News

Note&s

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

Office of Communications

Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

From 

the Chief 

Historian

At least once each 

quarter, I get to tear 

myself away from the 

seemingly endless 

round of meetings 

and the daily tidal wave of e-mail to write 

up my contributions to this newsletter. For 

me, it is like downing a giant iced coffee on 

a steamy July here in Washington—bracing, 

refreshing, and energizing. Not only does it 

force me to step back and see things outside 

my office from a wider perspective, but it 

also gives me a chance to learn about new 

things: NASA history and the great family of 

folks who share a passion for it.

I think you’ll really enjoy the variety in this 

issue; yet what struck me the most in reviewing the content is the cumulative effect of the 

daily efforts of so many of the people work-

. At times, these efforts earn 

some well-deserved recognition. For example, our colleague Bob Arrighi was recently 

awarded NASA’s Exceptional Public Service 

Center. Well done, Bob! Also, our esteemed 

colleague (and my predecessor as Chief 

Historian) Roger Launius was promoted this 

summer to Associate Director for Collections 

and Curatorial Affairs at the National Air and 

Space Museum. Congratulations, Roger!

Other efforts may be less noted but are 

no less important. I think, for example, of 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory historian Erik 

Conway’s election to the History of Science 

Society Council or Pete Merlin’s incredible productivity in the NASA Aeronautics 

Book Series. Another largely thankless job 

continued on next page

The NASA Seal and 

Insignia, Part 2

By Joseph R. Chambers, NASA Langley Research Center (Retired)

“The NASA Seal and Insignia, Part 1” is available online in our last News & 

Notes (Vol. 30-2) at http://history.nasa.gov/nltr30-2.pdf.

Dr. T.

insignia for informal uses by the new agency. The applications of the 

insignia would include items such as lapel pins and signs on buildings and 

facilities. Modarelli worked on the insignia design task while completing the 

seal design. -

nia: the circle, representing the planets; the stars, representing space; the 

supersonic arrow wing, representing aeronautics; and an orbiting spacecraft. He then added the letters: N-A-S-A.1

of the Quartermaster General (now the Army Institute of Heraldry) that it 

would use the insignia design created by Modarelli and that NASA would 

not require its services for this undertaking.

 1. “This Is NASA Insignia,” Orbit (31 July 1959): 1. The Orbit was an in-house newsletter at 

Lewis Research Center.

continued on next page

In This Issue:

From the Chief Historian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The NASA Seal and Insignia, Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

News from Headquarters and the Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Moffett Air Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

The Value of Gaining New Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Langley’s Richard Whitcomb Makes History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Barron Hilton Flight and Space Exploration Archives 

at Purdue University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Other Aerospace History News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Recent Publications and Online Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Upcoming Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

From the Chief Historian (continued)

was turning the papers from our 2011 history symposium into a coherent and 

thought-provoking book� Let me rectify that thankless part right here and now 

with a big thank-you to Mike Neufeld for shepherding Spacefarers: Images of 

Astronauts and Cosmonauts in the Heroic Age of Spaceflight to such a successful 

completion� He and the team at Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press have not 

only produced a beautiful book but have gotten it into print in record time� (You’ve 

set the bar pretty high with this one, Mike�)

Throughout this issue, you’ll see similar reports from the NASA Centers, the 

Smithsonian Institution, Purdue University, professional societies, and others who 

are doing outstanding work in preserving the stuff of aerospace history, stimulating the study of this subject, and communicating the wonder of it all to others� 

If this issue of the newsletter doesn’t make you pause in wonder at it all, then 

maybe you need one of those iced coffees to go along with it�

Drink it in, and Godspeed,

William P� Barry

Chief Historian

The NASA Seal and Insignia, Part 2 (continued)

Glennan formally announced the new NASA insignia in the NASA Management 

Manual on 15 July 1959� Specifications and orders for insignia lapel pins, decals, 

and stationery were completed during the fall of 1959� In November 1959, James 

Modarelli transferred to NASA Headquarters, where he held the position of 

Director of Exhibits for NASA until he returned to Lewis Research Center in 1961�2

Known for its first 16 years as the insignia, Modarelli’s creation would be replaced 

in 1975�

The NASA Logotype

 2� “Modarelli Transfers to Headquarters,” 

2
Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

The NASA insignia served the Agency well for 16 years, becoming a graphic 

centerpiece during the excitement of the Apollo years� However, in 1975, it was 

decided that the insignia should take on a more contemporary appearance� 

Modarelli’s original insignia was dubbed “the meatball” in 1975 by the head of 

technical publications at NASA Headquarters, to differentiate it from the new 

logo called the NASA logotype� As part of the Federal Graphics Improvement 

Program of the National Endowment for the Arts, NASA replaced the meatball 

with a stripped-down, modernist interpretation where even the cross strokes of 

the A’s were removed� The logotype was designed by a New York firm specializing 

in corporate identity�

In addition to providing a more contemporary look, the logotype was in part 

justified by difficulties encountered with colors during the printing process for the 

meatball before the age of high-quality digital printers� In addition, recognition of 

the elements was difficult for some viewing conditions�

Acceptance of the new logotype insignia was not universal within the Agency� 

In particular, longtime employees were dismayed by the replacement of their 

beloved meatball with the new insignia, which they called “the worm” in a derogatory sense�

Rebirth of the Meatball

Interestingly, during the Agency-wide adoption of the logotype, most NASA Centers 

retained the meatball markings on their aircraft hangars� When new NASA Administrator 

Daniel Goldin made his first tour of the 

Langley Research Center in 1992, he asked 

Center Director Paul Holloway what he could 

do to improve morale at the NASA Centers� 

Holloway pointed to the meatball insignia that 

had been retained on the hangar and said, 

“Restore the meatball�”

In May 1992, Goldin brought back the meatball 

to “instill new enthusiasm and pride across the 

[A]gency” by invoking the symbol of the glory 

days and the enthusiastic culture that existed 

during NASA’s highly successful crewed 

space programs of the 1960s and 1970s�3

Mr. and Mrs. James Modarelli receive a special 

award from NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin 

in 1992. The award citation stated, “To the 

creator of NASA’s original ‘meatball’ insignia. 

In honor of your lasting contributions to the 

proud spirit of the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration[,] October 21, 1992.” 

(NASA Glenn 1992_09961)

 3� Hilary Greenbaum, “Who Made Those NASA Logos?” 

3
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

The Designer Passes

James Modarelli left Lewis and 

served as Exhibits Chief at NASA 

Headquarters for two years (1959–

1961), then returned to Lewis, 

where he served as Chief of the 

Technical Publications Division 

and retired in 1979 as Chief of the 

Management Services Division 

after a 30-year career� He had, of 

course, been very disappointed 

when his meatball design had 

been replaced by the worm�4

Eighteen years after Modarelli’s retirement, on 1 October 1997, NASA Lewis 

Research Center replaced its weather-worn, 35-year-old meatball insignia on 

the Lewis hangar with a new, 20-foot-diameter version� Following a rededication 

ceremony, the Lewis employees were invited to sign their names on the back of the 

insignia before it was placed on the hangar� The honor of being the first to sign was, 

of course, given to Jim Modarelli�5

James J� Modarelli died on 27 September 2002, but his meatball concept and artistic skills live on to instill the pride, dedication, and accomplishments of his Agency�

Workers at NASA Lewis Research Center apply finishing 

touches to a new 20-foot-diameter meatball insignia for the 

Lewis aircraft hangar in 1997. (NASA Lewis C-1997-4062)

News from Headquarters 

and the Centers

NASA Headquarters 

History Program Office 

By Bill Barry

As many of you may have heard, Alan Ladwig, the Public Outreach Division Director 

in the NASA Headquarters Office of Communications, retired at the end of May� Not 

only is Alan a great supporter of the NASA History Program, but he was also our 

boss� When the Public Outreach Division was created in 2010, the History Division 

moved from the (then) Office of External Relations to the Public Outreach Division in 

the newly renamed Office of Communications (formerly the Office of Public Affairs, 

or Code P)� Steve Garber had been the acting Chief Historian for quite a while at 

 4� “Designer Reflects on Creation of NASA ‘Meatball’,” 

4
Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

that point, so Alan acted as quickly as he could to fill that vacancy� I’m eternally 

grateful for his confidence in selecting me that summer to serve as the sixth 

Chief Historian� Alan was a great guy to work for; he was there when you needed 

his support but happy to let us run the History Program Office without intrusive 

oversight� We’ll miss him� With the departure of Alan, and other recent changes, 

Associate Administrator for Communications David Weaver (Alan’s former boss) is 

considering some reorganization of the office� Although we don’t know exactly how 

this change will work out, I am confident that the History Program Office will be left 

intact within whatever structure emerges� From a customer perspective, I expect 

that the internal bureaucratic change will have little noticeable effect�

The other big news for the History Program Office is that the Headquarters building 

renovation will have a significant impact on us� A couple of years ago, we had to 

move some offices in the building (from the fifth floor to the second) to make way 

for the renovation, but this fall we are getting a double whammy� As the renovation 

reaches the concourse level (what everyone else would call a basement), our 

Historical Reference Collection (HRC) will need to be packed up and stored� You 

can read more about that in Chief Archivist Jane Odom’s section below� About the 

time that the HRC closes, we’ll also be moving the civil servant staff offices back up 

to the newly renovated fifth floor� (Don’t worry about the archival staff; they will still 

be working from a temporary location throughout the renovation of the HRC�) The 

good news is that we’ll all have newly renovated and improved workspaces by next 

spring� Most important, the HRC will have a new compact shelving storage system 

(good riddance to those creaky old Lektrievers) and a better-organized workspace 

for both the staff and visiting researchers� The bad news is that it will be a bumpy 

road between here and next spring� I’ll ask your patience with us while we make this 

trip because I know we’ll all like the destination�

The timing of these newsletters is such that we always seem to be saying goodbye 

to one set of interns while welcoming the next set� This summer, Drew Simpson 

wrapped up work with 

us at the end of July and 

then moved his family to 

Pennsylvania for a teaching position at Duquesne 

University� Cody Knipfer 

was with us until 10 August 

but then took a short 

and well-deserved break 

before starting his junior 

year at McDaniel College� 

They have both been great 

assets and have done a 

phenomenal amount of 

work� You’ll be seeing the 

fruit of their labors in the 

NASA History Program Office interns Cody Knipfer (left) and Andrew 

Simpson (right) meet with veteran spacefarer Tom Marshburn, most 

recently of Expedition 34/35.

5
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

coming months as we push out some long-delayed projects and make some 

significant changes to our Web presence� Both of our fall interns started in the 

second half of August� Joey Vars, a history major starting his junior fall semester, will 

be here full-time while he continues his studies virtually at the University of South 

Florida� Maria Seidel, a George Washington University senior majoring in English 

with history and Spanish double minors, will be here with us on Mondays and part 

of the day on Wednesdays and Fridays�

One of the things our interns have helped with this summer is preparing the Great 

Images in NASA (GRIN) Web site for movement to a new platform� Our original 

stand-alone software platform was no longer being supported by the vendor and 

was becoming a headache in many ways for our information technology folks� 

Advances since GRIN was created also made some of its unique functionality 

less essential� We expect to have GRIN available at the “NASA on The Commons” 

Flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/sets/) by the end of the 

year� We were unsure how long this transition would take, but intern Cody Knipfer 

was a real speed demon with embedding metadata into the GRIN imagery� We’re 

currently reviewing the data before the site goes live�

It is also that time of the year when our professional society partners announce the 

winners of the aerospace history fellowships for the next year� For many years, the 

NASA History Program has been supporting three graduate student fellowships 

that are administered by the American Historical Association (AHA), the History of 

Science Society (HSS), and the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT)� The 

fellowships are designed to encourage and support talented graduate students in 

their research on aerospace history topics� You can read elsewhere in this newsletter about the fellows selected this year� What I would like to draw to your attention 

here is that these fellowships have made a significant difference in the work lives of 

at least 37 scholars, many of whom have gone on to make important contributions 

to the field� Although the HSS and SHOT fellowships have been in place for only 

half a dozen years, the AHA fellowship dates back to 1986� The fellowship program 

has been a small investment in the discipline, with a big payoff� I’m impressed with 

the wisdom and tenacity of my predecessors in creating and building these fellowships� We put summer intern Drew Simpson to work on writing up an article on the 

long-running AHA fellowship� He’s done a fantastic job of telling this little-known 

and important story—which you’ll get to read in the next newsletter� 

Our quarterly history brown-bag program continues to feature some very interesting presentations� In mid-May, we had the pleasure of hosting a presentation by 

Professor Asif Siddiqi called “New Research on Soviet Space History: Revisiting 

the Flights of Tereshkova and Komarov�” Asif has been a great supporter of the 

NASA History Program for many years, and his presentation, which came just 

before the 50th anniversary of the Tereshkova flight, was extremely helpful� Our 

speaker for the third quarter of this calendar year will be Dr� Mike Neufeld of the 

National Air and Space Museum� He’ll be giving us a preview of his latest research 

on the origins of the New Horizons mission to Pluto�

6
Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

Historical Reference Collection

By Jane Odom

In the Headquarters Archives, the staff continues to prepare for an upcoming move 

as part of a broader building renovation by the property owner� The latest information we have is that the History Office renovation will begin in early November, 

several months earlier than previously planned� With that date in mind, packing 

will begin in August and will impact archival operations greatly� Nearly everything 

in the office will have to be packed and stored off-site for 6–8 months� Very limited 

reference assistance will be offered, with staff only able to conduct searches in the 

digital repository� Check this space and our Web site for periodic updates�

Reference services are brisk at Headquarters� During the last quarter, we hosted 

an average of a dozen people per month who came in person to conduct searches 

(the majority of our reference requests arrive by e-mail)� We had research visits 

by staff from NASA Headquarters, Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Air 

and Space Museum, and George Washington University; by an Australian author; 

and by students from International Christian University in Tokyo, Justus-Liebig 

University Glessen in Germany, and University College London�

A number of archival processing projects that researchers will find of interest 

either are under way or have been completed recently� The processing (arrangement, description, and preservation) of several collections is complete� One is a 

large collection of material on the Centennial of Flight Commission activities from 

the early 2000s; the other is a small life sciences collection from the 1980s and 

1990s� In preparation for the move, the archivists are busily scanning and weeding 

select documents in an effort to reduce volume�

I have been extremely busy recently with acquisitions from the Science 

Mission Directorate as it relocates temporarily during the building renovation� 

Recent acquisitions include a small collection of former Chief Scientist Frank 

McDonald’s papers, material on Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the Large 

Binocular Telescope in Arizona, and 

files on a number of planetary science programs and projects� Most 

notably, I acquired a large collection of historically valuable papers 

of former NASA official and Chief 

Scientist Dr� John Naugle� The family donated this textual collection 

and also an artifact collection after 

Naugle’s recent death� Leta Serafim, 

Dr� Naugle’s daughter, made a trip 

to Washington in May to present 

several special artifacts in person 

to the History and Artifacts Program 

Leta Serafim and Jane Odom visit the Headquarters 

History Program Office.

7
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

staff� When the collection is processed, it will be an exceptional historical 

resource for those interested in NASA’s scientific endeavors in the first 35 years 

of the Agency’s existence�

Ames Research Center (ARC) 

By Glenn Bugos

The NASA Ames legacy in entry vehicles was on display at the 10th International 

Planetary Probe Workshop in June, hosted by the San Jose State University� The 

scientific program was flush with Ames staff explaining their long string of experiments on the atmospheres of other planets, as well as advances in the challenge 

of landing spacecraft on other planets� Thanks to the work of Ames engineer Tony 

Strawa, the nearby Tech Museum of Innovation added some probe-related artifacts to its popular exhibit on space exploration� This included a full-size mockup 

of the Galileo probe, blunt body shapes tested in the Ames Hypervelocity Free 

Flight Tunnel, and a display on the Ames arc jets�

One highlight was the Alvin Seiff Memorial Award, which was presented to honor 

a lifetime of using probes to illuminate our understanding of planetary atmospheres� It is named after legendary aerodynamicist Al Seiff, the founder of the 

field of planetary probes and principal investigator on the atmosphere structure 

experiments for Mars (Viking), Venus (Pioneer Venus), and Jupiter (Galileo)� The 

award was presented to another Ames legend, James Arnold, who was hired by 

Seiff when he was fresh out of the University of Kansas in 1962 to help refine the 

reentry profile of the Apollo capsule� Arnold’s work is fundamental to the entry 

problem, notably in bridging the disciplines of chemistry and aerothermodynamics� Among the ways the History Office supported the festivities was in supplying 

photographs from our collections of Al Seiff’s papers and from the Planetary 

Atmospheres Entry Test (PAET) project, a precursor of all planetary probes�

The request for proposals (RFP) to reskin Hangar One and to make use of Moffett 

Federal Airfield was released on 22 May by the General Services Administration� 

Keith Venter, the Ames Historic Preservation Officer, marshaled many resources 

to make the RFP a reality� I helped with documentation on the history of the 

airfield and its contributing historical elements� Archivist April Gage prepared 

the Web site to host the RFP documentation (http://historicproperties.arc.nasa.

gov/hangar1/)�

April also accessioned 14 cubic feet of material representing more than 30 years 

of Ames space life science in partnership with the Soviet Union and Russia using 

biological satellites� Most of it relates to the Cosmos/Bion missions and was 

accumulated from the 1970s to the 1990s by the three Ames project managers—Ken Souza, Jim Connolly, and Mike Skidmore� Also included are excellent 

research files collected by Richard Mains to support his history of the program�

8
Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

9

Continuing her professional service, April was recertified by the Society of Certified 

Archivists� We welcome International Space University intern Luke Idziak, who 

has an interest in history� Additionally, the restored Mars in 3D movie starred in a 

major public concert at a local movie theater, featuring Tori Hoehler speaking on 

Mars imagery�

In other news of note, some of the few structures around ARC that really screamed 

“Space Age” were torn down: the four massive gas and vacuum balls that stood 

outside the 3�5-foot hypersonic wind tunnel� Several people who have been of 

great assistance to the History Office over the years are retiring: Jim Connolly, 

who worked for NASA for more than 50 years on life science instrumentation 

and as the Cosmos/Bion project manager; Eugene Miya, an excellent source of 

guidance on matters of computer history; Ann Clarke, who knew much about 

the built and natural environment at Ames; and Mike Mewhinney, longtime Ames 

news chief� We also note the passing of Edie Watson, who started with the 

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1945, served as secretary 

to Center Directors Harvey Allen and Hans Mark, and exemplified the true spirit of 

Ames� In 1975, Edie undertook the compilation of historical materials from all the 

branches of the Center—an archive that remains very useful today�

Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) 

By Christian Gelzer

Peter Merlin submitted his completed manuscript of A New Twist in Flight Research: 

The F-18 Active Aeroelastic Wing Project to NASA Headquarters for final edits, 

following export control approval at Dryden� Part of the NASA Aeronautics Book 

Series, the book should appear sometime late in 2014� He also presented “Human 

Factors in Accidents Involving Remotely Piloted Aircraft” at the Aerospace 

Medical Association’s 84th Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, an 

abstract of which has been published in Aviation, Space, and Environmental 

Medicine, vol� 84, issue 4, April 2013� On request, he has been distributing copies 

of his most recent books, Breaking the Mishap Chain and Crash Course, to the 

U�S� Air Force Test Pilot School, various human factors personnel at the Global 

Vigilance Combined Test Force, representatives of the NASA Commercial Orbital 

Transportation Services office, and Sierra Nevada Corporation, which recently 

brought its Dream Chaser lifting body to Dryden for testing�

Glenn Research Center (GRC) 

By Anne Mills

The documentation of the Plum Brook Small Hydrogen sites is nearing completion� 

The project will cover the Rocket Pump Research Facility, the Rocket Turbopump 

and Pump Research Facility, the Rocket Turbine and Controls Research Facility, 

the Dynamics Research Stand, the Hydraulics Research Facility, the Pilot Plant, 
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

the Fluorine Pump Research Facility, the Rocket Systems Research Facility, and 

the Cryogenic Propellant Research Facility� In the early 1960s, this collection of 

facilities was instrumental in the development of liquid-hydrogen propellant systems� These facilities, as well as GRC’s early history in pioneering the use of liquid 

hydrogen, are being documented in response to the demolition of the buildings� 

A book-length manuscript is in the final stages and, we hope, will be eventually 

included in the Monographs in Aerospace History series� A companion Web site 

is also being created�

For those who are familiar with his books in the NASA History Series, it is no 

secret that Robert Arrighi has the unique ability to combine his years of experience as a diligent and thorough researcher and historian with his remarkable skills 

as a storyteller to capture the rich history of NASA, its mission, and its valuable 

historical cultural resources� For this reason, Arrighi is being awarded one of 

NASA’s highest honors, the Exceptional Public Service Medal� Please join us in 

congratulating him for this well-deserved honor!

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) 

By Erik Conway

On 21 June, I participated in a symposium at GALCIT, the Graduate Aeronautical 

Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), held to celebrate the 

life of Theodore von Kármán� Von Kármán was GALCIT’s first director, recruited to 

Caltech in 1930 to create what was then known as the Guggenheim Aeronautical 

Laboratory at Caltech� I spoke on von Kármán’s role in the two World War II–era 

rocket projects at Caltech� One evolved into the modern JPL, and the other, rarely 

remembered now, became the China Lake Naval Weapons Center�

Blaine Baggett, JPL’s Executive Director for Communications and Education, and 

I have also been working on the next documentary in our series on JPL’s history� 

This next one examines the six-year period of Bruce Murray’s tenure as Director 

of JPL, 1977 to 1982� It focuses on his efforts to keep JPL afloat financially as 

planetary science budgets were being cut to finance the development of the 

Space Shuttle�

My next book manuscript, tentatively titled JPL and the Exploration of Mars, 

has been submitted to Johns Hopkins University Press for consideration� I also 

submitted an article on the use of simulation in the design of the Viking landers to 

Mars for peer review� While waiting for those reviews, I will resurrect my Surveyor 

program history effort and move it forward�

Finally, in May, I was elected to the History of Science Society Council, to serve 

from 2014 to 2016� I will be representing the interests of those in history positions 

outside academia�

10
Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

Langley Research Center (LaRC) 

By Gail Langevin

The city of Hampton held its annual “Hunt for Hampton History” event Saturday 

and Sunday, 4 and 5 May� The Hampton History Museum invited city groups, 

neighborhoods, and businesses to set up displays� Langley brought a wind 

tunnel fan blade, Space Shuttle models, an 

old diving suit used in the former 8-Foot 

High Speed Tunnel, and several photographs of Langley’s past research� Author 

James Schultz was on hand to sign copies of Crafting Flight� Many people shared 

memories of childhood visits to the Center� 

A few shared memories of fathers, uncles, 

and aunts who had worked at the Center 

through the years�

Joseph Chambers was invited to present a 

colloquium at the Center and a Sigma series 

talk to the public at the Virginia Air & Space 

Center on the history of dynamically scaled 

free-flying models in NASA’s research 

programs� Joe traced the history of using 

free-flying models in various wind tunnels 

and as models dropped from helicopters�

Ray Wright in a diving suit used for the 8-Foot High 

Speed Tunnel, 1950.

Langley alumni

Duncan McIver, Bill 

Gilbert, and Ira

Abbott, Jr�, met with 

Virginia Air & Space 

Center interim director Brian DeProfio 

and curator Allen 

Hoilman to discuss 

ideas for an NACA 

Hall of Fame�

A preliminary committee met to discuss possibilities for 

the celebration of the 

100th anniversary of 

Langley, which will 

occur in 2017� The A free-flying model in the Langley 15-Foot Spin Tunnel in 1935.

11
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

committee plans to have a few more meetings before presenting ideas to the 

Langley senior staff�

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) 

By Mike Wright

Brian Odom reports significant progress in transforming the Center’s existing 

archives from a rudimentary stage in use for more than 20 years into a formal 

archival arrangement� “The addition of 10 new collapsible shelving units has 

given us the space and flexibility to remove materials from metal filling cabinets, 

place them into archival boxes, and arrange them into distinctive collections� 

The process has been richly rewarding and has revealed a wealth of interesting 

documents and images,” Odom said�

As part of his work, Odom has revitalized and cataloged a number of unique 

collections in the archives� One of the most extraordinary finds is a collection of 

technical drawings by Fritz Pauli� Pauli, an authority in rocket propulsion, held 

degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering and worked with the von Braun 

team at Peenemünde during the period of 1942–45� At the close of the war, Pauli 

worked in rocket development for the French until 1952, when he rejoined the von 

Braun group then located in Huntsville, Alabama� Pauli became a U�S� citizen in 

1959 and was granted nine patents over the course of his career� The collection of 

Pauli materials includes a wealth of striking drawings and sketches from his days 

working for the Army in Huntsville and his many years as special assistant to the 

director of MSFC’s test lab�

Molly Porter in the History Office is working closely with a Center-wide team at 

Marshall to capture and preserve historically significant motion-picture footage 

dating to Marshall’s formation in 1960� “We estimate that the Center has thousands of tapes and films in need of conversion� Our job is to recommend and 

prioritize the collection for digital preservation,” she said�

Joining the History Program Office for a summer internship is Ja’Vonn Liner� 

Liner is entering his junior year at Texas Southern University in Houston and is 

double-majoring in computer engineering and computer electronics� Liner is a 

native of Sacramento, California, and harbors long-term aspirations for a career 

in Silicon Valley� He has been a great asset to the office, helping out with essential 

scanning, filing, and indexing various historical publications�

Stennis Space Center (SSC) 

By Daphne Alford

Stennis Space Center’s acoustic buffer zone comprises many former towns� One 

in particular with an interesting historic background is the town of Napoleon�

12
Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

The first non–Native American to settle in its area was Jean Claude Favre� In 

records dating to 1767, Favre was the first documented landowner in Hancock 

County, Mississippi� The location of the Favre claim included the site of the future 

town of Napoleon�

His son Simon Favre became one of the most notable personages in the county� 

Like his father, Favre was a well-versed linguist� An interpreter of Muskogean 

languages (Choctaw and Chickasaw), the multilingual Favre translated for the 

French, British, Spanish, and Americans in the West Florida area that became part 

of Mississippi and Alabama� He played a significant role during transition of the 

area from Spanish control to the dominion of the United States�

As a Spanish commandant of the Pearl River, Favre was appointed justice of the 

peace for the U�S� government in 1811 and approved numerous land grants along 

the East Pearl River� Favre also is noted in Mississippi history as an interpreter 

between Andrew Jackson and Native American leader Pushmataha, the famous 

Choctaw chief of the late 1700s and early 1800s� 

In 1812, Favre was appointed lieutenant colonel of the local militia of Hancock 

County� After his father’s death (circa 1782), Favre inherited two plantations on 

the left bank of the Little Pearl River and on the right bank of the Large Pearl River� 

In about 1806, some six years after his marriage to Celeste Rochon (also spelled 

“Rouchon” in Favre’s 1812 will), he began living on and cultivating the land� Favre is 

believed to have built the first house and store (a facility for processing pine resin 

for turpentine, rosin, pine pitch, and other products) at what later became Napoleon� 

The store is thought to have later become the back of Napoleon Baptist Church�

As listed in Jerry Heitzmann’s 

The Favre Family, six children 

were born to the union of Simon 

Favre and Celeste Rochon� 

Previously, he had fathered one 

child with Rebecca Austin and 

six children with Pistikiokonay, 

daughter of Chief Pushmataha�

Today, some of Favre’s descendants still reside in neighboring 

cities near Stennis Space Center 

and are among the Center’s 

employees� Former Kiln, 

Mississippi, inhabitant and NFL 

legend Brett Favre’s ancestry 

traces back to Simon Favre and 

Pistikiokonay’s son Louis�

Six flags (shown above) have flown over this historic area of the 

Stennis Space Center.

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NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

Simon Favre’s daughter with Pistikiokonay, Mary Favre, stated that her father died 

on 21 July 1813 and was buried somewhere on his plantation near the Pearl River� 

As of July 1989, no one had identified his grave site�

Moffett Air Wing

By Glenn Bugos, NASA Ames Research Center History Office

When NASA took stewardship of Moffett Federal Airfield in 1994, it inherited several 

historic aircraft that had been on static display around the field� Stretched for funds 

to restore and maintain them, NASA Ames Research Center partnered with the 

Moffett Field Historical Society, a tenant of the NASA Research Park� The Moffett 

Air Wing, a branch of the museum, volunteered to restore the aircraft using work 

space inside the historic Hangar Three, a World War II–era blimp hangar� NASA’s 

restored aircraft would then be displayed in a secure lot adjacent to the Moffett 

Field Museum, with the iconic Hangar One as an impressive backdrop�

Recently, the Air Wing completed the restoration and display of an AH-1S Cobra 

helicopter used as a part source for helicopters tested by the Army aerodynamicists working at Ames, as well as a TF-104G Starfighter used by NASA as a 

chase airplane� The Air Wing is now finishing work on a Lockheed U-2C Dragon 

Lady that was flown by NASA to test airborne Earth-sensing equipment and other 

high-altitude experiments� This particular aircraft also flew carrier suitability tests in 

1964 aboard the USS Ranger during the Central Intelligence Agency project “Whale 

Tale�” In NASA service, and while deployed from Punta Arenas, Chile, it flew the 

famous ozone air-sampling missions over Antarctica, which confirmed that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were depleting the stratospheric ozone layer�

Working inside Hangar Three, the Air Wing next will restore a P2V-5 Neptune, which 

will then be remounted in front of the Moffett flight control tower� The P2V was the 

workhorse aircraft in the Navy’s antisubmarine campaign over the Pacific during 

the early years of the Cold War� Still mounted outside the flight control tower is an 

exemplar of the aircraft that superseded it, a P-3A Orion� Though the exterior still 

needs work, the Air Wing has almost completely restored its interior and made it 

available for tours�

Other aircraft awaiting attention from the Air Wing are an ex–Blue Angel F/A-18 

Hornet used in full-scale wind tunnel tests at Ames, a vertical attitude takeoff and 

landing model more than 10 feet long, and one of the few surviving gondolas from 

a World War II blimp�

Leading the charge to restore the aircraft are Lou Somontes and a dedicated group 

of about a dozen volunteers� Somontes spent his career with Navy Patrol Squadron 

VP-91 at Moffett Field as a structural mechanic on the P-3 Orion� In retirement, he 

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Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

has developed a passion for cockpits and has devised many novel techniques for 

fabricating panels from scratch� It helps that none of the aircraft will return to flight; 

they are only for display� Larry Salter, another steadfast volunteer, started at Ames in 

1971 and rose to maintenance crew chief for the U-2 and for the ER-2s that superseded it� Jonathon Plambeck, whose grandfather was an expert on life-support 

systems for the U-2, also often helps with restoration puzzles�

Somontes has friends spanning the globe who help track down parts� Often, he 

can get them donated, and sometimes they are bought with a small fund of cash 

donations� For the U-2, he has successfully acquired a throttle quadrant, a tailhook, 

and many instruments� For the P2V, he is still in quest of an identify-friend-foe (IFF) 

transponder, autopilot control boxes, rearview mirrors, and many interior parts� 

The Starfighters, a company conducting experiments for NASA at Kennedy Space 

Center, donated several used tires� Often, services are donated� A local sign company makes the decals� The 129th Rescue Wing of the Air National Guard, which 

shares Hangar Three, helped in lifting the F-104G and doing wheel buildups and 

considers this work to be excellent training exercises�

The group is always looking for donations of materials, tools, and money, as well 

as volunteers they can train to assist with restorations� Contact the Moffett Field 

History Society Air Wing at papalousomontes@yahoo.com�

On the left: Lou Somontes by the cockpit of the NASA U-2. Right: The NASA U-2 being restored for return to display. 

The wings, to the right, were removed to help transport it around new fences on Center property.

Larry Salter, former maintenance crew chief for the NASA U-2 aircraft, shown 

helping with its restoration at the Moffett Air Wing in Hangar Three.

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NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

The Value of Gaining 

New Perspectives

By Stephen Garber

During the last year, my bosses supported my plan to do two career-broadening 

detail assignments� From April to October 2012, I worked in NASA’s Office 

of Legislative and Interagency Affairs (OLIA) supporting the Science Mission 

Directorate (SMD), and from November 2012 to April 2013, I worked in the Office 

of the Secretary of Defense’s (OSD’s) space policy office� Both details were 

excellent opportunities in many ways, broadening and refreshing my perspective 

on history and NASA and enabling me to bring back useful knowledge and experience to NASA and the History Program Office�

In OLIA, I felt confident I could contribute quickly, as I had worked on Capitol Hill 

and had started my NASA career in SMD� Although I still had much to learn, my 

years of experience at NASA and my start in SMD were particularly helpful, as I 

already knew many of the NASA staffers with whom I worked in new capacities�

My OLIA colleague Shannon Valley and I quickly divided our coverage of the large 

science portfolio� Shannon’s background is quite different from mine, and working 

with her was my favorite part of the job� She was instrumental in helping me in my 

dealings with congressional staff� While executive-legislative branch interactions 

may seem mysterious to many outside of Washington, there’s no secret formula 

to working with congressional staff� (Certainly, we work much more with staff than 

with the members of Congress�) And it may surprise some (probably particularly 

beyond the Capital Beltway) to know that these staffers were quite supportive of 

NASA and that the relationship was professional and cooperative, not adversarial� 

Yes, Hill staffers are busy and are not subject matter experts, but the Hill staffers 

I met usually asked excellent questions informed by their deep and broad knowledge� Because of their wide portfolios, Hill staffers are very amenable to being 

briefed on whatever NASA thinks is important so they can get up to speed�

One important distinction to note is how OLIA deals separately with authorization 

and appropriations staff members� I worked in the OLIA division that covers 

authorizing staffs (House and Senate science committees and space subcommittees)� While we certainly worked closely with our OLIA appropriations colleagues, 

I recall one program manager expressing dismay and frustration at this arrangement� It’s understandable that program managers might not want to conduct four 

separate briefings (House and Senate, authorization and appropriations) on the 

same subject, but this fact of life is more reflective of Congress than of OLIA� In 

addition, although it may seem organizationally or functionally awkward, in reality, 

the authorization and appropriations staffs work independently, so it makes sense 

to handle them this way�

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Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

After my tenure with OLIA, I moved over to the Pentagon, an environment I knew 

to be quite different from that at NASA, for six months� Many of my stereotypes 

about the military, such as its hierarchical, complex bureaucracy, turned out to be 

largely true, but I didn’t know how all this would play out in practice� (For more on 

my personal observations about the Pentagon’s organizational culture and what 

we can learn from it, please see my article in the NASA Academy of Program/

Project and Engineering Leadership’s ASK magazine�) But, literally every day I 

spent at the Pentagon, I learned new subject matter and ways of doing business�

At the U�S� Department of Defense (DOD), I needed to learn a considerable 

amount about various aspects of orbital debris and space launch policy (I’m 

lumping together the miscellaneous NASA-DOD coordination issues I worked 

as only one “half” of a big portfolio issue compared to these other two)� In DOD 

parlance, I took a “deeper dive” on these two issues rather than just knowing a 

little about many history issues� Although this could be a little overwhelming at 

times, I enjoyed the learning experience and treated orbital debris and space 

transportation as two issues I needed to research�

History definitely came into play in various ways while I was working on space 

policy at the Pentagon� After my DOD boss asked me to serve on a team looking 

at space launch architectures and how many launch vehicle “families” are needed, 

I became a little puzzled because I felt out of my league in terms of “solving” the 

perennial issue of “assured access to space�” However, my boss reassured me 

both that the ultimate policy decisions in this area would be made by more senior 

staff and that sometimes it is indeed worth considering reinventing the wheel� 

After he had thus given me this green light to consider the long history of this subject, I found an excellent historical overview of assured access to space written 

by a retired general with deep knowledge of this area that I then shared with the 

team, along with the list of key reports and policy documents at http://history.nasa.

gov/spdocs.html� Another team member developed an excellent summary of the 

key points of a number of blue-ribbon commission reports on the subject� I was 

heartened to see that most team members had considerable experience in their 

specific subject areas and knew how to bring to bear effectively their institutional 

history/knowledge�

History is ingrained in the military culture, which I knew in some ways before I went 

on detail but didn’t fully understand� I knew, for example, that the DOD section of 

the Society for History in the Federal Government directory is quite large and that 

DOD has historians documenting virtually all of its major installations and organizational units� When I was in the OSD space policy office, I didn’t have occasion 

to work with any of these historians (although I did seek out and receive fantastic 

help from a former NASA librarian who now works for DOD)� Rather, some might 

say that history is infused into how the military operates� One day, while I was 

walking back to my desk after attending an interesting lunchtime lecture, a military 

officer in my office commented (without knowing my background) that everybody 

in the military fancies himself a historian� This appreciation of history, even an 

17
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

implicit one, helps DOD personnel put current events in context� Another day, 

I attended an outstanding talk by a leading Civil War scholar about President 

Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, something which might not seem 

directly relevant to most of the attendees in the large Pentagon auditorium but 

was in fact made germane by the discussion of the social factors affecting the 

Civil War�

Overall, these two details were great experiences� I learned a great deal about 

how federal business is conducted on Capitol Hill and across the Potomac in 

the Pentagon� I hoped to gain a wider appreciation of the role history plays in 

shaping policy and was richly rewarded� Bill Barry has also been quite amenable 

to some ideas I have to give history a seat at the NASA policy table, as it were� 

My two details reinforced arguments made in the “Thinking About NASA History” 

folder that our office produced more than a decade ago and in some excellent 

memos written by former NASA Chief Historian Roger Launius before that: that 

it can only help to have better and more frequent interactions between policy 

and history staff, as well as more explicit historical thinking, in our aerospace 

policy discussions�

Langley’s Richard Whitcomb 

Makes History

By Alejandra Grey, Cultural Resources Intern, 

NASA Langley Research Center

A cabinet marked “Richard Whitcomb Personal Files” was recently discovered at 

NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) in a building being cleaned in preparation 

for demolition� From those files emerged the story of one of our most widely 

known researchers�

Rarely can it be said that one man has changed the course of an entire industry, 

especially a science like aerodynamics, where every mind is great and every discovery an advancement, but Dr� Richard Whitcomb did exactly that� As a young 

research engineer at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) at 

Langley Field in Hampton, Virginia, Whitcomb stated boldly that he “wanted to 

make an impact�” In the six decades since Whitcomb began his illustrious career, 

few have contributed more or made such influential discoveries� He committed 

himself completely to faster, more efficient flight and left behind a legacy of fundamental aerodynamic concepts that are still used in today’s fighter planes and 

commercial jetliners� Whitcomb’s area rule, supercritical wing, and winglets—one 

invention for each of the decades he spent at Langley—helped to establish the 

NACA (incorporated into the new NASA in 1958) as an international leader in flight 

research and technology�

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Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

Whitcomb started out as a boy like any other� He played sandlot sports and 

enjoyed sailing� He also dreamed of becoming an inventor, which was something 

of a family interest—his grandfather was an inventor and his uncle a patent attorney who worked in Washington� He began inventing before he had even mastered 

the basics of mathematics and physics—a light-catcher made of mirrors lit his 

room from outside a small window, and the little bus money he saved by walking 

3 miles home from school paid for supplies he needed for his many projects�

Whitcomb’s well-documented love of model airplanes blossomed under the 

tutelage of his Boy Scout troop leader� (Whitcomb was a Life Scout)� He designed, 

built, and displayed the models in his basement “workshop” and, along with 

his friend Harold Crane, was soon running city and regional model airplane 

contests� These competitions featured events for indoor and outdoor gliders, 

rubber-powered craft, and even gas-powered models� Whitcomb continued to 

build planes through middle school (Belmont Preparatory for Advanced Students) 

and high school (North High School), where he also joined the Aero Club�

After high school, Crane and Whitcomb both attended Worcester Polytechnic 

Institute, where Whitcomb studied mechanical engineering� He worked during 

the summer months for various manufacturers, including Norton Company, as a 

lathe operator and parts chaser, and although his grades were not spectacular by 

today’s standards (he maintained a B average), he graduated in 1943 with “high 

distinction�” Crane had recently visited the NACA, and after being hired for work 

in flight aircraft research, he wasted no time informing Whitcomb that “this was 

the place to be�” Whitcomb agreed and submitted his application to the NACA 

immediately upon graduation�

Stubborn and driven, Whitcomb refused the first position offered to him in the 

flight instrument division, insisting instead that he be appointed to aerodynamics� 

His request was granted, and this highly unusual exception immediately paid off� 

Whitcomb’s supervisors noted his exceptional performance, and he was soon 

tasked with aerodynamic research in the 8-Foot High Speed Tunnel�

Whitcomb’s supervisors were not the only ones to take notice of him; by that 

time, the United States was heavily involved in World War II, and in February 1944, 

Whitcomb was contacted by the Committee on Scientific Research Personnel 

of the War Manpower Commission� His name had been added to the Reserved 

List, a selection of scientific research and development workers engaged in 

essential war activity� This designation was a “strong suggestion” from the U�S� 

government that Whitcomb remain involved in “research and development on 

instruments of war or associated activities” and dictated that he not transfer to 

any other organization without first informing the Commission� These conditions 

were likely not of much concern to Whitcomb—who had only just arrived at the 

NACA and very much wanted to remain there—and his new status did not come 

without benefits� The War Manpower Commission contacted the Director of the 

Selective Service System on Whitcomb’s behalf, requesting that he be placed in 

19
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

a “deferred” classification until such time as his occupational status changed� For 

Whitcomb, this meant that as long as he remained employed at the NACA, he 

would not be called to active duty� This arrangement was not unique to Whitcomb; 

virtually all of the engineering staff at the NACA was covered�

For the next six years, Whitcomb worked closely with then–section head John 

Stack and, later, his replacement, Eugene Draley, investigating the effects of 

wing sweepback on performance and stability and the performance impact of a 

crescent-shaped propeller� Little else is known of Whitcomb’s work during this 

period, but it was not long before the NACA and Whitcomb jumped onto the 

aeronautics scene in a big way�

Until the 1950s, aircraft 

were powerful but were 

limited by the sonic barrier 

that prevented them from 

flying faster than the speed 

of sound—the combined 

drag of the planes’ components was too great� Efforts 

by the U�S� Air Force to 

solve the drag problem 

were less than successful, 

so the NACA scientists 

were called in� Years later, 

Whitcomb stated in an 

interview that the scientists 

knew that “bullets [went] 

through the speed of sound all the time,” but traditional bullet- or cigar-shaped 

plane bodies behaved differently� He realized that if they were going to achieve 

something they had never seen, they would have to try something they had never 

done, and that new something came to him “like a flash of light�” Asked about 

that moment, Whitcomb said, “I sat at my desk, feet propped up, and suddenly 

it dawned on me, the basic idea of the area rule�” He reasoned that if he did not 

want air to push back on the wing, he would have to give it someplace else to go� 

He imagined that a “pinched waist” or slimmed fuselage would allow air to flow 

away from the wing, reducing drag�

Whitcomb presented his area “rule of thumb” to his colleagues, built a base 

model, and modified it with various fuselage shapes for testing� The most efficient 

had an area drag nearly equal to that of the wing and introduced a new era of 

transonic and supersonic flight capability� In 1953, the delta-winged Convair 

F-102 was expected to intercept Soviet bombers at speeds reaching Mach 1�25� 

Unfortunately, the prototype slowed when approaching the speed of sound� The 

extensive redesign, which allowed the aircraft to easily accelerate through the 

speed of sound, was based on the work of Whitcomb and his area rule principles�

Whitcomb with model for area rule concept, 1959.

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Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

He was awarded the Collier Trophy in 1954 for his area rule discovery but was 

not content to rest on his laurels� His research could not have been completed 

without the then-active NACA wind tunnels, most importantly the slotted-throat 

8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel, and he was not ready to leave such unbelievably useful tools behind�

Whitcomb’s success regarding 

the area rule earned him a reputation for ingenuity and afforded 

him unprecedented flexibility� He 

was allowed to experiment as 

he pleased in whatever areas 

appealed to him� He became 

the head of the 8-Foot Transonic 

Pressure Tunnel, gaining more 

responsibilities and resources to 

explore freely, paving a quick path 

to his next creation, the supercritical wing� 

With its distinctive flat top and rounded bottom, the supercritical wing design 

further reduced drag and increased lift� It took Whitcomb three years to perfect his 

design, during which he often worked 16-hour days; furthermore, not wanting to 

drive home only to turn around and go back, he slept on a cot near the Transonic 

Pressure Tunnel between tests� Unlike other engineers of the day, he did his own 

calculations and filed the wind-tunnel models himself—he was so adamant about 

this that Neil Armstrong referred to Whitcomb as “the master filer�”

This personal attention to detail was apparent in every aspect of Whitcomb’s work� 

As a supervisor (he advanced to the position of department head within 15 years 

of arriving at the NACA), Whitcomb understood the importance of factors like 

team morale and its impact on productivity� He filed formal requests that cigarette 

and ice cream machines be installed in the buildings where his workers spent 

most of their time and even dictated which brands should be stocked in them� In 

one instance, when it was necessary for his team to work overtime, Whitcomb 

requested that his employees be allowed to bring their families to work for a tour 

so that they could see what his employees were doing with all their time away 

from home�

With a second groundbreaking development on his résumé, Whitcomb could have 

easily spent the remainder of his career as an administrator, but he continued to 

work; write technical reports; conduct research; and, inevitably, amass awards—

though the latter tended to collect dust in his desk drawers� His many accolades 

include the U�S� Air Force Exceptional Service Medal, the NACA Distinguished 

Service Medal, the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, and the Howard N� Potts 

Medal� He was presented with two honorary doctorate degrees and was inducted 

Whitcomb with modified F-8 Crusader model used to assess 

the performance of a supercritical wing for civil transport, 1970.

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NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

into both the National 

Inventors Hall of Fame and 

the National Aviation Hall of 

Fame (posthumously)�

Whitcomb’s third revolutionary invention, the winglet, 

is perhaps the most widely 

displayed tribute to his long 

and distinguished career—

winglets adorn nearly every 

commercial airplane in use� 

British engineers in the late 

1800s imagined that a plate 

attached to the end of a wing 

could theoretically diminish 

drag, effectively reducing fuel 

consumption and increasing speed; however, it was 

Whitcomb who revised this 

concept in the mid-1970s for 

commercial use� He published 

his findings in 1976, claiming 

that winglets could improve 

the drag ratio of even large aircraft by as much as 6 to 9 percent� Flight testing by NASA, 

the U�S� Air Force, and various 

aircraft manufacturers proved the validity of Whitcomb’s idea, and the small additions to aircraft wings became known as “Whitcomb’s winglets�”

Winglets completed Whitcomb’s invention trifecta, but his research did not end 

there� In 1980, before he had even formalized his retirement plans, he filed the 

necessary paperwork to remain at NASA in a research and consulting capacity� 

This pseudo-retirement allowed him to spend fewer hours at “work,” and he used 

his free time to build a laboratory in his apartment, where he experimented with 

chemical physics and energy conversion in ordered crystals� Though he did not 

publish his findings from this period, his notes can be found in collections at 

various institutions including Worcester Polytechnic Institute�

Whitcomb died of pneumonia on 13 October 2009 in Newport News, Virginia� He 

never married, but he is survived by one of his sisters, several colleagues, and 

the countless Americans who have benefited from his work� For more on this 

renowned NASA researcher, including two videos, visit http://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/

historic/Richard_Whitcomb�

Whitcomb accepts the National Medal of Science from President 

Nixon. (White House photo from Whitcomb personal files)

Winglet model tested in 8-Foot Pressure Tunnel.

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Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

Barron Hilton Flight and 

Space Exploration Archives 

at Purdue University

By Tracy Grimm

The Purdue University Libraries have collected primary source materials on 

the history and development of powered flight since the gift of aviator Amelia 

Earhart’s papers in 1940 by her husband, George Palmer Putnam� Over the 

decades, the number of archival collections has increased to reflect the steady 

growth of faculty and alumni contributions to the development of flight and, later, 

space exploration�

Purdue University’s connections to aviation are rooted in the field’s earliest developments� In 1908, Purdue graduate Cliff Turpin worked with the Wright brothers 

on lighter and more efficient engine design� One of the first military and civilian 

test pilots, James “Jimmy” Johnson, was a 1907 Purdue graduate� With a senior 

thesis called “An Efficiency Test of an Allis-Corliss Engine,” Johnson went on to 

learn to fly at the Curtiss School; worked as a test pilot at Langley Field, later 

McCook Field (1917–1920); and also worked for independent airlines until the 

1950s� Frederick Martin, a 1924 graduate, commanded the first round-the-world 

flight� In 1930, Purdue University opened the first university-owned and -operated 

airport in the United States, and in 1937, it helped to fund the first world flight 

attempt by a woman—Purdue’s visiting faculty member, Amelia Earhart�

During the Cold War and space race of the 1950s and later, Purdue faculty 

members and graduates conducted key propulsion research, set records as test 

pilots, and worked as engineers in a variety of areas related to national defense 

and space exploration� In 1956, Purdue graduate Iven Kincheloe, Jr�, a test pilot 

in the Bell X-2 program, became the first man to fly above 100,000 feet and was 

referred to as America’s “first spaceman�” Since Kincheloe’s record-setting flight 

above Earth’s atmosphere, 23 Purdue alumni have followed by joining the astronaut corps� Mercury Seven astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom was the first alumnus 

selected; Scott Tingle is the latest� Perhaps most notable on this list are aeronautical engineering graduate Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to walk on the 

Moon, and electrical engineering graduate Eugene Cernan, the last astronaut to 

walk on the Moon—both of whom have placed their personal papers with Purdue 

Archives and Special Collections�

In recognition of the unique role Purdue University has played in the history of 

aeronautics, endowed funding was secured in 2011 to formally establish a flight and 

space exploration archival collection and to create the dedicated position of Barron 

Hilton Archivist for Flight and Space Exploration� Since the formal establishment 

of the Barron Hilton Flight and Space Exploration Archives, new acquisitions and 

23
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

additions to existing collections have increased significantly� In addition to the papers 

of Armstrong and Cernan, recent acquisitions include the papers of astronauts Roy 

Bridges, Jr�, Jerry Ross, and Janice Voss, as well as the papers of a number of engineers and faculty members who have made significant contributions in a multitude of 

fields related to the development of aviation and the U�S� space program�

The largest acquisition to date, the Neil A� Armstrong papers addition, was received 

in fall 2012, following the unexpected death of the Purdue alumnus� The papers 

document Armstrong’s education, naval career, test-pilot work, and contributions 

to the Gemini and Apollo programs, as well as his post-NASA teaching, writings, 

and speeches� A significant portion of the collection is composed of fan mail 

received over his lifetime� The collection, composed of more than 180 cubic feet 

of personal papers, remains closed as the materials are examined, rehoused, and 

described and as preservation measures are taken� However, processed portions 

of the collection are expected to open to students and researchers beginning 

in fall 2013� Series that we anticipate opening in the fall relate to Armstrong’s 

education and years as an experimental test pilot�

Other recent acquisitions include the Jerry L� Ross papers, significant additions 

to the Roy Bridges, Jr�, papers, and the papers of Purdue mechanical engineering 

professor Charles “Chuck” Ehresman� The Jerry L� Ross papers document Ross’s 

education, his work as a test-flight engineer, and his NASA career, which began 

before the first Space Shuttle launch and lasted until shortly after the last landing 

in July 2011� An oral history interview with 

Ross as well as an online exhibit related 

to his collection can be found on Purdue’s 

Archives and Special Collections Web site 

(URL provided at the end of this article)� 

The Roy Bridges, Jr�, papers additions 

include 16 cubic feet that document the 

career and contributions of Bridges, a 

former astronaut, Director of the John F� 

Kennedy Space Center, and Director of 

Langley Research Center� The most recent 

Flight Archives acquisition, the Charles 

Ehresman papers, contains 40 cubic feet 

of research papers, manuscripts, films, 

photographs, and reports documenting 

Ehresman’s Aerojet-General Corporation 

work from 1951 to 1964 and his teaching and research at Purdue� At Aerojet, 

Ehresman participated in the development 

of liquid-assist takeoff rockets, superperformance liquid rockets, and other launch 

vehicle systems for programs including 

the Saturn V� After joining the faculty at 

X-15 test pilot Neil Armstrong at Edwards Air Force 

Base ca. 1961. (Neil A. Armstrong Papers, Purdue 

University Libraries, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives 

and Special Collections Research Center) 

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Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

Purdue in 1964, Ehresman oversaw the design, construction, and operation of 

an expansion of Purdue’s Jet Propulsion Center, now the Maurice J� Zucrow 

Laboratories, and taught rocket propulsion for spaceflight, among other courses� 

Ehresman was a teacher and mentor for many Purdue students who went on to 

work in space-related fields, including astronaut Jerry Ross� Related to this new 

collection is a 2008 interview with Professor Ehresman conducted as part of the 

Purdue Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program�

The Hilton Flight Archives at Purdue are young but ambitious� Our goals include 

building a world-class collection documenting flight and space exploration, as well 

as facilitating enhanced, creative, and broad use of our collections to stimulate 

knowledge and scholarship� We welcome and will work to develop collaborative 

and cooperative initiatives with related archives and libraries, historians, museums, 

and educators� For more information about the Barron Hilton Flight and Space 

Exploration Archives at Purdue University, please contact archivist Tracy Grimm 

at grimm3@purdue.edu or visit the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special 

Collections Research Center’s Web site at http://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol�

Other Aerospace History News

National Air and Space Museum (NASM) 

By Mike Neufeld

Roger Launius (Space History Division) has been appointed Associate Director 

for Collections and Curatorial Affairs and oversees NASM’s curatorial, research, 

collections, and archives departments� He continues to be a member of the Space 

History Division and is keeping his collections responsibility for robotic lunar and 

planetary spacecraft� He recently published an article: “Public History Wars, the 

‘One Nation/One People’ Consensus, and the Continuing Search for a Usable Past,” 

OAH Magazine of History 27, no� 1 (January 2013): 31–36� This is available online 

at http://maghis.oxfordjournals.org/content/27/1/31.full� Peter Jakab (Aeronautics 

Division), who just completed a five-year term in the Associate Director position that 

Roger now holds, has been appointed to the position of Chief Curator�

Tom Lassman (Space History) has published “Reforming Weapon Systems 

Acquisition in the Department of Defense: The Case of the U�S� Army’s Advanced 

Attack Helicopter,” Journal of Policy History 25 (spring 2013): 173–206�

Edited by Michael Neufeld (Space History), Spacefarers: Images of Astronauts and 

Cosmonauts in the Heroic Age of Spaceflight (Smithsonian Institution Scholarly 

Press) originated in the 2011 NASA History conference “1961/1981,” was published 

in July, and has the following contributors: Margaret Weitekamp (Space History), 

Matthew Hersch (University of Pennsylvania), James Spiller (State University of 

New York at Brockport), Andrew Jenks (California State University, Long Beach), 

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NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

Guillaume de Syon (Albright College), Trevor Rockwell 

(University of Alberta), Valerie Neal (Space History), Jennifer 

Ross-Nazzal (NASA Johnson Space Center), and Margaret 

Lazarus Dean (University of Tennessee)�

The Museum’s panel entitled “Star Trek’s Continuing 

Relevance,” which was held in the “Moving Beyond Earth” 

(MBE) exhibit on 16 May, demonstrated that not only is 

Star Trek popular, it’s also important for current scholarship and industry� As a franchise, Star Trek has drawn 

upon real history for its narratives and influenced space 

history through its compelling depictions of a possible 

future� In an educational panel program Webcast from the MBE stage, four presenters offered brief, compelling insights into how relevant Star Trek remains today�

The panelists included

• Nancy Reagin, editor of Star Trek and History (2013), who described the latest 

popular history scholarship included in this new book;

Mike Gold, chief counsel at Bigelow Aerospace, who explained the parallels 

between the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) being developed 

for the International Space Station and Star Trek events;

Margaret Weitekamp (Space History), who showed how the museum’s Star 

Trek artifacts illuminate the social and cultural history of spaceflight; and

Dan Hendrickson, director for Space Systems, Aerospace Industries Association, 

who revealed why he spearheaded a crowdsourced campaign, which is partnered with the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, to pay for ads 

promoting human spaceflight to show before new Star Trek film screenings�

•

•

•

After the program, Nancy Reagin and Margaret Weitekamp signed copies of Star 

Trek and History at the museum shop�

As a prelude to the Sally Ride tribute event held at the Kennedy Center for the 

Performing Arts on 20 May, the National Air and Space Museum hosted a program 

called “Sally Ride: How Her Historic Space Mission Opened Doors for Women 

in Science” on 17 May� A panel introduced by NASM Associate Director Roger 

Launius and moderated by Tom Costello of NBC News included space history curator Margaret Weitekamp, public policy expert Linda Billings, JSC Center Director 

Ellen Ochoa, USA Today reporter Dan Vergano, and the National Math and Science 

Initiative’s Rene McCormick� Their discussion covered space history, science 

education, and public policy� NASA Television broadcast the program live, and it 

may be viewed online as “The Impact of Sally Ride’s Contributions in Space and 

Education” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T8X1GksQaY&feature=youtu.be�

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Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

The museum’s annual John H� Glenn Lecture was held on 6 June in the Lockheed 

Martin IMAX Theater in Washington, DC� The evening’s featured speaker, former 

NASA astronaut General Thomas P� Stafford, flew twice during Project Gemini 

and commanded both Apollo 10 and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project� Stafford was 

joined on stage by former Senator John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, 

who also returned to space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998� In an event 

titled “Space Exploration from Mercury to the Space Shuttle,” these legendary 

figures in space history reflected on their distinguished careers with museum 

director General John R� “Jack” Dailey� Topics included the Apollo lunar landing 

decision made in 1961, the Gemini program flown in the mid-1960s, the Apollo 

lunar landings, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, and Stafford’s pivotal role in developing stealth aircraft for the U�S� Air Force� An overflow audience also watched 

from the museum’s planetarium� The archived recording can be viewed at http://

www.ustream.tv/recorded/33945393�

Fellowships in Space History 2013–14 

AHA-NASA Fellowship in Aerospace History

A joint committee of the American Historical Association (AHA), the Economic 

History Association, the History of Science Society (HSS), the Society for the History 

of Technology, the Organization of American Historians, and the National Council 

on Public History has selected Dr� Andrew Jenks of California State University, Long 

Beach, as the 2013–14 Fellow in Aerospace History� His proposal is titled “Stepping 

Back from the Brink: Transnational Encounters in Space�” He plans to study three 

international collaborative missions during the “late Cold War”: Apollo-Soyuz, 

Interkosmos, and the formation of the Association of Space Explorers�

HSS-NASA Fellowship in the History of Space Science 

The History of Science Society’s fellowship 

committee of Craig McConnell (chair), Jim 

Strick, and Patrick McCray has selected Petar 

Markovski of the University of Oklahoma as 

the 2013–14 HSS-NASA Fellow in the History 

of Space Science� Markovski’s project will 

explore the cooperation between NASA and 

the European Space Agency, with a specific 

interest in identifying and analyzing the mechanisms of cooperation that helped create a 

transnational environment for the creation of 

new space science research� Our thanks to 

the fellowship committee for its work and to 

Bill Barry, NASA Chief Historian, in fostering 

this collaboration between HSS and NASA� Petar Markovski.

27
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

SHOT-NASA Fellowship in the History of Space Technology

The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) has selected Margaret A� Rosenburg 

of the California Institute of Technology for the SHOT-NASA Fellowship for 2013–14� 

Rosenberg’s project is entitled “Envisioning Impact: Lunar and Terrestrial Craters 

in Historical Context, 1890–1965�” It will explore the history of impact craters and 

planetary science and the role of technology in understanding the impact process�

Recent Publications and 

Online Resources

NASA Publications

The NASA History Program Office iTunes U site contains free multimedia downloads of important moments, activities, and figures in NASA history� New items 

include Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) materials� Search for “NASA History 

Program Office” in iTunes or use the following link: http://go.nasa.gov/ROuL7D�

Smithsonian Publications

Spacefarers: Images of Astronauts and Cosmonauts in the Heroic Era of 

Spaceflight, edited by Michael J. Neufeld. Beginning at the “1961/1981: Ke

Moments in Human Spaceflight” (2011) symposium, cosponsored by the NASA 

History Program Office and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, 

scholars examined how we have imagined human spaceflight and spacefarers in 

the media, government propaganda, and popular culture. This book is available

through the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press or online retailers

Commercially Published Works 

Compiled by Chris Gamble

Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, 1963–1972, by David West Reynolds (Zenith 

Press, May 2013)� Featuring a wealth of rare photographs, artwork, and cutaway 

illustrations, the book recaptures the excitement of the United States’ journey to 

the Moon� From the adventurous astronauts to the scientists and engineers who 

designed and built the state-of-the-art spacecraft, the author covers every aspect 

of this epic voyage� Through concise descriptions, he introduces the uninitiated 

to this thrilling episode in U�S� history while also providing engaging details for the 

space aficionado� All of the key events and personalities are presented, creating 

a clear picture of how humans got to the Moon and what happened along the 

way� The detailed and meticulously labeled diagrams and maps give the reader 

28
Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

an in-depth understanding of the technology that carried the astronauts to the 

Moon and what they accomplished while they were there� Note: This appears to 

be a reprint from an earlier edition published in 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt�

The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story, by Lily Koppel (Grand Central Publishing, 

June 2013)� As America’s Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying 

missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives� 

Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American 

royalty� They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, 

and quickly grew into fashion icons� They formed the Astronaut Wives Club, meeting 

regularly to provide support and friendship� Many became next-door neighbors and 

helped to raise each other’s children by day while going to glamorous parties at night 

as the country raced to land a man on the Moon� As their celebrity rose—and as 

divorce and tragic death began to touch their lives—they continued to rally together, 

and the wives have now been friends for more than 50 years� This book tells the real 

story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history�

China in Space: The Great Leap Forward, by Brian Harvey (Springer-Praxis, 

March 2013)� This book gives an informed, up-to-date commentary on all aspects 

of the Chinese space program, including its history, its development, its technology, its missions, and the personalities involved� It lists all the Chinese launches, 

missions, and terminology, going behind the press releases to draw on hitherto 

unused scientific papers and sources� It is a unique, forward-looking account of 

the Chinese space program, covering its full range of missions: crewed, communications, scientific, military, technology demonstration, and lunar�

History of Rocketry and Astronautics, vol� 39, edited by John Harlow, American 

Astronautical Society (AAS) History Series, vol� 39, International Academy of 

Astronautics (IAA) History Symposia, vol� 28 (AAS/Univelt, Inc�, March 2013)� 

These are the proceedings of the 42nd History Symposium of the International 

Academy of Astronautics, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 2008�

Human Spaceflight and Exploration, edited by Carol Norberg (Springer-Praxis, May 

2013)� The book presents a unique overview of international activities in human 

spaceflight and exploration, covering the technical and political decision-making 

processes involved in projects since 1970� Among the topics covered in this book 

are a historical overview of human spaceflight, the challenges that the space 

environment poses on space missions, spacesuit designs and their future development, the selection and training of astronauts, the success of the Space Shuttle 

Program in relation to the experiences of European astronaut Gerhard Thiele’s 

personal account of his time aboard the Shuttle during a mission to map Earth, and 

the design of life-support systems and future technologies�

Iran’s Ballistic Missile and Space Launch Programs: Elements and Considerations, 

edited by Steven Wietman (Nova Science Publishers, Inc�, May 2013)� Why does 

Iranian acquisition of ballistic missiles or Iran’s pursuit of a space launch capability 

29
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

matter, especially to Congress? For decades, most in Congress have viewed Iran 

with concern because of its nuclear program and its support of anti–United States 

and anti-Israel militant movements in the region� This book examines the current 

and prospective Iranian capabilities that challenge U�S� national security interests, 

with a focus on its ballistic missile and space launch programs�

Major Projects at NASA: Select Assessments, edited by Eloy D’aramitz (Nova 

Science Publishers, Inc�, May 2013)� This book provides a snapshot of how NASA 

is planning and executing its major acquisitions—an area that has been on the 

Government Accountability Office’s (GAO’s) high-risk list since 1990� Over the 

past four years, a range of projects such as robotic probes designed to explore 

the Martian surface and telescopes intended to explore the universe have been 

reviewed� NASA has launched many of the projects, and most of the projects are 

returning science results as intended�

Manned Spaceflight Log II—2006–2012, by David J� Shayler and Michael Shayler 

(Springer-Praxis, April 2013)� This new book supplements the Praxis Manned 

Spaceflight Log 1961–2005, published in 2007� It details the missions up to the summer of 2012, which completed the building of the International Space Station, serviced 

the Hubble Space Telescope for the last time, retired the Shuttle from service, and saw 

the first Chinese spacewalk� The book also offers a review of the next steps in human 

spaceflight, the birth of commercial operations, and plans for the next 20 years�

Mars: Evolution, Geology and Exploration, edited by Alberto G� Fairen (Nova Science 

Publishers, Inc�, June 2013)� This book’s main themes focus on the environmental 

evolution of Mars and the exploration of the planet� Particular emphasis is given 

to the understanding of Mars as a “cold” planet throughout its entire geological 

evolution, starting as a “wet” world where liquid water was abundant on the surface, 

despite the low temperatures, and its sequential transition into a “dry” planet as 

temperatures turned even colder� The evolution of the environmental conditions is 

regarded as a determinant for the emergence and maintenance of life�

Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration, by Buzz Aldrin and Leonard 

David (National Geographic, May 2013)� In this book, Buzz Aldrin sees humans 

on Mars in the 2030s and boldly advocates continuing exploration of our solar 

system at a time when America stands at a critical crossroads in its space program� He outlines past triumphs, analyzes recent setbacks, and cheers us on to 

greater accomplishments, with a message that will ignite a new wave of support 

and participation across the country for a renewed and ambitious space program�

Moon Bound: Choosing and Preparing NASA’s Lunar Astronauts, by Colin Burgess 

(Springer-Praxis, March 2013)� Often lost in the shadow of the first group of astronauts for the Mercury missions, the second and third groups of astronauts selected 

for the space program included the leading figures for NASA’s activities for the following two decades� This book complements the author’s recently published work, 

Selecting the Mercury Seven (2011), extending the story of the men who helped 

30
Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

to launch human spaceflight and broaden the American space program� Sixteen 

astronauts from both groups traveled to the Moon in Project Apollo, with several 

actually walking on the Moon, one of them being Neil Armstrong�

NASA Mars Rovers Manual: 1997–2013, by David Baker (Haynes Publishing, 

June 2013)� This manual covers the development, design, and engineering of 

three generations of Mars rovers: Sojourner, which landed in 1997, was the 

size of a microwave; Spirit and Opportunity, each the size of a shopping trolley, 

followed in 2004; and Curiosity, the size of a compact car, landed in 2012� The 

book describes how these machines work, as well as what they have found and 

what scientists hope they can discover, and looks forward to the possibility that 

humans may yet set foot on the Red Planet�

New Mexico Space Trail, by Joseph T� Page II (Arcadia Publishing, May 2013)� In the 

southwestern United States, the skies above New Mexico have provided an amazing 

stargazing experience for millennia� This book catalogs sites within the state that have 

inspired humankind to reach for the stars� The Space Trail includes various archaeoastronomy locations, such as Chaco Canyon, which Native Americans used to predict 

agricultural schedules according to the Sun’s position during the solstice� Rocket 

development in Roswell, missile launches in the Tularosa Basin, astronomy efforts 

around the state, and commercial spaceflights are just a few of the stops along the trail�

A Scenario for Interstellar Exploration and Its Financing, by Giovanni F� Bignami 

and Andrea Sommariva (Springer, April 2013)� This book develops a credible 

scenario for interstellar exploration and colonization by examining the present 

situation and prospects for interstellar exploration technologies, the search for 

habitable planets, the motivations for space travel and colonization, and the 

financial mechanisms required to fund such enterprises� The final section of the 

book analyzes the uncertainties surrounding the presented scenario� The purpose 

of building a scenario is not only to pinpoint future events but also to highlight the 

uncertainties that may propel the future in different directions�

Something New Under the Sun: Satellites and the Beginning of the Space Age, by 

Helen Gavaghan (Springer, April 2013; soft-cover reprint of the original 1998 edition)� In this book, the first history of artificial satellites and their uses, the author 

shows how the idea of putting an object in orbit around Earth changed from 

science fiction to indispensable reality� Focusing on three major areas of development—navigational satellites, communications, and weather observation and 

forecasting—the author tells the remarkable inside story of how scientists, often 

laboring under strict secrecy, made the extraordinary scientific and technological 

discoveries needed to make these miracles happen�

The Soyuz Launch Vehicle: The Two Lives of an Engineering Triumph, by Christian 

Lardier and Stefan Barensky (Springer-Praxis, March 2013)� This book provides 

a description of the two lives of the Soyuz launch vehicle, first in the Soviet 

Union/Russia and then in French Guiana, South America� Built as the world’s 

31
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

first intercontinental missile, it took the first man into space in April 1961 before 

becoming the workhorse of Russian spaceflight, launching satellites, interplanetary probes, every cosmonaut from Gagarin onwards, and now the multinational 

crews of the International Space Station� The second part of the book tells the 

contemporary life of this rocket by addressing the sensitive issue of the strategic 

choices that led to the establishment of Soyuz in French Guiana and describing 

the role of a few visionaries in Russia and in Europe who decided to leave their 

respective isolation behind to bring the Soyuz and Ariane launch vehicles together�

Space Debris and Other Threats from Outer Space, by Joseph N� Pelton (Springer, 

March 2013)� The mounting problem of space debris in low-Earth orbit and its 

threat to the operation of application satellites has been increasingly recognized 

as space activities increase� This book discusses the technical studies being 

developed for active removal processes and other ways to mitigate the problems 

of space debris, particularly in low-Earth orbit�

Space Robotics Supporting Exploration Missions: Vision, Force Control and 

Coordination Strategies, edited by Enrica Zereik (Nova Science Publishers, Inc�, 

May 2013)� In recent years, interest in space activities has continued to grow, and 

there are future space exploration plans that include human missions to the Moon 

and Mars� The return to the Moon will rely on a large robotic presence to support 

exploration and, later, to assist the building of the lunar base� These plans will 

require the availability of intelligent, interactive, and cooperative robotic systems 

since, on space missions, astronaut time is valuable and very scarce� Given 

these possibilities, there is a need to develop skills, capabilities, and operational 

experience for working in space and on the surface of the Moon (and eventually 

Mars) with machines and people in preparation for further exploration� To this aim, 

this book examines the future vision, force control, and coordination strategies of 

space robotics supporting exploration missions�

Space: The Ultimate Frontier, by Marcello D’Angelo (White Star Publishers, May 

2013)� This book takes the reader on a fantastic voyage through the universe 

into the mysteries of Mars, Venus, and Jupiter; on to black holes and explosions 

of gamma rays; and out to exoplanets light-years away� This voyage into the 

interstellar world is based upon the incredible images collected through the years 

by satellites, orbital telescopes, and the International Space Station, as well as 

the knowledge that the most sophisticated modern probes have just begun to 

provide� From the first experimental launches of the 1950s to the latest pictures 

of Mars, this book provides a dazzling look at the world beyond�

U.S. Hypersonic Research and Development: The Rise and Fall of Dyna-Soar, 

1944–1963, by Roy F� Houchin II (Routledge, May 2013; originally published in 

2006)� The author shows how the roots of U�S� Air Force hypersonic research and 

development are grounded in Army Air Force General Henry H� “Hap” Arnold’s 

identification of the need for advanced airpower weapon systems to meet the anticipated postwar threat� The technology for a smooth transition to military spaceflight 

32
Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

seemed within reach when Bell Aircraft Corporation executive Walter Dornberger 

made an unsolicited proposal to William E� Lamar (the chief of Wright Aeronautical 

Development Center’s New Development Office of the Bomber Aircraft Division 

at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio) for a hypersonic boost-glide weapon 

system� Visionaries like Arnold, Dornberger, and Lamar believed a hypersonic 

boost-glider would represent the ultimate expression of the U�S� Air Force’s doctrine by performing strategic bombardment and reconnaissance more successfully 

than any other type of vehicle� As this aspiration reached maturity in Dyna-Soar, 

the service’s leadership never gave up their convictions� This book shows how the 

struggle to persuade the Secretary of Defense and his advisors, who did not share 

the Air Force’s vision for a military spaceplane, illustrates the ebb and flow of an 

advanced technology program and its powerful legacy within American society�

Who Was Sally Ride?, by Megan Stine (Grosset & Dunlap, May 2013)� This children’s book is about Sally Ride, who in 1978, as a Ph�D� candidate at Stanford 

University, responded to a newspaper ad to join the U�S� astronaut program� She 

was accepted and became the first female American astronaut to fly in space� 

Among her other accomplishments, she was an astrophysicist who helped 

develop a robotic arm for the Space Shuttle; later, through Sally Ride Science, she 

worked to make science cool and accessible for girls� Sally Ride, who died on 23 

July 2012, will continue to inspire young children�

The X-15 Rocket Plane: Flying the First Wings into Space, by Michelle L� Evans 

(University of Nebraska Press, June 2013)� This book tells the enthralling yet 

little-known story of the hypersonic X-15, the winged rocket ship that opened 

the way into human-controlled spaceflight� Drawing on interviews with those who 

were there, the author captures the drama and excitement of, yes, rocket science: 

how to handle the heat generated at speeds up to Mach 7, how to make a rocket 

propulsion system that could throttle, and how to safely reenter the atmosphere 

from space and make a precision landing� This book puts a human face on the 

feats of science and engineering that went into the X-15 program, many of them 

critical to the development of the Space Shuttle� And, finally, it introduces us to 

the largely unsung pilots of the X-15�

Yearbook on Space Policy 2010/2011: The Look Forward, edited by Peter Hulsroj, 

Spyros Pagkratis, and Blandina Baranes (Springer, April 2013)� The Yearbook on 

Space Policy is a reference publication that analyzes space policy developments� 

It presents issues and trends in space policy and the space sector as a whole� Its 

scope is global and its perspective European� The yearbook also links space policy with other policy areas� It highlights specific events and issues and provides 

useful insights, data, and information on space activities�

The History Program Office gives sincere thanks to 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.

33
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

Upcoming Meetings

The 64th International Astronautical Congress will be held 23–27 September 

2013 in Beijing, China� Visit http://www.iac2013.org/ for details�

The U�S� Naval Institute and U�S� Naval Academy will host the “Past, Present, and 

Future of Human Space Flight” conference 3 October 2013 in Annapolis, Maryland� 

Visit http://www.usni.org/events/2013-us-naval-history-conference for details�

The Society for Social Studies of Science will hold its annual meeting 9–12 

October 2013 in San Diego, California� Visit http://www.4sonline.org/meeting

for details�

The annual meeting of the Oral History Association will be held 9–13 October 

2013 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma� Visit http://www.oralhistory.org/annual-meeting/

for details�

The Society for the History of Technology will hold its annual meeting 10–13 

October 2013 in Portland, Maine� Visit http://www.historyoftechnology.org/

annual_meeting.html for details�

The History of Science Society will hold its annual meeting 21–24 November 2013

in Boston, Massachusetts� Visit http://www.hssonline.org/Meeting/ for details�

The 46th fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union will be held 9–13 December 

2013 in San Francisco, California� Visit http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2013/ for details�

The annual meeting of the American Historical Association will be held 2–5 

January 2014 in Washington, DC� Visit http://www.historians.org/annual/next.htm

for details�

The 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society will be held 5–9 January 

2014 in National Harbor, Maryland� Visit http://aas.org/meetings for details�

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ SciTech 2014 will be 

held 13–17 January 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland� Visit http://www.aiaa.org/

scitech2014/ for details�

The midwinter meeting of the American Library Association will be held 24–28 

January 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania� Visit http://alamw14.ala.org for 

more details�

The 19th Annual Space Exploration Educators Conference will take place on 

6–8 February 2014 at the Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas� Visit http://

spacecenter.org/education-programs/teacher-programs/teachers-seec/ for 

more details�

34
Volume 30, Number 3 Third Quarter 2013

The NASA History Program Office, under the Office of Communications, NASA 

Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, publishes News and Notes quarterly�

To receive News and Notes via e-mail, send a message to history-request@hq.nasa.

gov� In the text portion, simply type “subscribe” without the quotation marks� You will 

receive confirmation that your account has been added to the list for the newsletter 

and for receiving other announcements� For more information about our LISTSERV, 

please see http://history.nasa.gov/listserv.html on the Web� We also post the latest 

issue of this newsletter at http://history.nasa.gov/nltrc.html on the Web�

Do you have more questions about NASA history in general? Please check out 

our NASA History Program Office Home Page at http://history.nasa.gov on the 

Web� For information about doing research in the NASA History Program Office, 

please e-mail us at histinfo@hq.nasa.gov or call 202-358-0384�

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

Please send your comments, as well as any changes to your mailing address or 

requests to stop receiving News and Notes in the mail, to Giny Cheong, newsletter editor, at giny.cheong@nasa.gov. 

NASA Headquarters History Program Office Staff Contact Information:

William Barry 

Chief Historian 

bill.barry@nasa.gov

202-358-0383

Nadine Andreassen 

Program Support Specialist

nadine.j.andreassen@nasa.gov

202-358-0087

Colin Fries 

Archivist

cfries@mail.hq.nasa.gov

202-358-0388

Stephen Garber

Historian

stephen.j.garber@nasa.gov 

202-358-0385

John Hargenrader 

Archivist

jhargenr@mail.hq.nasa.gov

202-358-0387

Jane Odom

Chief Archivist 

jane.h.odom@nasa.gov

202-358-0386

Yvette Smith 

Editor

yvette.smith-1@nasa.gov

202-358-5196

Elizabeth Suckow

Archivist 

elizabeth.suckow-1@nasa.gov

202-358-0375

Maria Seidel

Intern

maria.c.seidel@nasa.gov

202-358-4495

Joey Vars

Intern

joseph.k.vars@nasa.gov

202-358-0893

35
Created and produced by the following:

Giny Cheong, Newsletter Editor

Lisa Jirousek, Editor, NASA Headquarters Communications Support Services Center (CSSC)

Janine Wise, Publication Specialist/Graphic Designer, NASA Headquarters CSSC 

Tun Hla, Printing Specialist, NASA Headquarters CSSC

Trenita Williams, Mail Coordinator, NASA Headquarters Mail Room

Carl Paul, Distribution, NASA Headquarters CSSC

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