News

Notes &

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration

NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

Office of Communications

Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

From

the Chief 

Historian

This summer has 

proven a constant 

reminder of the inevitability and speed of 

the march of time. It 

hasn’t been simply the flitting away of those 

lazy days of summer vacation, the passing 

of yet another birthday, or the demolition 

of another historic wind tunnel complex at 

Langley, but a combination of events that 

has made me increasingly mindful of the 

need to cherish what we have.

Particularly striking this summer has been 

the news of the loss of two great friends of 

NASA history. Elsewhere in this issue, you 

will see a short appreciation of Fred Ordway. 

Fred passed away at his home in Huntsville, 

Alabama, on 1 July. Having pored through 

his books as a boy, I had the great pleasure 

of getting to know Fred personally over the 

last couple of years—and it was really quite 

a pleasure. He was a gentleman of the old 

school and someone who had never lost his 

boyish enthusiasm about space exploration.

You will also find, elsewhere in this issue, a 

message from Rio Phair—the sister of Curtis 

Peebles. Enthusiastic and energetic, Curtis 

worked for many years on aerospace history 

at Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research 

Center and was the author (or coauthor) of 

three NASA history publications. He dropped 

out of sight about a year ago, and many of 

you may have heard rumors about what happened. Rio contacted us early in the summer 

and confirmed that Curtis is now in care 

and suffering from irreversible memory loss. 

For anyone who has suffered with an aging 

continued on next page

Call for Papers

The NACA Centenary: A Symposium on 

100 Years of Aerospace Research and Development

The Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM) and 

NASA’s History Program Office invite proposals for papers to a special symposium commemorating a century of aerospace research and development. 

On 3 March 1915, the United States Congress established the National 

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) “to separate the real from the 

imagined and make known the overlooked and unexpected” in the quest 

for flight. In honor of that centennial, NASA and NASM will team to present 

a symposium on the history of the NACA. This historical symposium will be 

held in Washington, DC, on 3–4 March 2015.

All are invited to submit proposals. Major themes to be addressed in the 

symposium include the following:

• The NACA organizational and institutional structure and evolution

• The NACA model of public-private partnerships in aerospace research

continued on page 3

In This Issue:

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

Call for Papers: The NACA Centenary: A Symposium on 

100 Years of Aerospace Research and Development ............. 1

Reflections on Interning with NASA’s History Program Office ...... 3

News from Headquarters and the Centers ..................... 5

More Sad Farewells at Langley ............................. 14

Retrospective: Curtis Peebles .............................. 17

Other Aerospace History News ............................. 18

Battlefield Cosmos: The Militarization of Space, 1942–1990 ...... 20

Recent Publications and Online Resources ................... 21

Upcoming Meetings ..................................... 24

Fred Ordway: An Appreciation ............................. 25
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

From the Chief Historian (continued)

parent or other relative with memory loss, you know how painful this can be on 

family and friends. To encounter this in someone who should still be in the prime 

of his intellectual life is heartbreaking. I salute Rio for her bravery in facing this 

situation and wish her, and Curtis, strength and courage for the days ahead.

On a more upbeat note, after nearly a year, the NASA Historical Reference 

Collection opened in its newly renovated space on the Concourse level of the 

Headquarters building. We are in room CP72, to be exact. The facility enjoys new 

compact shelving, new lighting and furnishings, and much-improved workspace 

for staff and researchers. The doors officially opened to visitors on Tuesday, 

9 September. Please call 358-0384 or e-mail histinfo@nasa.gov to schedule an 

appointment at least a day in advance of your visit. While we would love to have 

you all visit us that first week, please keep in mind that our space for researchers 

is still limited. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The rush of time is also bringing us quickly to 3 March 2015—the centennial of the 

creation of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). We’ve spent 

a lot of time here within Headquarters, and with many partners, planning events 

and focusing our messages about the legacy of the NACA. In the process, I’ve 

had to indulge in some reading about our institutional predecessors. It has been a 

surprising and delightful education, and one that has left me wondering why there 

has been so little historical study of the NACA. We hope to rectify that shortcoming, at least a bit, with a historical symposium next 3–4 March, in conjunction with 

our friends at the National Air and Space Museum. Through the symposium and 

the book that we expect to come from it, we hope to increase public understanding of the importance of the NACA to the worldwide development of aeronautics, 

how the NACA’s post–World War II research laid the basis for the Space Age, and 

how the legacy of the NACA lives on at NASA. As we close in on the anniversary, 

I’m tempted to worry about the work yet to be done and the rush of time—but I’m 

also working to remember to cherish today. I hope you do too.

Godspeed,

William P. Barry 

Chief Historian

2
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

Call for Papers (continued)

• The NACA’s contributions to aerospace theory, ground research, and 

flight operations

· Individual projects

· Broad themes in the history of the agency

· Research projects versus other structural attributes

• The social, economic, and/or political history of the NACA

• The NACA culture and its evolution

• The relationship of the NACA to other entities, both private and public

• Innovation in aerospace research

• Models of partnership

Possible topics are not restricted to these major themes. All papers are envisioned as scholarly contributions exploring broad thematic issues and questions.

Contributions from international scholars and graduate students with an interest 

in this history are welcome.

Some travel support scholarships may be available for international scholars and 

graduate students. Please indicate your interest in a need statement included 

with your paper proposal.

We intend that a subset of the papers will merit publication.

Proposals for papers should include a title and abstract, as well as the author’s 

curriculum vitae (CV) and travel support need statement (as appropriate). Please 

send all proposals, in the form of a 300-word abstract and a brief CV, electronically to Dr. William P. Barry, NASA Chief Historian, at bill.barry@nasa.gov and to 

Dr. Roger D. Launius, Associate Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs 

at the National Air and Space Museum, at launiusr@si.edu. The deadline for 

abstract submissions is 15 September 2014.

Decisions about acceptance and support will be made by 1 November 2014.

Reflections on Interning with 

NASA’s History Program Office

By Mary Catherine Bitter

Prior to beginning my internship with the NASA History Program Office, I expected 

that the position would exercise my ability to research topics and write pieces 

about them. My expectations were certainly met, to say the least. Over the 

past three months, I’ve written biographical articles, photo captions, Facebook 

posts, and, of course, hundreds of tweets. The main thing that I gained from my 

3
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

4

internship, however, was something that I did not expect, something completely 

unrelated to the writing process: a crash course in, and appreciation for, the 

history of spaceflight.

Beginning my internship in mid-May and learning the ropes alongside my fellow 

summer intern, Will Thompson, I found myself surrounded by space history enthusiasts—and not only my coworkers. Each day, after creating social media posts 

based on historical anniversaries, I would scroll through and read the responses 

from NASA History’s followers. Plenty of people seemed more knowledgeable 

than me, and some even added their own tidbits of history to the story. It was 

common to get comments from those who remembered historic events, such as 

the launch of Gus Grissom’s Liberty Bell 7 mission or the Apollo 11 Moon landing. 

I think that I best connected with the space history community when I attended 

the National Air and Space Museum’s 11th Annual John H. Glenn Lecture in 

Space History, entitled “From Air and Space to the Railroad and Beyond: An 

Evening with Brig. Gen. James A. McDivitt.” For an hour and a half, the audience 

laughed along with and learned from General McDivitt, myself among them.

Additionally, interning at NASA History means becoming immersed in the celebration and remembrance of historical events that have helped NASA become what it 

is today. Over the course of the summer, there were a few historical anniversaries 

that stood out above the rest. In June, NASA celebrated the 50th anniversary 

of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was signed into law on 2 July 1964, with 

distinguished panelists discussing the significance of the act across the nation, 

as well as how it impacted the Agency. In July, the Agency celebrated the 45th 

anniversary of Apollo 11, the mission that first landed humans on the Moon. I had 

the opportunity to meet Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, 

who visited NASA Headquarters after making a stop by the White House to speak 

with President Obama. More recently was one of my personal favorites, and also 

one that I was around for—6 August marked the day that the Curiosity rover 

successfully landed on Mars two years ago.

Overall, it might be easy to tell that my internship with NASA History was a great 

experience (and I’m not just talking about the kind on a résumé!). I met numerous 

astronauts, learned about future NASA missions (hello, Mars!), and learned in 

a way that no classroom could ever replicate. If anyone reading this knows of 

someone who might be interested in taking on this internship, please encourage 

him or her to apply—it makes for an unforgettable time!
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

5

News from Headquarters 

and the Centers

NASA Headquarters

History Program Office

By Bill Barry

It has been a very busy summer for the History Program. With the reconstitution of 

the Historical Reference Collection (more on that from Jane below), travel, interns 

going and coming, and a bit of vacation time, it seems like the time has flown by.

As usual with “round number” anniversaries, we saw a huge spike in activity 

with the Apollo 11 45th anniversary this summer. The NASA emphasis was on 

the “next giant leap,” but we still had plenty of opportunity to promote history. I 

spent a couple of days in mid-July at the Intrepid Space and Science Festival in 

New York City, staffing the historical displays and giving a few talks on historical 

subjects. Interestingly, one of the best-attended talks was an Apollo 11 “mission 

status briefing,” during which we took a little time-machine trip back to 1969 to 

see what was happening that day (18 July) on Earth and with the crew of Apollo 11 

on the way to the Moon. While that talk was fun, it wasn’t nearly as popular as 

the touchable Moon rock—which kids of all ages found irresistible. I also had 

a chance to give a talk at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture in 

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this summer. This time, though, the emphasis was not on 

the Apollo anniversary, but on the centennial of the NACA. It was a great opportunity to try out a centennial presentation on an appreciative and friendly audience.

Next spring’s anniversary of the creation of the NACA has become a growing 

focus of activities here. We’ve got three publications in the pipeline related to the 

event: an annotated bibliography on the NACA, a centennial history of the NACA/

NASA (on the model of “Orders of Magnitude”), and a work on NACA/NASA logos 

and insignia. We are also working closely with our colleagues in the Aeronautics 

Research Mission Directorate at Headquarters to make sure that the centennial 

themes are worked into NASA communications over the coming months. In 

addition, there are a number of events in development to mark the anniversary. 

These include a panel at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 

(AIAA) SciTech 2015 conference in January 2015 and a historical symposium at 

the National Air and Space Museum on the anniversary itself. You’ll find the latest 

on these and other events on our Web site and social media accounts.

Summer interns Will Thompson and Mary Catherine Bitter did a stupendous job for 

us. They are both back at school now—Will at Virginia Commonwealth University 

and Mary Catherine at George Washington University. But while they were here, 
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

6

they did a phenomenal job with our social media accounts (pushing the view numbers on our new Flickr-based Great Images in NASA [GRIN] to incredible heights) 

and did a series of Web stories about the NACA namesakes for various NASA 

Centers. Fall will, of course, bring new interns. This fall, we have Amy Wallace, a 

senior history major at the University of Mary Washington. She’ll be interning on 

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Nolan Lott, a junior at Nebraska Wesleyan 

University, will be in Washington on a semester-in-DC program, so we’ll see him 

interning with us Monday through Thursday each week.

Historical Reference Collection

By Jane H. Odom

The Headquarters History Office renovation is complete. The office is sparkling 

new with modern lighting, furnishings, and mobile shelving to increase our storage capacity. By the time you read this, the archive restoration project will be 

complete. Nearly 2,000 cubic feet of archive materials and books were returned 

from the warehouse and the interior decorating completed. Archival reference 

services were greatly impacted between November 2013 and July 2014, during 

which time the staff had to rely on digitized collections and published sources 

to provide answers to customers with historical inquiries. Additionally, we had 

to refer researchers to Center history offices, the National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA), the Presidential Libraries, and other repositories while our 

collection was closed.

Archival processing and digitization projects proceeded apace while the archivists were in temporary quarters during the renovation. One collection of note that 

was processed and will be made available as soon as the reference collection 

reopens is the Paul Lowman collection. He was commonly referred to as NASA’s 

first geologist, having worked at the Agency for over 50 years. In his collection are 

biographical materials; articles he authored, as well as the source materials he 

used; news clippings; photos; lunar vehicle proposals; and field trip memo books, 

correspondence, and photos. Also in the collection is a draft manuscript entitled 

“Fifty Years in Space Research: A Scientific Autobiography.”

Check our Web site at http://history.nasa.gov for periodic updates on the archives 

restoration and the grand reopening. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Ames Research Center (ARC)

By Glenn Bugos

The 75th anniversary edition of Atmosphere of Freedom (NASA SP-2014-4314) 

has just been released. With a foreword by Pete Worden and Jack Boyd, an introduction by Lew Braxton, and a preamble by Harry McDonald, it is an overview 

history of the Center during its years with NASA, updated with the most significant 
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

7

changes over the past five years. It is lavishly illustrated with the best photographs 

from the Ames archives. Plans are for limited distribution among Center staff; it is 

available at our Web site as a PDF, and the NASA history community can request 

a printed copy by contacting our office directly.

Astronomers Ed Erickson and Allan Meyer authored a history of the Kuiper Airborne 

Observatory (KAO) titled NASA’s Kuiper Airborne Observatory: An Operations 

Perspective with a View to SOFIA (NASA SP-2013-216025). It is a wonderful history 

of research at NASA Ames on airborne infrared astronomy, focusing on the evolution of the KAO from 1972 to 1995, as the scientists using it learned how to improve 

its performance and operational efficiency. It also serves as a photo album of the 

many scientists from diverse universities and nations who flew their instruments 

aboard the KAO. As the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) 

is increasing its science flights, Erickson and Meyer’s monograph will serve as a 

useful guide on this pioneering era in airborne infrared astronomy.

Yvonne Clearwater and Lois Rosson produced a superb NASA Ames 

Technology Transfer Historical Image Gallery, 1976 to 2012. For 50 notable 

technology-transfer examples, they compiled photographs and supplemented 

them with detailed captions available online at http://www.nasa.gov/content/

nasa-ames-tech-transfer-gallery.

NASA Ames staff has begun celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Center’s 

groundbreaking on 20 December 1939. An open house is scheduled for 

18 October, and the public is invited to take a walking tour around the Ames 

campus. Sheila Johnson organized a living museum, with NASA Ames displays 

in downtown storefronts and public buildings in neighboring Mountain View and 

Sunnyvale. April Gage refreshed the History Office Web site in anticipation of new 

anniversary content, including information on Ames award winners as well as our 

newest history publications.

April also processed the papers of Roger D. Arno, a spacecraft engineer who 

worked at NASA Ames from 1966 until his retirement in 2000. This collection 

focuses on Arno’s artwork, primarily computer designs of mission concepts and 

hardware. It also includes editorial cartoons, with amusing depictions of the 

culture and work at NASA and Ames.

Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC)

By Christian Gelzer

Our Center, now Armstrong Flight Research Center, went through its official 

renaming ceremony on 13 May. Attending the event were members of both the 

Dryden and the Armstrong families; NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and 

Majority Leader–elect Kevin MacCarthy also attended. This marks the 10th time 

the Center, or facility as it was between 1946 and 1959, has undergone a name 
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

8

change—possibly a record for NASA Centers. The Western Aeronautical Test 

Range was renamed and is now the Dryden Aeronautical Test Range.

Christian Gelzer is completing his monograph about the Center’s Flight Loads 

Laboratory, which was established in 1964 to support the X-15 program and to 

solve problems with the first piloted hypersonic aircraft. He’s been interviewing 

current and retired employees as part of the project, and the manuscript will be in 

peer review by the time you read this. It is due for publication in time for the Lab’s 

50th anniversary in October. His monograph, The Spoken Word: Recollections 

of Dryden History; the Shuttle Years, recently received an Award for Publication 

Excellence (APEX) award.

Glenn Research Center (GRC)

By Anne Mills

Glenn Research Center was pleased to host historians Sandra Johnson and 

Rebecca Wright from Johnson Space Center as part of the NACA Centennial 

Oral History Project. Ten NACA retirees were interviewed. Among those interviewed were Robert Hendricks, Irv Zaretsky, and Len Tower, who continue to 

serve the Center as Distinguished Research Associates. Other participants 

included photographer Bill Wynne and Irene Geye, former secretary to first 

Center Director Ed Sharp. Transcripts should be available online soon through 

the NASA Oral History program.

The next book in GRC’s history series is one step closer to publication. The manuscript for the history of the Plum Brook Small Hydrogen Sites has been submitted 

for peer review. These facilities are notable for their testing of liquid hydrogen, 

oxidizers such as chlorine and fluorine, and turbopump components critical to the 

success of the early space program.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

By Erik Conway

JPL and the Exploration of Mars is finally in production at Johns Hopkins University 

Press. Erik Conway has received and reviewed the copyedited manuscript and 

expects a spring 2015 publication date.

In May, Erik finished editing and revising Craig Waff’s history of the Deep Space 

Network and sent it to the NASA History Program Office. He mainly left the mostly 

clean text alone; revision consisted largely of filling in some missing facts, correcting grammar, bringing the notes into alignment with his papers’ new location 

at JPL, and selecting new images. The history will be a welcome complement to 

Douglas Mudgway’s more technically oriented histories of the organization.
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

9

The Center also started production on the next in the series of JPL history documentaries. This one covers, roughly, the 1980s, and its theme will be the Space 

Shuttle. Erik has largely finished interviewing people for the show. Production is 

otherwise going slowly, in part because the office has switched to a new digital 

video archive system (“CatDV”) that the editors are still learning.

Erik has also conducted a small cluster of audio-only interviews around the design 

of the Galileo spacecraft, in particular dealing with the engineering challenges 

imposed by the dual-spin design and the propulsion system provided by Germany.

Two celebrations were held during July at JPL. One of the two Ranger project 

managers, Bud Schurmeier, passed away late last year, and the Center celebrated 

his life on 8 July. The 50th anniversary of JPL’s first successful Moon mission, 

Ranger 7, was 31 July, and JPL celebrated it with a short event aimed primarily at 

summer interns, who number over 600 this year.

Intern Kate McManus was with the JPL Archives for about 9 weeks. Kate has a 

bachelor’s degree in history and is working on a master’s in library science (with 

a focus on archives) at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. As she 

worked on an inventory of JPL photo collections, she searched more than six 

different photo resources to find out which images are in digital format and which 

ones exist only in hard copy (prints or negatives). She also scanned a sample 

collection of photos and processed a small collection of archival records. Her 

final report will help the archives plan, prioritize, and budget for future scanning 

projects and also make the photo collections more accessible to researchers.

Johnson Space Center (JSC)

By Rebecca Wright

At the request of the JSC Historic Preservation Officer, the Johnson Space Center 

History team joined the effort to preserve the history of the Arc Jet Facility. Earlier 

this year, the Center began the final phases of closing out Building 222, home of 

the Atmospheric Re-entry Materials and Structures Evaluation Facility (ARMSEF). 

The building, slated for demolition, is eligible for listing on the National Register 

of Historic Places under the Space Shuttle Program. Although there was a very 

short timeframe available, the JSC History team worked with a producer and 

videographer from the Information Technology and Multimedia Services (ITAMS) 

Communication Services group to ensure that information was captured about 

this unique facility and from some of the employees who had worked there. 

Additional oral histories were conducted by the JSC Historian to provide a more 

complete accounting of the activities and events that were conducted during 

the long history of the Arc Jet. Transcripts from the oral history sessions will be 

posted on the JSC History Portal (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history). The ITAMS 

Communications Services team will be providing a brief video explaining the 
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

10

history of JSC’s Arc Jet, and it will be posted online next year by the Historic 

Preservation Officer and the JSC History Portal.

Simon & Schuster has released Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space, written 

by Lynn Sherr, award-winning broadcaster and writer. The author, who reported on 

the Space Shuttle Program from its first flight in 1981 through the Challenger mishap in 1986, listed the extensive sources she used, including numerous interviews 

from the JSC Oral History Project. Sherr also had a number of conversations with 

the JSC Historian, Dr. Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, who provided additional insight and 

guidance with NASA oral history interviews and potential sources.

Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

By Tim Davis, Historic Preservation Officer at White Sands Test Facility

Kennedy Space Center recently signed a 20-year lease with SpaceX for the use 

of historic Launch Pad 39A. This process is an excellent example of beneficial 

reuse of a historic property that supported both the Apollo and Space Shuttle 

programs. This lease agreement keeps the historic launch pad active and ensures 

that maintenance requirements are continued, which saves NASA more than 

$1 million annually. A recent Florida Today story that further describes this is available online at http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2014/04/14/

spacex-takes-over-ksc-pad-39a/7711859/.

KSC received the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA) Industry 

Public Sector Award after being nominated by New South Associates, Inc., 

and Archaeological Consultants, Inc. The ACRA awards for 2013 recognized 

both public- and private-sector organizations for cultural resource management 

commitments that routinely exceed those required by federal and state laws and 

regulations. The following narrative that describes the KSC activities resulting in 

the award was printed in the fall 2013 ACRA newsletter (volume 19-4):

Historical documentation at the National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration’s (NASA) John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in 

Brevard County, Florida, demonstrated that federal agencies with a 

large and complex set of historic properties can proactively navigate 

compliance with federal historic preservation mandates. Over the last 

15 years or so, the KSC CRM [Cultural Resource Management] office 

has completed extensive historic resource surveys, public history outreach efforts, and nearly 30 HABS/HAER [Historic American Buildings 

Survey/Historic American Engineering Record] documentation reports, 

many completed well ahead of any federal undertaking triggering 

Section 106 compliance. In a move that is somewhat unusual for federal agencies, all of NASA KSC’s historic resource survey reports and 

mitigation documents have been made publicly available through the 

CRM office’s website.
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

11

NASA KSC’s public history outreach efforts have extended beyond 

the [C]enter’s history of [spaceflight] to include working with the 

North Brevard Heritage Foundation to salvage the historic Clifton 

Schoolhouse for restoration and preservation. The achievements 

made by the KSC CRM office are especially remarkable given that 

the CRM officers at the facility are not CRM professionals, yet they 

have consistently supported and produced high-quality work that has 

earned accolades from NASA [H]eadquarters in Washington, D.C., and 

from the Florida SHPO [State Historic Preservation Office]. The depth 

and breadth of their work at NASA KSC has gone above and beyond 

simply complying with historic preservation laws, and has ensured that 

the agency’s distinguished history of space exploration is preserved as 

it moves forward with plans for spaceflight in the twenty-first century.

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

By Brian Odom

Over the past year, the MSFC History Office has hosted three exceptional interns. 

A major goal of the program is to provide undergraduate and graduate students 

with a meaningful and realistic work experience that will be beneficial to both students and the office. The following three individuals conducted a range of tasks 

in the History Office, demonstrating skills that will certainly assist them when they 

complete their degrees and enter the job market. They certainly did a great job 

helping us work through our large backlog of archival collections and provided 

valuable assistance with our oral history projects.

Stuart Simms, a history major from Mississippi State University, says his internship has provided him with insight on the history of science and technological 

developments in the history of Marshall. Stuart participated with archivist Brian 

Odom on several oral history projects on the development of the Chandra X-ray 

Observatory at Marshall. Stuart followed up each interview by writing a narrative 

account that included his research on the historical context. Of his duties in 

the archive, Stuart remarked, “I have been able to further understand the work 

involved in the job of public historian here at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.” 

As part of another history project, Stuart is working with Brian to prepare a paper 

on the NASA observation campaign of supernova 1987A, as well as the communication of those scientific discoveries.

Shannon Lampton, currently a candidate for a master’s degree in history at the 

University of Alabama in Huntsville, also completed an assortment of tasks during 

her time in the MSFC History Office. These included the evaluation, arrangement, 

and preservation of historical photographs; the arrangement and description of 

an archival collection of Atlas/Agena B Ranger documents; and the conducting 

of an exceptional oral history interview with a Marshall engineer who worked with 

the Ares Program. Shannon also fielded a variety of reference questions from the 
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

12

archivist and assisted with processing a donation of Marshall Star newsletters for 

the archive.

Amy Stone, a candidate for a master’s degree in library and information science at 

the University of Alabama, said working in the MSFC History Office Archives provided her with the opportunity “to explore history and touch the past.” According 

to Amy, “I learned about organizing and describing archival collections by looking 

at the archival processes from beginning to end.” Part of her work involved creating detailed finding aids for individual collections, as well as drafting processing 

and preservation plans. She was also asked to process and organize a collection 

of documents related to the Hubble Space Telescope. Additionally, Amy helped 

create finding aids for a collection of photos and speeches related to the career of 

former Center Director William R. Lucas.

Stennis Space Center (SSC)

By Daphne Alford

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the John C. Stennis Space Center’s 

site status. On 14 June 1974, then–NASA Administrator Dr. James C. Fletcher 

announced that the Mississippi Test Facility had been upgraded to the National 

Space Technology Laboratories (NSTL), a permanent NASA field installation 

reporting directly to NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.

The new status reflected the importance of growth in current and future NASA 

programs that would allow other agencies to have the advantage of the resources 

available at NSTL.

“NSTL has developed into an installation where highly qualified capabilities exist 

for conducting remote sensing, environmental, and related research and technical activities,” said Fletcher during his announcement. “These capabilities 

have been enhanced in recent years by the location at NSTL of research and 

technical activities of several other government agencies. The success of this 

experiment in the collocation of these mutually supporting activities has led me 

to decide that NSTL will have a permanent role in NASA’s space applications and 

technology programs.”

Created by NASA in 1961 as part of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, 

Alabama, the site was first established and used for static testing of the large 

Saturn V rocket engines used in the Apollo program.

As the Apollo program drew to a close, NASA and several other agencies moved 

a variety of research and technical activities—primarily related to Earth resources 
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

13

and the environment—into the modern facilities available at the 13,800-acre site. 

One thousand contractors and civil servants were employed at the facility.

NASA’s activities at NSTL included developmental testing of the Space Shuttle 

main engine and the Earth Resources Laboratory, which had been established 

four years earlier. Other agencies located at NSTL during this time included the 

Departments of Commerce, the Interior, Transportation, and the Army, along with 

the Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Mississippi, and various other 

state and university partners from Mississippi and Louisiana.

“By renaming the facility and elevating its status, it is my intention to recognize the 

importance of NSTL to current and future programs of NASA and to encourage 

and facilitate the location at NSTL by other government agencies of additional 

activities which can both benefit from and contribute to the capabilities which 

exist there,” Fletcher said.

Nearly one year to the day after Fletcher’s announcement, the first Space Shuttle 

main engine achieved ignition, marking the beginning of more than 30 years of 

successful Space Shuttle main engine testing by the site.

Eleven months after the Mississippi Test Operations 

became the National Space Technology Laboratories, 

the first static test-firing of the Space Shuttle main 

engine on the A-1 Test Stand was conducted on 

19 May 1975.

Visitors from Huntsville, Alabama, view the first Space 

Shuttle main engine in NSTL Building 3202. The 

first Space Shuttle main engine achieved ignition on 

12 June 1975 and was fired for a full duration, without 

an early shutdown, on 24 June.
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

14

More Sad Farewells at Langley

By Caroline Diehl, NASA Langley Research Center

Construction of the tunnel complex in 1940. At the far left is the original National Advisory Committee for 

Aeronautics (NACA) Tunnel One (constructed in 1920). Under construction is the Variable Density Tunnel 

building (right of Tunnel One), the 24-Inch High Speed Tunnel (tall stack immediately behind it), and the 

Low-Turbulence Pressure Tunnel circuit to the right. Behind the tunnel circuit is the building that housed the 

original Two-Dimensional Low-Turbulence Tunnel. Only the former Tunnel One building remains and is now 

owned by Langley Air Force Base.

NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) recently completed the demolition of a 

complex that housed several of its unique and more historically significant wind 

tunnels. As with the five previous wind tunnel demolitions that have occurred at 

LaRC since 2008, the complex was demolished due to lack of mission need and 

outdated technology. The oldest portion of the complex, the building that originally housed the Variable Density Tunnel (VDT), dates to 1923; the newest portion, 

the Two-Dimensional Low-Turbulence Pressure Tunnel (LTPT), was completed in 

1940. All tunnels in the complex were important to early aircraft development and 

research in airfoil testing.

The largest tunnel in the complex was the LTPT, which had been in operation for 

nearly 70 years. The tunnel’s main drive motor malfunctioned in 2006, and LaRC 

permanently deactivated the tunnel as there were no funds available to repair it 

and no future mission need for the tunnel.

Prior to the construction of the LTPT, the largest amount of airfoil data obtained 

by Langley researchers was from tests performed in the VDT. While the tunnel 

provided data that agreed with flight-test results for certain airfoil characteristics, 

such as maximum lift, the levels of drag predicted by tests performed in the 

VDT were not in agreement with flight tests. Langley researcher Eastman Jacobs 

recognized that the shortcomings of the data obtained in the VDT were due 
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

15

to its high airstream turbulence level. Jacobs determined that the geometry of 

the tunnel was not conducive to low turbulence and that he would need a new 

low-turbulence wind tunnel in order to pursue his emerging interest in researching 

new low-drag airfoil shapes known as laminar flow airfoils.

Jacobs’s request for the construction of the new tunnel was denied by Langley’s 

management, based in part on doubts over the need for such a facility by noted 

technical experts at Langley, including Theodore Theodorsen. However, there 

was a need for a new tunnel to investigate ice formation on aircraft components, 

as aircraft icing problems were a high priority in the National Advisory Committee 

for Aeronautics (NACA) mission at that time. Using a clever ploy, Jacobs and Ira 

H. Abbott jointly designed an atmospheric (unpressurized) “icing tunnel” that had 

the same dimensions and layout as the desirable low-turbulence tunnel. The Ice 

Tunnel became operational in 1938, and after several rapid investigations of icing 

were performed, the tunnel’s refrigeration equipment was quickly removed and 

the tunnel was modified to become the Two-Dimensional Low-Turbulence Tunnel 

(LTT). Within weeks of its initial operation, the low-cost prototype LTT confirmed 

the validity of Jacobs’s arguments about the detrimental effects of turbulence in 

wind tunnels. Authorization to build a new pressurized low-turbulence tunnel, to 

be known as the Two-Dimensional Low-Turbulence Pressure Tunnel, was granted 

in 1938.

Designed by Jacobs, Abbott, and Edward E. Von Doenhoff, the LTPT was constructed between 1938 and 1940. The political and economic atmosphere during 

the construction of the tunnel may have influenced the choice of construction 

materials, as several parts from P-38 aircraft were utilized as components in the 

tunnel. Twenty unmodified P-38 propeller blades were originally installed in the 

tunnel; however, it was quickly determined that the blades 

could not absorb the power of the drive system and added 

too much turbulence to the airflow. After researchers concluded that the rounded tips of the blades were causing the 

turbulence, they cut the tips off. The solution was a success, 

and the modified blades served the LTPT throughout the life 

of the tunnel.

When the LTPT began testing in 1941, it had the lowest 

turbulence levels of any wind tunnel in the world—less than 

one-hundredth that of the original VDT. It was also the earliest NACA steel wind tunnel to be built primarily outside of a 

building, and its basic structural design was utilized for many 

subsequent wind tunnels at the NACA and NASA.

Initial research in the LTPT focused on development of laminar 

or low-drag airfoils that were incorporated into many U.S. military aircraft during World War II. The systematic development 

of this family of laminar-flow airfoils was the principal reason Modified P-38 blade.
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

16

for the NACA’s worldwide reputation in aerodynamics. The data from the LTPT were 

cataloged by Abbott and Von Doenhoff in a publication that became the “bible” of 

airfoil information for future generations in the aeronautics community.

In 1948, the LTPT was 

briefly converted for use 

with Freon, and in 1953, it 

was modified with slotted 

walls to permit transonic 

testing; however, neither 

of these modifications 

proved to be successful. After 1955, as flight 

speeds increased, the 

apparent need for the 

LTPT decreased, and the tunnel was placed on standby status as a pressure 

vessel for the nearby 26-Inch Transonic Blowdown Tunnel and other small, 

high-speed tunnels in the complex. In the early 1970s, in response to Richard 

Whitcomb’s highly successful research on transonic supercritical airfoils for 

commercial and privately owned aircraft, the LTPT was reactivated because of 

interest in the new airfoils.

The LTPT underwent a major rehabilitation between 1979 and 1982 to repair 

deteriorating tunnel elements and to improve various components necessary for 

contemporary research. The rehabilitation restored and improved the flow quality 

required for future laminar-flow research and provided a two-dimensional model 

support and force balance system for airfoil testing. In addition to performing 

laminar airfoil testing, the LTPT served out the remainder of its life supporting 

research for the Space Shuttle, high-lift airfoils, and Gortler vortices, as well as 

efficiently integrating engines into airframes to improve the performance of commercial and military aircraft.

As has been the case with the demolition of other wind tunnels at NASA LaRC, 

significant items were salvaged from the LTPT as well as from other tunnels 

in the complex as a way to mitigate the adverse impacts of demolition and to 

preserve a tangible history of the unique tunnels. More than 40 airfoil models 

from the tunnels were sent to two museums and eight school districts for display and for educational purposes. Two modified P-38 fan blades are being 

incorporated into an outdoor display at LaRC; four fan blades are on loan at the 

National Institute of Aerospace; and four stone headers displaying the NACA and 

tunnel names are being incorporated into a display at the VDT exhibit at LaRC. 

Additional mitigation includes documenting the history of the tunnel complex 

on the NASA LaRC Cultural Resources Web site at http://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/

historic/Low_Turbulence_Pressure_Tunnel#Demolition. The Web site includes 

history, photographs, virtual tours, a 3D model, research documents, films, and 

interviews of researchers who worked in the tunnels.

Example of typical airfoil.
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

17

Stone header from LTPT salvaged for future display at LaRC.

For additional information on the LTPT complex, contact Mary Gainer, LaRC 

Historic Preservation Officer, at mary.e.gainer@nasa.gov, or Caroline Diehl, 

Cultural Resource Management Support Contractor, Straughan Environmental, at 

caroline.a.diehl@nasa.gov.

Retrospective: Curtis Peebles

By Rio H. Phair

My brother, Curtis Peebles, collapsed in August 2013 and was diagnosed with 

irreversible memory loss. He has not disappeared into a Central Intelligence 

Agency witness protection program or been flown away in an alien spaceship, 

although with his sense of humor, I think it would please him if you thought so.

Many people and their families are suffering the consequences of memory loss, 

but it’s particularly sad when the person affected just celebrated his 59th birthday, 

as is the case for Curtis.

Curt, as he was known to family, spent his adolescence in his bedroom making airplane models and 

avidly watching televised U.S. space activities on his 

19-inch black-and-white RCA television. By the time 

he graduated from high school, the second bedroom in our parents’ small house had become his 

library, and he was writing and publishing on his way 

to becoming Curtis L. Peebles, aerospace historian. 

The library evolved into more than 2,000 books. At 

the time Curt became ill, he understood the situation 

and said we would have to sell his house and car, but his biggest concern was the 

disposal of his books, as he was afraid they would be thrown away. I’m happy to 

say that his desire for the collection to be taken by an appropriate institution miraculously came true. Libraries don’t generally have shelf space or storage for large 

donations, but the San Diego Air & Space Museum (where Curt belonged to the 

astronomy club and volunteered as a teen) enthusiastically took the books and will 

spend a year culling them and adding the chosen volumes to their research library.
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

18

Aerospace history and ongoing developments were Curt’s greatest interests, and 

I think his most satisfying years were those he spent in the History Department 

of the Dryden Flight Research Center (now Armstrong Flight Research Center). 

Probably his last project before his memory confusion impaired his ability to write 

and research was an application for naming asteroids after the X-15 pilots. The 

day preceding the renaming of the Center for Neil Armstrong, a ceremony was 

held presenting the certificates. Curt’s memory was sufficient to enjoy seeing the 

photos and hearing others acknowledge him as the idea man for the minor planet 

X-15 pilot naming project.

In closing, I would like to thank all of Curt’s colleagues for their care and interest. 

Their response has helped greatly to ease the sadness and challenges of dealing 

with my brother’s illness.

Other Aerospace History News

National Air and Space Museum (NASM)

By Mike Neufeld

Roger Launius (Space History Division and Associate Director for Collections 

and Curatorial Affairs) has just published Historical Analogs for the Stimulation 

of Space Commerce (NASA SP-2014-4554, Monographs in Aerospace History, 

no. 54). This study investigates and analyzes historical episodes in America 

in which the federal government undertook public-private efforts to complete 

critical activities valued for their public good. This combination largely resulted 

from a lack of either sufficient political will to fund them entirely out of the public 

treasury or insufficient profit motive for private firms to undertake them for 

purely business reasons. Six case studies illuminate this process. They include 

the development of the transcontinental railroad, supported by a unique landgrant approach to subsidy; support for the airline industry through legislation, 

appropriate regulation, and subsidies to grow a robust air transport capability; 

the regulatory regime put into place with the rise of the telephone industry and 

the creation of a government-sponsored monopoly; government sponsorship of 

Antarctic scientific stations that evolved into a public-private partnership over 

time; the fostering of a range of public works projects and their success or failure 

over time; and the establishment of scenic and cultural conservation zones in 

the United States and ways to balance economic development with preservation.

Michael Neufeld (Space History) has published two articles on the history of planetary exploration since 1989: “First Mission to Pluto: Policy, Politics, Science and 

Technology in the Origins of New Horizons, 1989–2003,” Historical Studies in the 

Natural Sciences 44 (2014): 234–276, and “Transforming Solar System Exploration: 

The Origins of the Discovery Program, 1989–1993,” Space Policy 30 (2014): 5–12.
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

19

On Thursday, 12 June, Margaret Weitekamp and Valerie Neal (Space History) 

cohosted a two-session program, “Sally Ride: Life Stories,” in the Moving Beyond 

Earth exhibition gallery. They interviewed journalist and author Lynn Sherr about 

her newly published biography, Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space. 

NASA TV broadcast one session live and recorded both sessions for further 

broadcasts. Book signings by Sherr followed each session.

Valerie published Discovery: Champion of the Space Shuttle Fleet (Minneapolis, 

MN: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in association with Zenith 

Press, 2014), an illustrated “biography” of the longest-serving, most-traveled 

orbiter, now displayed at the Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Northern Virginia. 

The book is available on Amazon.com and in the Museum’s gift shops. Valerie 

also played a key role in organizing the 10th annual John Glenn Lecture, featuring 

Gemini IV and Apollo 9 commander James A. McDivitt. He spoke on 26 June 

about human and robotic space exploration and highlights of his careers in the Air 

Force, NASA, and business.

Call for Entries: SHFG Thomas Jefferson Prize

The Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG) seeks entries for its 

2015 Thomas Jefferson Prize for documentary histories published in 2013 or 

2014. The prize recognizes the editor(s) of a single volume or one or more volumes in a project that contributes significantly to the understanding of the history 

of the federal government. The prize will be awarded at the SHFG annual meeting 

in spring 2015. See http://www.shfg.org for a list of past winners and general 

requirements for all SHFG prizes.

In addition to the general requirements, entries for the 2015 Jefferson Prize will 

be judged on the editorial methodology employed, including accuracy of transcription, relevance and usefulness of annotation, selection and arrangement of 

documents, and indexing. Electronic documentary editions will also be evaluated 

for solid technological capabilities and performance, high quality of design, and 

innovative strategies or techniques.

A copy of each entry with a letter briefly stating its qualifications and merits should 

be sent to each of the Jefferson Committee members by 1 November 2014:

1.Richa Wilson, U.S. Forest Service Intermountain Region, 324 25th Street, 

Ogden, UT 84401

2.Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, Ph.D., 2003 Seakale Lane, Houston, TX 77062

3.Alisa Whitley, United States Marine Corps Archives, 2040 Broadway Street, 

Quantico, VA 22134
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

20

The SHFG, founded in 1979, is a nonprofit professional organization that promotes the study and broad understanding of the history of the United States 

Government. It also serves as the voice of the federal historical community. The 

Thomas Jefferson Prize commemorates the third President of the United States 

and the author of the Declaration of Independence, who was a firm believer in the 

study of history and the preservation of historical records.

Battlefield Cosmos:

 The Militarization of Space,

 1942–1990

By Tom Reichard, Freie Universität Berlin (tom.reichard@fu-berlin.de)

The dawn of the Space Age was marked by a military operation. On 3 October 

1942, an A4 rocket, later known as the V-2, launched from the Peenemünde Army 

Research Center in Northern Germany, reached an altitude of 84.5 kilometers, and 

became the first humanmade object to breach what was regarded as the boundary 

of outer space. From its inception, spaceflight was closely intertwined with rocketry, 

embodying the now-familiar dual-use character of space technology. The coalescence of space exploration and the military was not limited to actual spaceflight; it 

also applied to scientific research and unrealized ventures into outer space, as well 

as to fictional works about cosmic battles and alien encounters.

Covering the period from the 1940s to the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, 

the “Embattled Heavens: The Militarization of Space in Science, Fiction, and 

Politics Conference” was held by Freie Universität Berlin in April 2014; it set out to 

realign perspectives on the Cold War and the Space Age. The conference chose 

an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the military in the history of outer 

space in three closely intertwined fields of study: science, fiction, and politics.

Space provided a place for the spatial expansion of human conflict; at the same 

time, it affected the way conflicts on Earth were conceived. After two disastrous 

world wars and the ensuing formation of a global age, the infinity of outer space 

equally provided the background for scenarios of sustained and perpetuated conflict, the ultimate threat of universal destruction, and a quest for transcendence. 

The specter of nuclear war and the worldwide divide between two rival superpowers led to global fears of destruction. Having undergone several transformations, 

the militarization of space made possible the onset of an age in which getting 

lost became increasingly difficult and avoiding surveillance almost impossible. 

With the ever-growing impact of commercial space technologies and satellites 

on the everyday life of millions of people around the globe, an end to the military 

dimension of outer space is not in sight.
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

21

For a detailed program, abstracts of all presentations, and biographical information on all speakers, please consult http://www.heavens.geschkult.fu-berlin.de.

Recent Publications and 

Online Resources

NASA Publications

Archaeology, Anthropology, and Interstellar Communication, edited by Douglas A. 

Vakoch (NASA SP-2013-4413, 2014). Addressing a field that has been dominated 

by astronomers, physicists, engineers, and computer scientists, the contributors 

to this collection raise questions that have been overlooked by physical scientists 

about the ease of establishing meaningful communication with an extraterrestrial 

intelligence, given humanity’s often dismal attempts to communicate with other 

cultures during first encounters. This book is available as a free download at 

http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/archaeology_anthropology_and_interstellar_

communication.html.

Historical Analogs for the Stimulation of Space Commerce, by Roger D. Launius 

(NASA SP-2014-4554, 2014). These case studies explore six historical episodes 

of government support for commercial activities. This book is available as a free 

download at http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/historical_analogs_detail.html.

Aeronautics and Astronautics: A Chronology, 2010, by Meaghan Flattery (NASA 

SP-2013-4037, 2014). This book is available only as a free download at http://

history.nasa.gov/sp4037.pdf.

Commercially Published Works

Compiled by Chris Gamble

Bold They Rise: The Space Shuttle Early Years, 1972–1986, by David Hitt and 

Heather R. Smith (University of Nebraska Press, June 2014). This book tells the 

story of the Space Shuttle through the personal experiences of the astronauts, 

engineers, and scientists who made it happen—in space and on the ground, from 

the days of research and design, through the heroic accomplishments of the 

program, to the tragic last minutes of Challenger. In the participants’ own voices, 

we learn that to which so few are privy: what it was like to create a new form of 

spacecraft, to risk one’s life testing that craft, and to witness a friend’s death. A 

“guided tour” of the Shuttle—in historical, scientific, and personal terms—this 

book provides a fascinating, richly informed, and deeply personal view of a feat 

without parallel in the human story.
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

22

History of Rocketry and Astronautics, vol. 41, edited by Kerrie Dougherty, American 

Astronautical Society (AAS) History Series, vol. 41, International Academy of 

Astronautics (IAA) History Symposia, vol. 30 (AAS/Univelt, Inc., June 2014). These 

are the proceedings of the 44th History Symposium of the International Academy 

of Astronautics held in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2010.

The ITU and Managing Satellite Orbital and Spectrum Resources in the 21st 

Century, by Audrey L. Allison (Springer, May 2014). Access to satellite orbits 

and spectrum is managed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 

a United Nations body that strives to extend the benefits of new technologies to 

the world while ensuring equitable access to these resources. This book explores 

how the ITU approaches these dual missions in light of the increasing saturation 

of the geostationary orbit by the global satellite industry and the rising interests of 

developing countries in accessing these limited resources. These issues were the 

subject of debate at the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference. This book 

describes and assesses various regulatory approaches undertaken to manage 

the increasing requests for access to space and especially access to spectrum 

and orbital locations in the geosynchronous or “Clarke” orbit.

Milestones of Space: Eleven Iconic Objects from the Smithsonian National Air and 

Space Museum, edited by Michael J. Neufeld (Zenith Press, May 2014). In this 

book, Michael Neufeld and select curators of the Smithsonian National Air and 

Space Museum (NASM) present a gorgeous photographic celebration of some of 

the most groundbreaking artifacts that played key parts in giving humanity its first 

steps into the cosmos. The NASM curators feature each object in incredible detail 

with compelling timelines, sidebars and captions, and over 150 archival images that 

provide new and little-known insights into their development and historical context.

No Requiem for the Space Age: The Apollo Moon Landings and American Culture, 

by Matthew D. Tribbe (Oxford University Press, June 2014). Why did support for the 

space program decrease so sharply by the early 1970s? Rooted in profound scientific and technological leaps, rational technocratic management, and an ambitious 

view of the universe as a realm susceptible to human mastery, the Apollo Moon 

landings grandly manifested postwar American progress and seemed to prove that 

the United States could accomplish anything to which it committed its energies 

and resources. Shifting the conversation of Apollo from its Cold War origins to 

larger trends in American culture and society and probing an eclectic mix of voices 

from the era, including intellectuals, religious leaders, rock musicians, politicians, 

and a variety of everyday Americans, Matthew Tribbe paints an electrifying portrait 

of a nation in the midst of questioning the very values that had guided it through 

the postwar years as it began to develop new conceptions of progress that had 

little to do with blasting ever more astronauts to the Moon.

Range Wars: The Environmental Contest for White Sands Missile Range, by Ryan H. 

Edgington (University of Nebraska Press, July 2014). Established in south-central 

New Mexico at the end of World War II, White Sands Missile Range is the largest 
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

23

overland military reserve in the Western Hemisphere. It was the site of the first 

nuclear explosion, the birthplace of the American space program, and the primary 

site for testing U.S. missile capabilities. In this environmental history of White 

Sands Missile Range, the author traces the uneasy relationships between the 

military, federal government, local ranchers, environmentalists, state game and fish 

personnel, biologists and ecologists, state and federal political figures, hunters, 

and tourists after World War II—as they all struggled to define and productively 

use the militarized western landscape. Environmentalists, ranchers, tourists, and 

other groups joined together to transform the meaning and uses of this region, 

challenging the authority of the government to dictate the environmental and 

cultural value of a rural American landscape. As a result, White Sands became a 

locus of competing geographies informed not only by the far-reaching intellectual, 

economic, and environmental changes wrought by the Cold War, but also by 

regional history, culture, and traditions.

The Rise and Fall of COMSAT: Technology, Business and Government in Satellite 

Communications, by David Whalen (Palgrave Macmillan, May 2014). The author 

explores the factors that contributed to the rise and fall of the Communications 

Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), a company that created the industry. Today, satellite 

communications gross over $100 billion annually and are heading toward $200 billion. COMSAT started the business of satellite communications in 1963, when it was 

organized in compliance with the Communications Satellite Act of 1962. COMSAT 

chose geosynchronous Earth orbit, formed the International Telecommunications 

Satellite Organization (INTELSAT), and generally promoted the technological change 

that saw satellite power increase and Earth station antennas reduced from 30 meters 

to 1 meter. After pioneering this technology and growing the market, COMSAT fell 

prey to changes in government policy and to its own lack of entrepreneurial talent.

Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space, by Lynn Sherr (Simon & Schuster, 

June 2014). This biography of Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space, features 

exclusive insights from Ride’s family and partner.

Tourists in Space: A Practical Guide, 2nd ed., by Erik Seedhouse (Springer, June 

2014). This book updates the first edition with the new players in the field, comprehensive medical information about spaceflight health requirements, and a 

thorough explanation of the current drivers of the new space frontier. Soon—very 

soon—you’ll be able to add a much more exotic stamp to your passport: space. 

How will you get there, what will the trip be like, and how much training will you 

need? This definitive, real-world guide is packed with helpful facts and suggestions on everything from training, equipment, safety, and in-flight procedures to 

techniques for avoiding space motion sickness and bone demineralization.

Why Mars: NASA and the Politics of Space Exploration, by W. Henry Lambright, 

New Series in NASA History (Johns Hopkins University Press, May 2014). Since 

NASA’s establishment in 1958, the Agency has looked to Mars as a compelling 

prize, the one place beyond the Moon where robotic and human exploration 
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

24

could converge. Remarkably successful with its roaming multi-billion-dollar robot, 

Curiosity, NASA’s Mars program represents one of the Agency’s greatest achievements. This book analyzes the history of the robotic Mars exploration program from 

its origins to today. The author examines the politics and policies behind NASA’s 

multidecade quest, illuminating the roles of key individuals and institutions along 

with their triumphs and defeats.

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.

Upcoming Meetings

The 65th International Astronautical Congress will be held 29 September–

3 October 2014 in Toronto, Canada. Visit http://www.iac2014.org for details.

The annual meeting of the Oral History Association will be held 8–12 October 2014 in 

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Visit http://www.oralhistory.org/annual-meeting/ for details.

The annual meeting for the Society for the History of Technology will be held 6–9 

November 2014 in Dearborn, Michigan. Visit http://www.historyoftechnology.org/

annual_meeting.html for more details.

The annual meeting for the History of Science Society will be held 6–9 November 

2014 in Chicago, Illinois. Visit http://www.hssonline.org/Meeting/ for more details.

The 46th fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union will be held 15–19 

December 2014 in San Francisco, California. Visit http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2014/

for details.

The annual meeting of the American Historical Association will be held 2–5 January 

2015 in New York, New York. Visit http://www.historians.org/annual/next.htm for 

more details.

The 225th meeting of the American Astronomical Society will be held 4–8 January 

2015 in Seattle, Washington. Visit http://aas.org/meetings/ for details.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ SciTech 2015 will be 

held 5–9 January 2015 in Kissimmee, Florida. Visit http://www.aiaa-scitech.org/

for details.
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

25

The midwinter meeting of the American Library Association will be held 

30 January–3 February 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. Visit http://www.ala.org/

conferencesevents/midwinter-meeting for more details.

The 19th Annual Space Exploration Educators Conference will take place on 

5–7 February 2015 at the Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas. Visit http://

spacecenter.org/education-programs/teacher-programs/teachers-seec/ for 

more details.

Fred Ordway: An Appreciation

By Bill Barry

In one respect, you could say that I’d known Fred Ordway for most of my adult life. 

Having read and reread The Rocket Team, which Fred cowrote with Mitchell Sharpe 

in 1979, it was easy to imagine that I knew something of the author. It was certainly 

clear to me, even then, that he had a deep-seated passion for space exploration and 

a powerful belief in his former boss and mentor, Wernher von Braun. But I really didn’t 

get to know Fred until four years ago, when I became Chief Historian.

Since Fred’s death on 1 July, there have been numerous glowing obituaries that discuss his life and accomplishments. The major newspapers of record all reported on 

his passion for spaceflight, his association with von Braun, and his role as technical 

advisor to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are also insightful and touching 

tributes to Fred in a variety of magazines and online. (The British Interplanetary 

Society’s September issue of Spaceflight has a particularly nice piece by John 

Becklake.) We even posted a short obituary on the NASA History Facebook page.

I first bumped into Fred at a NASA History event here in Washington, though I don’t 

recall which one. He would appear at these events, ask interesting questions, and 

chat amiably with whomever he happened to be near. But he was so unprepossessing that I probably would never have realized who he was if Nadine Andreassen 

hadn’t introduced us. As our occasional history speaker program morphed into a 

regular quarterly event, I found out that Fred would try to plan his trips to Washington 

to coincide with our speakers. He was that much of a fanatic about space history. 

Nadine, of course, made sure that he knew our schedule. She also helped convince 

Fred to be our first quarterly speaker for 2014. As many of you know, Fred spoke on 

his work with Stanley Kubrick on the movie 2001 and shared some rare video and 

pictures. While Fred was not laying claim to any of the credit for the movie, it was 

clear from his talk that much of the depth of reality in that movie came from his fertile 

imagination and attention to detail. (For example, he actually wrote the detailed 

directions for using the zero-g toilet that got a very brief moment on screen.)
NASA HISTORY PROGRAM OFFICE

26

One of the things I enjoyed most about Fred’s visits to Washington in the last 

few years was the chance we had for one-on-one conversations. On several 

occasions, Fred invited me to join him for breakfast at one of his favorite haunts in 

town, the Cosmos Club. Our discussions would range from his collection of pulp 

science fiction (donated to the library of his alma mater, Harvard), to his father’s 

World War I flying career (Fred’s namesake had volunteered to fly for the Royal 

Canadian Air Force before the United States joined the war), to the latest news, to 

the early days of the American Rocket Society (now the AIAA) and the International 

Astronautical Federation (IAF), to his early meetings with Soviet space scientists 

(often at IAF meetings). He spoke often, and with great affection, about his family 

and friends. His devotion to his wife Maruja was especially touching—and almost 

painful to behold after she passed away two years ago. His loyalty to von Braun 

was also notable—and, to me, a bit awkward. Fred seemed truly baffled that 

others could see von Braun as anything other than a space visionary. This was 

not something unique to his old boss, for Fred always seemed to see the best 

in his fellow human beings and in our future. In my all-too-short friendship with 

Fred, what struck me most about him was not his many accomplishments, but 

his humanity. He was a gentleman of the type that is all too rare these days. I miss 

him. Godspeed, Fred.

Fred Ordway (conspicuous in his tennis whites) talks with (left to right) astronaut Deke Slayton, author Arthur 

C. Clarke, director Stanley Kubrick, and NASA Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight George 

Mueller on set.
Volume 31, Number 3 Third Quarter 2014

27

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 bill.barry@nasa.gov

Chief Historian 202-358-0383

Nadine Andreassen nadine.j.andreassen@nasa.gov

Program Support Specialist 202-358-0087

Colin Fries cfries@mail.hq.nasa.gov

Archivist 202-358-0388

Stephen Garber stephen.j.garber@nasa.gov

Historian 202-358-0385

John Hargenrader jhargenr@mail.hq.nasa.gov

Archivist 202-358-0387

Jane Odom jane.h.odom@nasa.gov

Chief Archivist 202-358-0386

Yvette Smith yvette.smith-1@nasa.gov

Editor 202-358-5196

Elizabeth Suckow elizabeth.suckow-1@nasa.gov

Archivist 202-358-0375

Nolan Lott nolan.j.lott@nasa.gov

Intern 202-358-0893

Amy Wallace amy.l.wallace@nasa.gov

Intern 202-358-4495
Created and produced by the following:

Giny Cheong, Newsletter Editor

Lisa Jirousek, Editor, NASA Headquarters Communications Support Services Center (CSSC)

Steve Bradley, 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

Join the NASA History Program Office 

online on our social networks!

Get short, timely messages and stay updated on a wide variety of topics by 

following @NASAhistory on Twitter.

Learn the history of NASA’s exploration of the universe and its many discoveries 

about our home planet by liking the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.

com/NASAHistoryOffice.

Download free multimedia for important moments, activities, and figures in NASA 

history at iTunes U at http://go.nasa.gov/ROuL7D.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA Headquarters 

300 E Street SW 

Washington, DC 20546

www.nasa.gov