistov

Konstantin Feoktistov, one of the first civilian Soviet cosmonauts, died on 22 

November 2009. Previous to Feoktistov, cosmonauts had all come from the military. 

After fighting in World War II, he graduated from the Moscow Bauman Technical 

Institute with a degree in mechanical engineering and spent his career working 

on spacecraft design. Feoktistov worked on Soyuz, Soyuz-T, Soyuz-TM, Progress 

and Progress-M spaceships, and Salyut and Mir orbiting stations at the Energia 

Aerospace Corporation. He flew on the first Voskhod spaceship from 12–13 October 

1964.

Qian Xuesen (Tsien Hsue-shen)

Qian Xuesen, the man commonly referred to as the father of China’s space and 

rocketry programs, died on 31 October 2009 in Beijing. He came to the United 

States in 1930s to study aeronautical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology and also completed graduate work in rocket propulsion at the California 

Institute of Technology. 

Qian served on the U.S. Science Advisory Board during World War II and helped to 

found the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 1950, the Federal Bureau of Investigation 

began investigating charges against him of being a Communist, which he denied, but 

still resulted in his deportation.

After returning to China, Qian worked for the defense ministry in developing 

Chinese rocketry that resulted in the “Long March” missiles and their first satellite 

launch in 1970. 

Richard Whitcomb

NACA and NASA aeronautical pioneer and former NASA Langley Research 

Center employee Richard Whitcomb passed away on 13 October 2009. Whitcomb 

was awarded the prestigious 1954 Collier Trophy for developing the “area rule” to 

reduce the shock wave drag that builds up when aircraft fly near the speed of sound. 

He also developed supercritical wings and winglets. See http://www.nasa.gov/topics/

people/features/richard_whitcomb.html for details of Whitcomb’s career.
volume 27, number 1 First Quarter 2010

27

The NASA History Division, under the Office of External Relations, NASA 

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We also welcome comments about the content and format of this newsletter. Please 

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NASA Headquarters History Division Staff Contact Information:

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202-358-0385

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202-358-0087

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202-358-0375

Created and produced by the following:

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National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

NASA HISTORY DIVISION

Office of External Relations

Washington, DC 20546

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