NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Office of External Relations 

volume 25, number 3 august 2008 

FROM 

THE CHIEF 

HISTORIAN

NASA’s 50th -anniversary events are now well 

under way and will culminate in October, the 

anniversary of the month in which the National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 

became operational. Astrophysicist Stephen 

Hawking recently traveled to Washington 

to present the latest lecture in the NASA 

anniversary series begun last year by Mike 

Griffin. In his lecture “Why We Should Go 

into Space,” Professor Hawking argues that 

we should be able to take care of our problems 

on Earth and go into space as well because our 

future lies in outer space. Meanwhile, NASA 

Deputy Administrator Shana Dale has been 

leading a series of “Future Forums” around the 

country to discuss the role of space exploration 

in advancing science, engineering, technology, 

education, and the economy. In addition, readers 

should be aware of several 50th -anniversary 

publications. NASA: 50 Years of Exploration and 

Discovery contains dozens of articles by NASA 

personnel, historians, and others in a large 

magazine format. It is available online (as are the 

Future Forums, the NASA lecture series, and 

other features) at NASA’s 50th -anniversary Web 

site: http://history.nasa.gov/50thannnasaconf/ 

index.html. Another volume, America in Space, 

is a large -format coffee -table book with iconic 

as well as rarely seen images from the space 

program. It is introduced by Neil Armstrong and 

is now available (cheaply!) from Amazon.com. 

This summer, NASA was honored to be only 

the second government agency ever featured 

continued on page 5 

The Enduring Legacy of the 

“Invisible Network” 

By Sunny Tsiao, ITT Advanced Engineering & Sciences, author of the new 

“Read You Loud and Clear!” The Story of NASA’s Spaceflight Tracking and 

Data Network (NASA SP-2007-4233) 

As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration celebrates its 

50-year anniversary on 1 October, there is perhaps one facet of the space 

program that has not received as much recognition as others. Behind the 

technology and teamwork that made the pioneering flight of John Glenn 

and the triumph of Apollo possible was a communication network known 

as the Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network. This network, the STDN, 

tracked its first satellite in 1957 when the former Soviet Union shocked the 

world by launching Sputnik I into orbit. At the height of the space race, 

6,000 men and women operated this behind-the-scenes “invisible network” 

that was central to the success of the space agency’s missions. Over the next 

five decades, the Network played a crucial role on every near-Earth space 

mission that NASA flew. Not a single mission was compromised due to its 

failure. It received the first television images from space, tracked Apollo 

astronauts to the Moon and back, and, today, has evolved into a national 

resource providing global, 24/7 space communications in the form of the 

Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). 

continued on next page 

IN THIS ISSUE: 

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

The Enduring Legacy of the “Invisible Network” ................... 1 

News from Headquarters and the Centers.......................... 7 

“NASA’s First 50 Years: A Historical Perspective” Conference ........ 11 

Forthcoming NASA History Publications.......................... 14 

Out-of-Print NASA History Books To Be Available Through Dover .... 15 

Other New Aerospace History Publications ........................ 15 

New Online Resources........................................ 21 

NASA’s National Historic Landmarks............................. 23 

Annual NASA History Program Review .......................... 27 

2008 NASA History Award ..................................... 29 

NASA Records Management Training ............................ 30 

Other Aerospace History News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 

Other Aerospace History Information Online ...................... 33 

Call for Papers ................................................ 34 

Job Opportunity............................................... 34 

Upcoming Meetings ........................................... 35 

Obituaries.................................................... 35 

Images in Space History....................................... 38 
NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

The Enduring Legacy of the “Invisible Network” (continued) 

The history of the STDN is somewhat akin to the history of NASA itself. It has 

spanned 50 years, experienced tragic setbacks as well as unparalleled success, and 

pioneered household technologies before they became the everyday essentials that 

they are today: spinoffs without which we cannot imagine living. The STDN varied 

greatly over the years and underwent several evolutions. Space communications 

became the pace setter in utilizing advances in computing power, signal processing, 

and new digitizing techniques; however, when the network (whose name and acronym had yet to be coined) was first established, it was strictly a network of ground 

stations using analog technology of the time. 

This started at the dawn of the Space Age, when the new Agency set up the world’s first 

global satellite tracking network. Minitrack used radio interferometry, a technique 

developed in the late 1940s and 1950s to track missiles and high-speed jet aircraft. 

It used large, football field–sized antenna arrays to receive rudimentary, milliwattlevel radio beacon transmissions at the fixed frequency of 108 MHz. Acceptance by 

the scientific community of radio interferometry as a spaceflight tracking technique 

was tepid because the established method was, at the time, optical tracking. John 

Mengel, Roger Easton, and others at the Naval Research Laboratory not only had to 

miniaturize and harden the technology for spaceflight, but also had to sell the idea 

to an unconvinced community at large. 

Unified S-Band, or USB, led the way in the mid-1960s. USB was revolutionary 

for its time, enabling transmission of spacecraft command, telemetry, voice, and 

television using a single, combined data link. The technique was not entirely new to 

NASA, however, as the Deep Space Network (DSN) had used it since 1958. USB was 

important on two fronts. First, it enabled the Agency to communicate with the large, 

data-intensive observatory class of satellites that the Goddard Space Flight Center 

was putting into orbit. Second, an Apollo flight to the Moon was on the horizon. The 

STDN greatly expanded during this time, both geographically and technologically. 

Satellite Tracking And Data Acquisition Network stations added as far north as 

Alaska anchored the high-eccentricity, high-inclination orbits of the Nimbus and 

Alouette, and 26-meter (85-foot) parabolic dish antennas were the largest added to 

the Network. 

Today, the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is unquestionably 

NASA’s lead Center for all near-Earth space communications. This, however, was 

not always the case. When the United States began sending humans into space in the 

early 1960s, something interesting happened within the NASA culture—a culture 

in which Field Centers notoriously act as independent fiefdoms. For unpiloted 

(unmanned) science and application satellites, there was no debate as to who was 

in charge; it was clearly Goddard. Things were more ambiguous, however, when 

it came to the “manned” side of the house. Here, both Goddard and Houston’s 

Manned Spacecraft Center (today the Johnson Space Center) had a stake. In a 

move that would engender dissention between Greenbelt and Houston for years, 

NASA Headquarters delegated to Greenbelt the full responsibility for running the 

STDN. Rifts between the two Centers developed immediately—a result of the “Not 

Invented Here” mindset—as Houston questioned the wisdom of using a Goddardrun network to support human missions. Much of the ensuing success on what could 

have been a very divisive issue came down to effective personal relationships between 

key individuals within that same NASA culture who recognized the problem at both 

Centers. The leadership of men like Ozzie Covington, Bill Wood, Tec Roberts, and 

Chris Kraft should not be understated. 

2

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

A paradigm shift resulted in the cost-conscious, double-digit inflation days following Apollo. This shift, coupled with ongoing advances in digital signaling methods, 

greatly impacted the way NASA conducted its tracking and data operations. This 

effect became most evident in the last two decades as the STDN migrated from 

networking a large number of ground stations to utilizing a few satellites in orbit 

to help track other spacecraft. The planning, development, and implementation of 

the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System heavily influenced the history of the 

STDN. As sprawling as the Network had become, it was still ground-based and, as 

such, was limited, able to communicate with a low-Earth-orbiting satellite for only 

some 15 to 20 percent of the time. TDRSS provided a space-based tracking and 

data relay solution enabling nearly continuous coverage for most Earth-orbiting 

spacecraft. 

Although today TDRSS is a national resource, it had its growing pains. One was the 

radical procurement approach—called “innovative” by proponents at the time. In 

an effort to get the project started without committing to a future purchase of a suite 

of satellites, NASA decided to lease rather than buy TDRSS. For what it deemed a 

support program, NASA considered leasing to be a viable option that was no riskier 

than buying. Impetus for this fundamental departure in the way NASA did business 

was not complicated and, as usual, came down to the price tag. By obtaining this 

capability from industry on a long-term, fixed-price service basis, the Agency hoped 

to save money while at the same time spurring on the commercial space sector. 

When the time came to implement the system, however, NASA, by selecting a prime 

contractor with no previous aerospace experience, nearly doomed TDRSS before it 

had a chance to prove itself. Although using a contractor did not work on TDRSS, 

it was innovative and ahead of its time, as today commercialization has undeniably 

become a part of the Agency’s modus operandi. 

With the TDRSS Space Network (SN) operational by 1989, the “availability of the 

system” enabled the phasing down of many STDN ground stations, particularly 

those located outside the United States. The advent of an operational SN did not 

mean, however, that ground stations were not needed; they were, just not in the same 

way. The Ground Network, or GN, now had a new mission: science. Today, GN 

emphasis is on data acquisition at remote, extreme-latitude outposts and at rocket 

ranges to support Earth science, atmospheric research, and range safety. 

The changing landscape of the STDN also paralleled the way NASA changed its 

focus throughout the years. The Agency’s updated mission in the era of informationage revolution, commercialization, and international cooperation has directly 

shaped and transformed the Network in recent years. Root causes driving such 

change usually trace to two factors: technology and cost reduction. The demand for 

better technology is always a driver. On top of this, as space moves from the realm 

of government sponsorship to become a commercial commodity, cost reduction in 

today’s world of instantaneous global communications is more exigent than ever. 

The dramatic, literally year-to-year jump in computer speed, improvements in fiberoptic and transmission bandwidth performance, and the exponential growth of the 

Internet have all made the ever-increasing demand for higher bandwidths (traffic) at 

lower bit-error-rates (accuracy) ubiquitous. The STDN pushed this in many ways. 

Few, for example, know that NASA was instrumental in bringing the Internet to the 

South Pole. The use of these technologies (and their spinoffs) follows the trend in 

continued on next page 

3

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

The Enduring Legacy of the “Invisible Network” (continued) 

space communication in which NASA has historically set the precedent but is now 

heavily influenced by the commercial sector. 

In the 1990s, “Faster, Better, Cheaper” drove much of the way business was conducted in the space industry, both commercially and in the government. This 

sobering experience affected the space program in ways ranging from economics to 

performance (and, some would say, safety). Entrepreneurial communication companies such as DataLynx and SvalSat entered the playing field. Their multimission 

terminals offered users the advantage of low-cost services: pay only for what you 

use. Information technology companies and government agencies like NASA were 

their targeted users. These service providers now routinely rely on the Internet infrastructure for data access and file transfers. So, in a way, while NASA was building 

the Network infrastructure that won the space race, the rest of the world caught up. 

Regardless of the era, international cooperation has always been vital to the success 

of the STDN. Take Mexico, for instance, in the early days of the Manned Space 

Flight Network (MSFN). A Guaymas Tracking Station was considered critical 

by the Tracking and Ground Instrumentation Unit of Langley, which was then 

responsible for planning the MSFN. Establishing the station, though, turned out to 

be an arduous process, one that required great patience and perseverance. One of 

the obstacles was Mexico’s deep government bureaucracy. Internal political strife 

and open anti-American sentiments were also prevalent in the late 1950s. Talks 

began in the spring of 1959. It was not until June of 1961, however, that the station 

opened, and then only after the appointment of a carefully selected ad hoc MexicoU.S. Commission for Space Observations. While Mexico’s position rested firmly 

on mutual scientific cooperation, it was personally obvious to Edmond Buckley 

(NASA’s first Associate Administrator for Tracking and Data Acquisition) that the 

actual possibility for mutually beneficial scientific cooperation of the sort desired 

by the Mexicans would be for projects other than Mercury. But with the first orbital 

flight then scheduled for the following year, Buckley felt that collaboration was 

necessary because of the geographical importance of a station in Mexico (since it 

would be the first to see the Mercury capsule after it crossed the Pacific following a 

loss of signal at Hawaii). 

Science notwithstanding, the agreement establishing a NASA tracking station in 

Mexico was quite significant, as it was the first real cooperative project between the 

two neighboring states since before World War I. Both the State Department and the 

U.S. Embassy made it clear at the time that the agreement was momentous, representing a big step to bettering relations with our southern neighbor—one that went 

beyond merely space exploration and Project Mercury. Conversely, other places such 

as Australia, where as many as 10 sites were active at one time, welcomed the opportunity to participate in this new frontier and openly adopted the U.S. space program 

as their own. Met with great patriotic pride, for instance, was NASA’s decision for 

the Parkes Observatory of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research 

Organisation to receive the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) downlink. 

Indeed, the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex on the outskirts of the 

capital remains active to this day as part of the DSN. This hallmark of “nationalizing the stations” began early. For operational efficiency, diplomatic expediency, and 

promotion of goodwill, NASA turned to the local workforce, training technicians 

and managers to run foreign stations. Santiago, one of the original Minitrack sites 

4

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

established in 1957, perhaps best illustrated this practice. Today, half a century later, 

it is still run entirely by the University of Chile. 

With the push for lights-out operations (unattended autonomous operation), will the 

human element so integral to the STDN’s last 50 years endure? What does the future 

hold? Finally, what is the public perception and awareness of the STDN in terms of 

everyday benefits? As often as space is associated with advanced technologies, the 

people are still the ones who moved the program, who ran the Network, and who left 

their legacies. More than anything else, the story of NASA’s Spaceflight Tracking 

and Data Network is about these unsung heroes of the space program. 

From the Chief Historian (continued) 

at the Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival, held on the National Mall. Over 

a two-week period in late June and early July, NASA fielded many exhibits and put 

together numerous panels to discuss the full range of NASA’s programs and the 

diverse people who make them happen. The History Division organized two “Why 

We Explore” panels that included Roger Launius, Mike Neufeld, and Paul Ceruzzi 

(all from the National Air and Space Museum [NASM]); Jim Garvin (Goddard 

Space Flight Center Chief Scientist); and me. All NASA Centers participated in the 

Festival, which has a reputation for its hot weather and exotic themes. 

Over the past year, our oral history team, Rebecca Wright and Sandra Johnson, 

have been hard at work undertaking interviews with Center Directors and senior 

management at Headquarters. The results will be published in a volume in the 

NASA History series entitled NASA at 50: Interviews with NASA Senior Leadership. 

This volume will present a snapshot of the hopes of NASA’s senior leadership, as 

well as perceived problems, in the Agency’s 50th year. 

Also in connection with NASA’s 50th anniversary, the History Division is making 

a concerted effort to place more material online, in accordance with the National 

Aeronautics and Space Act provision to make the results of NASA’s activities 

available to the widest public. Astronautics and Aeronautics Chronology, a day-byday chronology of National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and 

NASA events from 1915 to 1995, is now available at http://history.nasa.gov/series95. 

html#chron. Two other volumes bringing this “A&A” series up to date are currently 

being researched and written. In addition, our Chief Archivist, Jane Odom, and 

her archives team have been hard at work placing press kits, press releases, mission 

transcripts, and Administrator speeches online. You will find this wealth of material 

at https://mira.hq.nasa.gov/history/. Special thanks to Jane, Colin Fries, Liz Suckow, 

and John Hargenrader for making these additions possible. Many more history 

volumes are available online at http://history.nasa.gov/series95.html, where you will 

find that we have revamped the Web site (ably overseen by Steve Garber) in order to 

make these volumes more accessible. 

NASA’s 50th-anniversary activities will culminate with our conference “NASA’s 

First 50 Years: A Historical Perspective,” to be held 28–29 October in the NASA 

Headquarters auditorium. Administrator Mike Griffin will give the opening keynote 

speech on “NASA at 50,” followed by Howard McCurdy on “Inside NASA at 50,” 

continued on next page 

5

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

From the Chief Historian (continued) 

an update of his 1993 book Inside NASA. The program will also feature Lawrence 

Bergreen, well-known author of Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying 

Circumnavigation of the Globe (2003) and Voyage to Mars: Mankind’s Search for Life 

Beyond Earth. Over the course of two days at NASA Headquarters, historians will 

discuss NASA’s role in aeronautics, human spaceflight, space science, life science, 

and Earth science, as well as cross-cutting themes ranging from space access to 

international relations in space and NASA and the public. Among the questions to 

be addressed are these: What are the lessons learned from the first 50 years? What 

is NASA’s role in American culture and in the history of exploration and discovery? 

What if there had never been a NASA? Based on the past, does NASA have a future? 

The full agenda is printed elsewhere in this newsletter, and abstracts may be found at 

http://history.nasa.gov/50thannnasaconf/history_home.html. The meeting is free and 

open to the public and will be followed by published proceedings as usual. 

Fifty years ago, the National Aeronautics and Space Act creating NASA had just 

been signed on 29 July, and all of NASA’s potential energy was about to unfold as 

kinetic energy. While there have been disappointments (as expressed in the forthcoming proceedings of our “Remembering the Space Age” conference) and tragedies, one could hardly have imagined the triumphs that did in fact occur, both on 

the human and robotic side and in aeronautics. In this 50th-anniversary year alone, 

NASA has successfully launched three Shuttle missions, made major additions to 

the International Space Station with the European Columbus and Japanese Kibo 

modules, launched the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) observatory, and landed Phoenix on Mars (even as Spirit and Opportunity continue rolling); 

furthermore, it will undertake one of its most complex missions in October with the 

fifth Hubble servicing mission. It is surely a record to be proud of, even as NASA is 

implementing plans to return humans to the Moon and Mars. 

In closing, the NASA History Division is saddened to note the passing of Dr. Robert 

C. Seamans, Jr., on Saturday, 28 June. During a very distinguished career, Dr. 

Seamans served as the NASA Associate Administrator and Deputy Administrator 

during much of the Apollo era. A friend of the History Division and a devotee of 

history and the lessons that can be learned from it, he wrote two books in the NASA 

History series, an autobiography and a managerial account of the Apollo program, 

both available at http://history.nasa.gov/Biographies/seamans.html. You will also find 

there the Administrator’s statement on Dr. Seamans’s death, along with biographical information. It is no exaggeration to say that, although not an astronaut, in his 

own way Bob Seamans had “the right stuff.” 

Have a good summer! 

Steve Dick 

6

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

News from Headquarters and 

the Centers 

Headquarters Historical Reference Collection 

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

Reference Collection. She appraises material and directs the subsequent processing 

of collections. Jane continues to answer reference requests and facilitate the entry 

of our international visitors into the building. Additionally, she is publishing 

the remaining Administrators’ and Deputy Administrators’ speeches to the 

Headquarters Historical Reference Collection Web site. These speeches and other 

useful historical materials may be found at https://mira.hq.nasa.gov/history/.

Collectively, Colin Fries, John Hargenrader, and Liz Suckow all share reference 

duties, answering inquiries received by e-mail, assisting walk-in researchers, and 

assisting Jane with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. This quarter, they 

lent a hand to the Headquarters Library staff, helping them pack materials to be 

sent to the NASA Center for Aerospace Information for scanning. Liz and Colin 

worked together to complete the reprocessing of a 62-cubic-foot collection of human 

spaceflight reports (Gemini through Shuttle). 

Individually, Liz completed the appraisal of nearly 20 cubic feet of material recalled 

from the Federal Records Center related to the Electronics Research Center, a 

former NASA installation. She made copies of historically significant items from 

those boxes and added them to the Historical Reference Collection. Liz is also doing 

preservation photocopying of the biographical files of our earliest astronauts and 

rehousing the originals in archival-quality folders. She processed a small collection 

of Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences reports and appraised a 1-cubic-foot 

collection of Automated Information Systems Division (Code NT) chronological 

correspondence files. Additionally, Liz successfully completed training at the summer session of the National Archives’ Modern Archive Institute. 

John continues to scan 18 cubic feet of Office of Safety and Mission Assurance 

chronological correspondence files. He completed a preliminary inventory of the 

oral histories collected by Craig Waff for an unpublished deep space navigation history. He finished processing the J. D. Hunley Launch Vehicle Technology Collection 

and the Carl Pilcher Space Science Collection. John is adding and captioning new 

images for the GReat Images in NASA (GRIN) photo database. 

Colin continues to maintain and improve the History Division Web site and worked 

with the Headquarters Library staff and Information Center staff to update the 

ordering form on the Web for NASA 4000 Series publications. He recently processed 

a 12-cubic-foot collection of solar exploration material and a 2-cubic-foot collection 

of source files for a Goddard Space Flight Center history. He is currently processing 

a 7-cubic-foot collection of John Sloop materials. Colin continues to scan 9 cubic feet 

of the Office of External Relations chronological correspondence files. He helped 

fact-check a number of NASA 50th-anniversary items as well as the appendices for 

the 2007 Aeronautics and Space Report of the President. In May, Colin successfully 

completed a Dreamweaver Basics training course at Headquarters. 

continued on next page 

7

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

News from Headquarters and the Centers (continued) 

And finally, kudos to John and Colin, who were honored with a NASA Group 

Achievement Award at the Headquarters Awards Ceremony in May as part of a 

team that fact-checked the book America in Space: NASA’s First Fifty Years. 

Ames Research Center (ARC) 

Jack Boyd delivered the kickoff presentation for the NASA Ames Director’s 

Colloquia Summer Series. Organized by NASA Ames Chief Scientist Stephanie 

Langhoff, these colloquia draw huge audiences of summer interns and of Ames 

employees wanting to learn more about their colleagues in other divisions. Speakers 

give an overview of their careers, explore their role in the history of their disciplines, 

and help the interns understand how to build a career in science within NASA. In 

addition to Jack’s overview history of the Center, other history-infused presentations 

scheduled for the summer include James Arnold on entry vehicles, Lynn Rothschild 

on life in extreme environments, Louis Allamandola on infrared astrophysics, and 

David Des Marais on exploration for habitable environments. 

Jack Boyd and Glenn Bugos published an article entitled “Accelerating 

Entrepreneurial Space: The Case for an NACA-Style Organization” in Space Policy 

(August 2008). April Gage authored guidelines for citations to documents from the 

NASA Ames archival collections and produced a new summary of the collections. 

These are posted on a reorganized portion of the History Office Web site featuring 

finding aids to materials related to the history of NASA Ames (see http://history.arc. 

nasa.gov/finding_aids.htm). 

Intern Allison Tara Sundaram processed approximately 10 cubic feet of photographic and audiovisual material from the History Office’s largest collection, the 

Pioneer Project Records, 1952–96. Accumulated by the Pioneer program project 

office, the records depict the design, deployment, and data collection phases of the 

Pioneer 6–9, 10–11, and Venus spacecraft, such as contractor photographs depicting 

various stages of spacecraft assembly, snapshots of project teams, and images taken 

from the spacecraft (e.g., views of the planet Jupiter captured by Pioneer 10). Allison 

produced an inventory of the material, relocated it to a stable environment, rehoused 

and performed preservation measures on it (including painstaking measures to preserve approximately 7 cubic feet of photographs originally contained in 38 binders), 

and produced a container list describing the material to the folder and item level. 

Allison’s efforts will extend the lifespan of the records and greatly improve access to 

this rich portion of the collection. 

Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) 

Christian Gelzer has finished the draft of his truck fairing monograph, and copies 

are with outside readers for comment. 

Curtis Peebles’s The Spoken Word, vol. 2, Beyond the Sky, is in page layout, with an 

expected publication this fall. It is a collection of history interviews dealing with 

the (then) NASA Flight Research Center’s space-related activities, from the X-15 

through the first flight of the Shuttle. Meanwhile, he continues slogging through 

material for his comprehensive book on scramjets in NASA’s history. 

8

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

In June, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) published 

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

Blackbird. This is a technological case study and lessons-learned analysis of 

Lockheed’s A-12/YF-12/SR-71 family of aircraft, including NASA’s use of the 

airplanes as flying laboratories. It also includes a CD-ROM with additional 

documentation, photos, and video. The book primarily targets professional and 

student engineer audiences but may also be of interest to a general readership. 

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of NASA, he has assembled an exhibit 

called “Space Race to Space Partnership—The Evolution U.S.-Russian Relations 

in Orbit.” The display, containing artifacts and memorabilia from the past halfcentury of space exploration, is installed as a temporary exhibit in the Dryden 

Visitor’s Center through the end of December. 

Betty Love continues to sort material in the archive collection. She is currently 

making another pass at the Roy Bryant collection. Bryant was, at his 

retirement, the longest continuous NASA employee at the Center, having come 

to work for the NACA in the early 1950s. His career spanned five decades here. 

Glenn Research Center (GRC) 

After many long months of planning, the Glenn Research Center Archives has 

moved into its new home. The Center library, archives, learning center, records 

management, and forms area have all moved into a shared space that will be known 

as the “Knowledge Resources and Information Services” area. The processed collections of the archives are located within the library. Unprocessed collections and 

artifact storage are now in a separate area to provide a better working environment 

for researchers and our archivist. 

The new Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT) Web site, http://awt.grc.nasa.gov, was 

made available to the public in May. The home page has 360-degree, panoramic 

photographs of the interior and exterior of the tunnel. The Interactive History page 

launches a Flash multimedia piece that includes a detailed chronological history, 

facility layouts with photos, a documentary, related technical reports, and several 

hundred videos and images. 

The Facility section describes the wind tunnel and test chambers in detail. The pages 

include descriptions of the refrigeration system, control rooms, and other facility 

topics. The Mitigation pages describe the historical mitigation being done prior to 

the demolition of the facility. It includes related documents and photographs. The 

Research section has a two-part event timeline, a timeline of AWT/Space Power 

Chambers (SPC) tests, and PDFs of 21 historical documents. The Students pages 

include short narrated animations that describe how the AWT and SPC work, brief 

histories of wind tunnels and vacuum chambers, and glossaries. The Gallery page 

includes over 1,300 images, which have captions and high-resolution versions. 

Many thanks go to Bob Arrighi (WYLE) and the Logistics and Technical Information 

Division Information Technology Services and Imaging Technology Center for their 

hard work on creating these outstanding and informative AWT resources. 

continued on next page 

9

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

News from Headquarters and the Centers (continued) 

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) 

After several decades without a formal history program, Goddard Space Flight 

Center recently hired Glen Asner to serve as the Center’s Senior Historian. Glen 

is grateful to the following individuals at Goddard for their efforts to establish the 

position: Barbara Thompson, Chair of the History Committee; Mark Hess, Chief 

of Public Affairs; and Harley Thronson, Associate Director for Advanced Concepts 

and Planning. 

Glen began his career at NASA in December 2004 in the Headquarters History 

Division, where his responsibilities included overseeing the publication of history monographs, the Aeronautics and Space Report of the President, and News 

and Notes. He left the History Division in April 2007 to serve as an International 

Program Specialist in the Space Operations Division of the Headquarters Office of 

External Relations. Glen enjoyed his work in international relations, particularly 

his experience serving as the lead NASA official for the International Space Station 

Advisory Committee, but he is thrilled to get back to research and writing. 

Glen’s primary responsibility at Goddard is to write a brief history of the Center, 

focusing on its contributions to science, technology, and society. He also is working 

with Steve Garber to complete their joint study of the history of the Vision for Space 

Exploration. While Glen has few administrative responsibilities in his new position, he looks forward to coordinating with the Goddard History Committee and 

assisting the Office of Public Affairs in preparing for Goddard’s 50th anniversary 

in 2009. 

Johnson Space Center (JSC) 

The History Office at Johnson Space Center nears the completion of a pilot project 

being conducted at the request of the Center’s Chief Knowledge Officer. The Space 

Shuttle Program Tacit Knowledge Center project team conducted 20 interviews with 

current and former key members of the Shuttle Program to collect details of critical 

program decisions, information on management tools and processes, and lessons 

learned within area of expertise. The effort included talking with individuals at 

NASA Centers in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. 

The team also conducted oral history sessions with some of the NASA experts who 

participated in the recent Smithsonian Folklife Festival. These included famed 

climatologist Claire Parkinson from Goddard Space Flight Center; Jim Sokolik, 

head of the High Altitude Life Support Team, Dryden Flight Research Center; and 

Ron Woods, longtime spacesuit technician at Kennedy Space Center. In the near 

future, the transcripts of the interviews will be posted online as part of the NASA 

Headquarters Oral History Project. 

On 1 July, approximately 200 science, math, and technology teachers attended a presentation provided by the History Office. The educators were at JSC as participants 

in the U.S. Department of Education Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative Program. The 

history team presented a 40-minute multimedia presentation, designed especially 

10

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

for the teachers, entitled “NASA’s Science and Technology Through a Historical 

Lens.” Earlier this year, the History Office staff offered a brief program on the decisions impacting the origins of the space agency to local members of the National 

Management Association, and they facilitated an advanced oral history workshop 

at Rice University for 30 participants who were in Houston for the annual meeting 

of the Society of Southwest Archivists. 

Work is in progress at JSC on Legacy of the Space Shuttle: Scientific and Engineering 

Accomplishments, a 700-page book tentatively set to be published in 2010. The publication will be written by multiple authors, and JSC Historian Jennifer Ross-Nazzal 

is coauthoring four chapters for this book. These detail the 1) milestones, or history, 

of the program; 2) impact of the accidents on the program and lessons learned; 3) 

social and cultural impacts; and 4) economic impacts of the Shuttle on the aerospace 

industry from 1970 to 2010. 

Sandra Johnson, the History Office Production Coordinator, recognized the need 

for an Audio Digitization Project and began identifying at-risk audio CD recordings 

in the NASA JSC History Collection housed at the University of Houston-Clear 

Lake. She implemented a system including upgraded audio recording equipment 

and a digital audio workstation to meet the recommendations for digital audio 

preservation by various sound archive research centers, including the Library of 

Congress. Since January 2007, all oral history recordings have been “born digital” 

and processed as digital files. Earlier this year, she began a systematic effort to 

digitize all of the audio CDs within the JSC Collection, and, to date, more than 750 

digital conversions have been completed. 

Later this year, the History Office and the University of Houston Center for Public 

History will release a magazine as part of the university’s Houston History series. 

This issue honors the 50th anniversary of NASA by focusing on the Agency’s Center 

located in Houston during the years 1958–78. Included will be an interview with 

pioneer flight director Chris Kraft, articles on historic preservation efforts, and 

numerous images from the JSC archives. 

“NASA’s First 50 Years: 


A Historical Perspective” 


Conference


The purpose of this conference is a scholarly analysis of NASA’s first 50 years. Over 

two days at NASA Headquarters, historians will discuss NASA’s role in aeronautics, 

human spaceflight, space science, life science, and Earth science, as well as crosscutting themes ranging from space access to international relations in space and 

NASA and the public. You can access the NASA 50th Anniversary Conference Web 

site at http://history.nasa.gov/50thannnasaconf/index.html. 

continued on next page 

11

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

“NASA’s First 50 Years: A Historical Perspective” Conference (continued) 

Venue: NASA Headquarters Auditorium

300 E Street SW 

Washington, DC 20546 

Audience: NASA employees, scholars, and the general public in an auditorium that holds 

approximately 250 people. 

Agenda 

Day 1	 Tuesday, 18 October 2008 

Opening 

9:00 Keynote 1: NASA at 50

Michael Griffin (NASA Administrator) 

9:30 Keynote 2: Inside NASA at 50

Howard McCurdy (American University) 

Session I: Cross-Cutting Themes 

10:00 Fifty Years of NASA Administrators: Continuity and Change

W. H. Lambright (Syracuse University) 

10:30 Space Access: NASA’s Role in Developing Core Launch-Vehicle 

Technologies

J. D. Hunley 

11:00 NASA’s International Relations in Space

John Krige (Georgia Institute of Technology) 

11:30 NASA and the Public 

Linda Billings (SETI Institute) 

Session II: Aeronautics 

1:00 The Critical Transition from NACA to NASA: A Prosopographical Analysis

James Hansen (Auburn University) 

1:30 NASA Aeronautics: A Half-Century of Accomplishments

Tony Springer (NASA) 

2:00 Evolution of Aeronautics Research Methodology

Rob Ferguson 

2:30 NACA, NASA, and the Supersonic-Hypersonic Frontier

Richard P. Hallion (National Air and Space Museum) 

Session III: Human Spaceflight and Life Sciences 

3:00 50 Years of Human Spaceflight: Problems and Achievements

John Logsdon (George Washington University) 

12

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

3:30 From the Secret of Apollo to the Lessons of Failure: The Uses and Abuses 

of Systems Engineering at NASA

Stephen Johnson (University of Colorado and NASA) 

Day 2 Wednesday, 29 October 2008 

Session III (continued) 

9:00 The “von Braun Paradigm” and NASA’s Long-Term Planning for Human 

Spaceflight

Michael Neufeld (National Air and Space Museum) 

9:30 Life Sciences and Human Spaceflight

Maura Mackowski 

Session IV: Space Science 

10:00 Keynote 3: Voyages to Mars

Laurence Bergreen 

10:30 Transcendence and Meaning in the First 50 Years of Space Science

Roger Launius (National Air and Space Museum) 

11:00 Space Science and Disciplinary Change

David DeVorkin (National Air and Space Museum) 

11:30 Planetary Astronomy in the Inner Solar System

Joseph Tatarewicz (University of Maryland Baltimore County) 

12:00 NASA’s Grand Tours of the Outer Solar System

Michael Meltzer 

12:30 Deep-Space Navigation, Astronomy, and Geodesy: A Symbiotic 

Relationship

Andrew Butrica 

Session V: Earth Science and Applications 

2:00 The Development of NASA’s Earth Science Program, 1972–2006

Ed Goldstein (NASA) 

2:30 Earth Observations from Space: Achievements, Challenges, and Realities

James Fleming (Colby College) 

3:00 Planetary Science and Earth Science: A Symbiotic Relationship

Erik Conway (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) 

3:30 Keynote 4: Exploration, Discovery, and Culture: NASA’s Role in History

Steven Dick (NASA Chief Historian) 

13

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Forthcoming NASA History 

Publications 

Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil Space 

Program, Volume VII, Human Spaceflight: Projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo 

(SP-2008-4407), edited by John M. Logsdon with Roger D. Launius. The civil space 

program of the United States was one of the most significant activities of the latter 

half of the 20th century. Even at this juncture, only a little more than generation 

after the first orbital flights, the compelling nature of space exploration and the 

activity that it has engendered on the part of many people and government organizations make the U.S. civil space program a significant area of investigation. This 

will be the seventh volume in an eight-volume series of reference books essential for 

anyone interested in the history of the U.S. civil space program and its development 

over time. 

Rockets and People, Volume III: Hot Days of the Cold War (SP-2008-4110), by Boris 

Chertok. Much has been written in the West on the history of the Soviet space 

program, but few Westerners have read direct, first-hand accounts of the men and 

women who were behind the many Soviet accomplishments in exploring space. The 

memoir of Academician Boris Chertok, translated from the original Russian, fills 

that gap. In volume 1 of Rockets and People, Chertok described his early life as 

an aeronautical engineer and his adventures as a member of the Soviet team that 

searched postwar, occupied Germany for the remnants of the Nazi rocket program. 

Volume 2 gave an unprecedented view into the early days of the Soviet missile program and of the origins of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. In his latest 

volume, Chertok vividly outlines many of the events of the Soviet program leading 

up to Yuri Gagarin’s death in 1968. 

Remembering the Space Age: 50th Anniversary Conference Proceedings (SP-2008-

4703), edited by Steven J. Dick and Roger D. Launius. Fifty years ago, events were 

building toward what some historians now recognize as a watershed in history—the 

beginning of the Space Age. The NASA History Division and the National Air and 

Space Museum History Division recently sponsored a conference on the 50th anniversary of the Space Age, held in Washington, DC, 22–23 October 2007. Entitled 

“Remembering the Space Age,” the conference encompassed two main themes: the 

national and global dimensions of the Space Age and the remembrance and cultural 

representation of the Space Age. This upcoming publication contains the proceedings of the conference and will include papers, commentary, and reflections on the 

Space Age by 21 well-known authors. 

14

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

Out-of-Print NASA History Books 

To Be Available Through Dover 

Publications, Inc. 

The NASA History Division is pleased to announce that it has signed a nonreimbursable Space Act Agreement with Dover Publications, Inc., to reprint and sell 

certain out-of-print NASA History publications. This fall, Dover will be reprinting 

and selling three specific titles: 

Constance McLaughlin Green and Milton Lomask. Vanguard: A History. NASA 

SP-4202, 1970; rep. ed. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1971. 

Edward Clinton Ezell and Linda Neuman Ezell. On Mars: Exploration of the Red 

Planet, 1958–1978. NASA SP-4212, 1984. 

Courtney G. Brooks, James M. Grimwood, and Loyd S. Swenson, Jr. Chariots for 

Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft. NASA SP-4205, 1979. 

These attractive reprints will feature new introductions by Paul Dickson. For more 

information, see http://www.doverpublications.com or contact Steve Garber or Steve 

Dick (see contact information on the inside back cover of this newsletter). 

Other New Aerospace 

History Publications 

Compiled by Chris Gamble 

SPACE Base Europe, 2nd English edition, by Giuseppe Reibaldi and Giovanni 

Caprara (ESA BR-270, 2007). This book covers the development of the International 

Space Station (ISS) from its beginnings with the U.S. Skylab, the Russian Salyut 

and Mir, and the European Spacelab, to the present-day European and Japanese 

elements. It describes how astronauts live and work in space, the benefits of research 

in “weightlessness,” the role of Europe as a space power, and opportunities in space 

activities for young people. There are contributions by seven European astronauts, 

most of whom have firsthand experience of flying to the ISS. 

It’s ONLY Rocket Science: An Introduction in Plain English, by Lucy Rogers (Springer, 

March 2008). The author, herself a rocket scientist/engineer, describes, in everyday 

terms and entirely without complex math, just what is involved in launching something into space, from how to leave Earth—including the design of the rocket and 

vehicle, mission planning, navigation, and communication—to life in space and the 

effects of weightlessness. 

Canada’s Fifty Years in Space: The COSPAR Anniversary, by Gordon Shepherd and 

Agnes Kruchio (Apogee Books Space Series/Collector’s Guide Publishing, Inc., 

April 2008). Detailing the last 50 years of the Canadian space science program, this 

extensive history explores everything from the aurora borealis studies of the late 

continued on next page 

15

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Other New Aerospace History Publications (continued) 

1950s to the current Radarsat-1 and Canada’s involvement with the NASA Phoenix 

mission. The people behind the country’s spacecraft and programs, along with the 

long-overdue development of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), are thoroughly 

discussed, as well as the parallel growth of the Canadian space program and the 

Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). Never-before-published information on 

the ISIS-II satellite is also included. 

Titan Unveiled: Saturn’s Mysterious Moon Explored, by Ralph Lorenz and Jacqueline 

Mitton (Princeton University Press, April 2008). In the early 1980s, when the two 

Voyager spacecraft skimmed past Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, they transmitted 

back enticing images of a mysterious world concealed in a seemingly impenetrable 

orange haze. Titan Unveiled is one of the first general-interest books to reveal the 

startling new discoveries that have been made since the arrival of the CassiniHuygens mission to Saturn and Titan. In this generously illustrated book with 

many stunning images, Ralph Lorenz gives an insider’s account of the scientific 

community’s first close encounter with an alien landscape of liquid methane seas 

and turbulent orange skies. 

The Solar System Beyond Neptune, edited by M. A. Barucci, H. Boehnhardt, 

D. P. Cruikshank, and A. Morbidelli (University of Arizona Space Science Series, 

University of Arizona Press, April 2008). A new frontier in our solar system opened 

with the discovery of the Kuiper Belt and the extensive population of icy bodies 

orbiting beyond Neptune. Today the study of all of these bodies, collectively referred 

to as trans-Neptunian objects, reveals them to be frozen time capsules from the 

earliest epochs of solar system formation. This new volume in the Space Science 

Series, with 100 contributing authors, offers the most detailed and up-to-date 

picture of our solar system’s farthest frontier. 

Fundamentals of Aerospace Medicine, 4th edition, edited by Jeffrey R. Davis, Robert 

Johnson, Jan Stepanek, and Jennifer A. Fogarty (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 

April 2008). This comprehensive text addresses all medical and public health issues 

involved in the care of crews, passengers, and support personnel of aircraft and 

space vehicles. Coverage includes human physiology under flight conditions, clinical 

medicine in the aerospace environment, and the impact of the aviation industry on 

global public health. This edition features new chapters on radiation, toxicology and 

microbiology, dental considerations in aerospace medicine, women’s health issues, 

commercial human spaceflight, space exploration, and unique aircraft. Other highlights include significant new information on respiratory diseases, cardiovascular 

medicine, infectious disease transmission, and human response to acceleration. 

Keep Watching the Skies!: The Story of Operation Moonwatch and the Dawn of the 

Space Age, by W. Patrick McCray (Princeton University Press, April 2008). When 

the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, thousands of ordinary people across the 

globe seized the opportunity to participate in the start of the Space Age. Known as 

the “Moonwatchers,” these largely forgotten citizen-scientists helped professional 

astronomers by providing critical and otherwise unavailable information about the 

first satellites. In Keep Watching the Skies!, Patrick McCray tells the story of this 

network of pioneers who, fuelled by civic pride and exhilarated by space exploration, 

took part in the 20th century’s biggest scientific endeavor. Drawing on previously 

unexamined letters, photos, scrapbooks, and interviews, Keep Watching the Skies! 

recreates a pivotal event from a perspective never before examined—that of ordinary 

people who leaped at a chance to take part in the excitement of space exploration. 

16

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

Digital Apollo: Human, Machine, and Space, by David A. Mindell (MIT Press, May 

2008). As Apollo 11’s Lunar Module descended toward the Moon under automatic 

control, a program alarm in the guidance computer’s software nearly caused a mission abort. Neil Armstrong responded by switching off the automatic mode and 

taking direct control. He stopped monitoring the computer and began flying the 

spacecraft, relying on skill to land it and earning praise for a triumph of human 

over machine. In Digital Apollo, engineer-historian David Mindell takes this famous 

moment as a starting point for an exploration of the relationship between humans 

and computers in the Apollo program. In each of the six Apollo lunar landings, the 

astronaut in command seized control from the computer and landed with his hand 

on the stick. Mindell recounts the story of astronauts’ desire to control their spacecraft in parallel with the history of the Apollo Guidance Computer. From the early 

days of aviation through the birth of spaceflight, test pilots and astronauts sought 

to be more than “Spam in a can” despite the automatic controls, digital computers, 

and software developed by engineers. Drawing on transcripts and data telemetry 

from the flights, astronaut interviews, and NASA’s extensive archives, Digital Apollo 

examines the design and execution of each of the six Apollo Moon landings. 

Preludes to U.S. Space Launch Vehicle Technology: Goddard’s Rockets to Minuteman 

III and U.S. Space Launch Vehicle Technology: Viking to Space Shuttle, by J. D. 

Hunley (University Press of Florida, April 2008). For nearly 50 years, a wide range 

of missiles and rockets have propelled U.S. satellites and spacecraft into the sky. 

J. D. Hunley’s two-volume work traces the evolution of this technology, from Robert 

Goddard’s research in the 1920s, through the development of the Titan missiles and 

launch vehicles in the 1960s, to the refinement of the Space Shuttle in the 1980s. 

With his first book devoted to military hardware and his second book devoted 

primarily to launch vehicle hardware, Hunley offers a sweeping overview of these 

impressive engineering innovations as well as insights into the dynamic personalities 

responsible for them. Together, the two volumes offer a unique, invaluable history of 

rocketry that should appeal to a wide range of scholars and space buffs. 

Floating to Space: Opportunities in the Untapped Sky, by John M. Powell (Apogee 

Books Space Series/Collector’s Guide Publishing, Inc., May 2008). Challenging 

the reader to consider what is possible, this book reveals an entirely new concept 

for getting into space—Airship to Orbit (ATO). Photographs and details are 

provided from the nearly 100 development flights conducted so far, along with new 

findings such as life 20 miles up and mile-high plasma volcanoes. The blueprints 

and economic details of hypersonic airships and cities floating at the edge of space 

are all included, bringing the subject out of scientific journals and fantasy pages 

and into the public eye. 

The Universe in a Mirror: The Saga of the Hubble Space Telescope and the Visionaries 

Who Built It, by Robert Zimmerman (Princeton University Press, May 2008). The 

Universe in a Mirror tells the story of the Hubble Space Telescope and the visionaries 

responsible for its extraordinary accomplishments. Zimmerman shows how many 

of the telescope’s advocates sacrificed careers and family to get it launched and how 

others devoted their lives to Hubble only to have their hopes and reputations shattered when its mirror was found to be flawed. This is the story of an idea that would 

not die—and of the dauntless human spirit. Illustrated with striking color images, 

The Universe in a Mirror describes the heated battles between scientists and bureaucrats, the perseverance of astronauts to repair and maintain the telescope, and much 

continued on next page 

17

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Other New Aerospace History Publications (continued) 

more. Hubble, along with the men and women behind it, opened a rare window onto 

the universe, dazzling humanity with sights never before seen. 

SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History, by Dan Linehan, foreword by Arthur C. 

Clarke (Zenith Press, May 2008). This book chronicles the development of the 

world’s first commercial crewed space program—a program that includes an airborne launcher (the White Knight), a spaceship (SpaceShipOne), rocket propulsion, 

avionics, a simulator, and full ground support. With ample illustrations, photographs, and behind-the-scenes information, SpaceShipOne provides a full picture 

of this project—from the conception and design, to the deals that brought together 

Scaled Composites’ Burt Rutan and Virgin Airlines’ Sir Richard Branson, to the 

plans for building a fleet of commercial suborbital spaceships and launch aircraft. 

Jane’s Space Recognition Guide, by Peter Bond (Collins, May 2008). This book 

contains a selection of over 500 satellites, spacecraft, and launch vehicles (rockets), 

with information on purpose, operations, specifications, and a brief type history. 

The entries (each with a color picture) are split into Historic Missions (to include 

Sputnik, Apollo, Mir, and Voyager), Historic Launchers, Space Organizations 

(to include NASA, the European Space Agency [ESA], and the Japan Aerospace 

Exploration Agency [JAXA]), Launchers, Current Spacecraft Programmers, Manned 

Spaceflight, and Futures. This is a most comprehensive guide and a stunning tribute 

to the exploration of space. 

Salyut—The First Space Station: Triumph and Tragedy, by Grujica S. Ivanovich 

(Praxis, May 2008). This book offers a unique insight into the people involved in 

the development of the Salyut space station and the crews assigned to operate it. It 

describes the rotation between the crews, analyzes the decision to send the backup 

crew on Soyuz 11, and recounts the intrigues and difficult relationships between 

all the personalities involved: politicians, managers, designers, generals, and cosmonauts. Biographies of the Soyuz 11 cosmonauts are published for the first time 

in English. Grujica Ivanovich describes the longest piloted space mission of the 

time and then gives a unique summary of the most tragic day in the Soviet/Russian 

human space program. An investigation into the cause of the tragic deaths of the 

Soyuz 11 cosmonauts precedes a description of the post-Salyut era, showing how the 

legacy of the first space station has survived for decades. 

Principles of Clinical Medicine for Space Flight, edited by Michael Barratt and Sam 

Pool (Springer, May 2008). Advances over the past decades in spaceflight technology have allowed U.S., Russian, and other space programs not only to increase the 

frequency of piloted spaceflights, but also to increase the duration of these flights. 

As such, a large body of knowledge has been developed regarding the ways in which 

spaceflight affects the health of the personnel involved. Now, for the first time, this 

body of clinical knowledge on how to diagnose and treat conditions that develop 

either during a mission or because of a mission has been compiled by Drs. Michael 

Barratt and Sam L. Pool of the NASA Johnson Space Center. Complete with 

detailed information on the physiological and psychological effects of spaceflight 

and on how to diagnose and treat health issues encountered during spaceflight, from 

dental concerns to decompression to dermatological problems, this text is a musthave for all those associated with aerospace medicine. 

Italy in Space. Looking for a Strategy 1957–1975, by Michaelangelo De Maria 

and Lucia Orlandi (Paris: Beauchesne Editeur, 2008). Since the late 1950s, Italy 

18

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

moved on toward the building of national space institutions and, at the same time, 

cooperated in the creation of the European space organizations while fostering 

bilateral cooperation with United States. The story of the development of the two 

major national programs, the San Marco project and the Satellite Italiano Ricerca 

Industriale Orientata (SIRIO) project, which were the hallmark of about two decades, 

the 1960s and the 1970s, is reconstructed, following the parallel growth of Italy’s 

engagement in the scientific as well as institutional activities of European bodies. 

For the first time, the relations among science, military, politics, and economics are 

explored, in order to understand why the “Italy of records”—the nation that became 

the first country, following the United States and USSR, to put a national satellite 

into orbit, operated by an all-Italian team—betrayed this promising start. 

Space Psychology and Psychiatry, 2nd edition, by N. Kanas and D. Manzey 

(Springer—Space Technology Library, May 2008). This book deals with psychological, psychiatric, and psychosocial issues that affect people who live and work 

in space, with an emphasis on the findings from psychological research conducted 

during actual space missions. What is presented in this readable text has previously 

been found only in scientific journal articles. Topics that are discussed include 

behavioral adaptation to space; human performance and cognitive effects; crewmember interactions; psychiatric responses; psychological countermeasures related 

to habitability factors, design, selection, training, and in-flight monitoring and support; and the impact of expeditionary missions to Mars and beyond. 

From Laika with Love, by Duane Graveline, contribution by Fred Kelly (Duane 

Graveline MD MPH, May 2008). This book reveals the extraordinary life and 

achievements of Duane Graveline, M.D., M.P.H., a Vermont family doctor, aerospace medical research scientist, U.S. Air Force (USAF) flight surgeon, and former 

NASA scientist-astronaut (NASA Group 4—1965). In 1957, while Graveline was 

studying at Johns Hopkins University, the Soviet Union followed up its stunning 

earlier achievement of launching the first satellite into space by sending a research 

dog named Laika, monitored by instruments, into orbit aboard Sputnik II. Becoming a flight surgeon and conducting space medical research was almost an inevitable 

career path for Graveline, and he soon found himself in the super-secret USAF 

Foreign Technology Division as an analyst for Soviet bioastronautics. During this 

time, he was the flight surgeon who reviewed not only Laika’s biotelemetry, but also, 

later, that of cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov. His analysis team broke 

out the secret biodata monitor that enabled the entire NASA tracking network to 

monitor the cosmonauts on Voskhod 2, at a time when the Soviets had amassed 292 

crewed Earth orbits to 31 for the United States. 

Space Policy and Exploration, edited by William N. Callmers (Nova Science 

Publishers, May 2008). This new book presents a wide spectrum of in-depth analyses 

detailing aspects of the U.S. space program including policy, the space stations, the 

Shuttles, and space exploration. 

Science with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array: A New Era for Astrophysics, edited 

by Rafael Bachiller and José Cernicharo (Springer, June 2008). Currently under construction in the Andean Altiplano, northern Chile, the Atacama Large Millimeter 

Array (ALMA) is the most ambitious astronomy facility under construction. ALMA 

is a radio interferometer composed of 54 12-meter-diameter antennas and 12 7-meter 

antennas, with about 6,600 square meters of total collecting area. Initially covering 

the most interesting spectral wavelength ranges from 3 to 0.3 millimeters, ALMA 

continued on next page 

19

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Other New Aerospace History Publications (continued) 

will be a revolutionary telescope aimed to unveil the details of star and planet formation and to provide astronomers with the first exhaustive view of the darkest and 

youngest objects of the universe. This book describes the enormous capabilities of 

ALMA, the state of the project, and, most notably, the scientific prospects of such a 

unique facility. The book includes comprehensive reviews and recent results on most 

hot topics of modern astronomy (the formation and evolution of galaxies, the physics and chemistry of the interstellar medium, and the processes of star and planet 

formation), along with possible revolutionary results to be obtained with ALMA. 

These topics, discussed with special emphasis on millimeter and submillimeter 

astronomy, are presented by scientists with worldwide reputations in their fields. 

Small Satellites for Earth Observation, edited by Rainer Sandau, Hans-Peter Röser, 

and Arnoldo Valenzuela (Springer, June 2008). The material provided was collected 

from the 6th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation, initiated by 

the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and hosted by DLR, the German 

Aerospace Center. The participation of scientists, engineers, and managers from 24 

countries reflected the high interest in the use of small satellites for dedicated missions in Earth observation. As in the previous symposia, the contributions showed 

that dedicated Earth-observation missions cover a wide range of very different 

tasks. These missions provide increased opportunities for access to space and can be 

conducted relatively quickly and inexpensively. The spacecraft bus, the instruments, 

and the ground systems can be based either on optimized off-the-shelf systems with 

little or no requirements for new technology or on new high-technology designs. 

Cosmos: An Illustrated History of Astronomy and Cosmology, revised edition, by 

John North (University of Chicago Press, July 2008). In Cosmos, the author offers 

a sweeping historical survey of the two sciences that help define our place in the 

universe: astronomy and cosmology. Organizing his history chronologically, North 

begins by examining Paleolithic cave drawings that clearly chart the phases of the 

Moon. He then investigates scientific practices in the early civilizations of Egypt, 

Greece, China, and the Americas (among others), whose inhabitants developed 

sophisticated methods to record the movements of the planets and stars. Trade 

routes and religious movements, North notes, brought these ancient styles of scientific thinking to the attention of later astronomers, whose own theories—such as 

Copernicus’s planetary theory—led to the Scientific Revolution. The work of master 

astronomers, including Ptolemy, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, is described in 

detail, as are modern-day developments in astrophysics, such as the advent of radio 

astronomy, the brilliant innovations of Einstein, and the many recent discoveries 

brought about with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope. This new edition brings 

North’s seminal book right up to the present day, as North takes a closer look at last 

year’s reclassification of Pluto as a “dwarf” planet and gives a thorough overview of 

current research. 

20

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

New Online Resources


NASA History Web Sites 

The NASA History Division is pleased to include the Astronautics and Aeronautics 

chronology series online in PDF format on the NASA History Series Publications 

Web site. The online availability of these publications is an invaluable resource as 

many of the Astronautics and Aeronautics chronologies are now out of print. The 

series relates the events in aeronautics, aviation, space science, and space exploration spanning the years 1915 to 1995. Links to the books are available at http:// 

history.nasa.gov/series95.html#chron. 

Also available online for this first time is T. A. Heppenheimer’s Facing the Heat 

Barrier: A History of Hypersonics (NASA SP-2007-4232). Hypersonics is the study 

of flight at speeds where aerodynamic heating dominates the physics of atmospheric 

entry. It is an engineering science with close links to supersonics and engine design. 

Within this field, many of the most important results have been experimental. The 

principal facilities have been wind tunnels and related devices, which have produced 

flows with speeds of up to orbital velocity. This publication is now accessible through 

a three-part PDF at http://history.nasa.gov/what.html#online. 

In addition, a number of past publications and monographs are now available online 

and are fully searchable (please note that the file size on some of the PDFs is rather 

large and they may take a couple of minutes to load): 

Women in Flight Research at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center from 1946 to 1995, 

Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 6, 1997, by Sheryll Goecke Powers, at http:// 

history.nasa.gov/monograph6.pdf. 

Memoirs of an Aeronautical Engineer: Flight Tests at Ames Research Center: 1940–1970, 

Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 26, NASA SP-2002-4526, 2002, by Seth B. 

Anderson, at http://history.nasa.gov/monograph26.pdf. 

Innovation in Flight: Research of the NASA Langley Research Center on Revolutionary 

Advanced Concepts for Aeronautics, Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 39, NASA 

SP-2005-4539, 2005, by Joseph R. Chambers, at http://history.nasa.gov/monograph39/ 

mon39_a.pdf. 

The Difficult Road to Mars: A Brief History of Mars Exploration in the Soviet Union, 

Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 15, 1999, by V. G. Perminov, at http://www. 

hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/monograph15.pdf. This monograph is also available in 

a two-part PDF: 

http://history.nasa.gov/monograph15a.pdf


http://history.nasa.gov/monograph15b.pdf


NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. I: NASA Resources, 1958–1968, NASA SP-4012, 1976, 

rep. ed. 1988, by Jane Van Nimmen and Leonard C. Bruno, with Robert L. Rosholt, 

at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4012v1.pdf. 

NASA Historical Data Book, Vol. II: Programs and Projects, 1958–1968, NASA SP-4012, 

1988, by Linda Neuman Ezell, at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4012v2.pdf. 

continued on next page 

21

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

New Online Resources (continued) 

An Administrative History of NASA, 1958–1963, NASA SP-4101, 1966, by Robert L. 

Rosholt, at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4101.pdf. 

From Runway to Orbit: Reflections of a NASA Engineer, NASA SP-2004-4109, 2004, by 

Kenneth W. Illiff and Curtis L. Peebles, at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4109.pdf. 

Shared Voyage: Learning and Unlearning from Remarkable Projects, NASA SP-2005-

4111, 2005, by Alexander Laufer, Todd Post, and Edward Hoffman, at http://history. 

nasa.gov/SP-4111.pdf. 

Venture into Space: Early Years of Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA SP-4301, 

1985, by Alfred Rosenthal, at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4301.pdf. 

Flights of Discovery: An Illustrated History of the Dryden Flight Research Center, 

NASA SP-4309, 1996, by Lane E. Wallace. This book is a three-part PDF: 

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4309pt1.pdf


http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4309pt2.pdf 


http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4309pt3.pdf


Crafting Flight: Aircraft Pioneers and the Contributions of the Men and Women of 

NASA Langley Research Center, NASA SP-2003-4316, 2003, by James Schultz, at 

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4316.pdf. 

Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945–1974, NASA SP-2000-

4408, 2000, by Asif A. Siddiqi. This book is a two-part PDF: 

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4408pt1.pdf


http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4408pt2.pdf


The following publications are in HTML format: 

A Spacefaring People: Perspectives on Early Spaceflight, NASA SP-4405, 1985, by Alex 

Roland, at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4405.pdf. 

To See the Unseen: A History of Planetary Radar Astronomy, NASA SP-4218, 1996, by 

Andrew J. Butrica, at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4218/sp4218.htm. 

Wingless Flight: The Lifting Body Story, NASA SP-4220, 1998, by Dale R. Reed, at 

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4220/sp4220.htm. 

Wallops Station and the Creation of an American Space Program, NASA SP-4311, 1997, 

by Harold D. Wallace, Jr., at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4311/sp4311.htm. 

Way Station to Space: A History of the John C. Stennis Space Center, NASA SP-4310, 

1997, by Mack R. Herring, at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4310/sp4310.htm.

“We Freeze to Please:” A History of NASA’s Icing Research Tunnel and the Quest for 

Safety, NASA SP-2002-4226, 2002, by William M. Leary, at http://history.nasa.gov/ 

sp4226.pdf. 

Apollo 204 Review Board Report Appendices at http://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/ 

content.html. 

22

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil Space Program, Volume 1, Organizing for Exploration, NASA SP-4407, 1995, edited by John M. 

Logsdon with Linda J. Lear, Jannelle Warren Findley, Ray A. Williamson, and Dwayne 

A. Day, at http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4407/vol1/intro.pdf. 

Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil Space 

Program, Volume 2, External Relationships, NASA SP-4407, 1996, edited by John 

M. Logsdon, Dwayne A. Day, and Roger D. Launius, at http://history.nasa.gov/ 

SP-4407/vol2/v2intro.pdf. 

NASA’s National Historic 

Landmarks 

The National Park Service (NPS) manages the National Register of Historic Places 

(NRHP): over 80,000 buildings, districts, structures and objects that are significant 

to America’s history. Of these, approximately 2,900 are National Historic Landmarks 

(NHLs). Although NASA’s accomplishments in aeronautical research, science, and 

space exploration are well documented, less is known about the historic buildings and 

structures that support and enable these accomplishments. This series provides an 

overview of NASA’s 20 NHLs. This issue features NASA’s 26-meter Pioneer Antenna 

located at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California. 

From Lunar Probe Tracking to Deep Space Communications: 

Pioneer Antenna 

Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, California 

By Tina Norwood 

The 26-meter Pioneer Antenna is located at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC), California. The complex is located at Fort Irwin and is 

managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for NASA. Initially part of the 

Deep Space Instrumentation Facility (designated DSIF 11) and later designated 

Deep Space Station 11 (DSS 11), the antenna is named after the program it first 

supported, the lunar probe program, Pioneer. It is still known today as the Pioneer 

Antenna. It was America’s first deep space tracking antenna, first in NASA’s Deep 

Space Network (DSN). 

The DSN comprises communication stations currently located in Goldstone, 

California; Australia; and Spain. The DSN provides communications for all deep 

space missions, eliminating the need for each project to build its own communications 

network. It is well known that these ground stations are located approximately 120° 

latitude apart to enable continuous communications with spacecraft probing our 

solar system. Less is known about the 26-meter Pioneer Antenna and why it is a 

National Historic Landmark. 

continued on next page 

23

NASA HISTORY DIVISION

24

Quarterly Series: NASA’s National Historic Landmarks (continued)

In February 1958, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) was established 

and charged with managing military and civilian space programs until Congress 

established a civilian space management agency. In March, the United States 

planned a lunar space program, Pioneer, as part of the International Geophysical 

Year (IGY) activities. ARPA directed the program, which entailed three launches 

by the U.S. Air Force, Pioneers 0, 1, and 2 (also known as Able 1, 2, and 3), and two 

by the U.S. Army, Pioneers 3 and 4. Under contract with the Army Ballistic Missile 

Agency (ABMA), JPL supported Pioneers 3 and 4. ABMA provided the launch 

vehicle, and JPL developed the upper stages and the satellites.

Accelerated and competitive design was fueled by the space race and benefited from 

the synergy generated by the success of America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, launched 

31 January 1958 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. There are many sources indicating that Goldstone played a role in tracking Explorer 1, supposedly by providing 

the first confirmation that the satellite was in orbit. This is not the case. Explorer 

1 was tracked through a global network known as Microlock and supported by 

the British. Signals were received by stations in Florida, Singapore, Nigeria, and 

California. Services from the overseas stations were isolated and depended on “runners” to transport messages and tapes to the nearest telegraph office. Despite being 

primitive, these stations provided telemetry that enabled the orbit of Explorer 1 to 

be plotted by JPL. 

Though the Explorer flights provided confirmation of the need for ground-based 

tracking systems, JPL knew Microlock was not suitable for tracking lunar probes. 

Under the leadership of JPL’s communications chief, Eberhardt Rechtin, a steerable 

26-meter-diameter parabolic dish antenna 

was selected as the best choice for the Pioneer 

lunar missions and the future planetary 

exploration program. The new tracking and 

telemetry system was designed to operate 

at 960 MHz, a much higher frequency than 

used to track the Explorers. With the goal 

of supporting Pioneer, ARPA purchased 

three 26-meter antennas. The priority was to 

connect one antenna in the United States with 

the other two to form what ARPA termed 

a “World Net.” In addition to the Pioneer 

Antenna (DSIF 11) in California, the other 

two original 26-meter antennas were built in 

Woomera, Australia (DSIF 41), and South 

Africa (DSIF 51). DSIF 41 supported the 

DSN until December 1972, and DSIF 51 until 

June 1974.

In his book, Uplink-Downlink: A History 

of the Deep Space Network, 1957–1997 

(NASA SP-2001-4227), Douglas J. Mudgway 

attributes the 26-meter antenna design to the 

emerging science of radio astronomy being 

developed by the Naval Research Laboratory 

with assistance from Carnegie Institute, The Pioneer Antenna under construction on 28 August 

1958. (JPL File Photo JB1969B) 
VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

Technicians inspect Pioneer 3, the first probe the Pioneer Antenna 

tracked. (JPL File Photo 314-3944b) 

Associated Universities, and the 

Blaw-Knox Company. In the 1984 

NHL nomination form for the 

Pioneer Antenna, the National Park 

Service cites the antenna as being 

patterned after radio astronomy 

antennas then in use by the Carnegie 

Institute in Washington and the 

University of Michigan. It also 

outlines significant differences in 

design, such as the incorporation 

of a closed-loop device to allow the 

antenna to provide automatic and 

continuous contact with spacecraft 

(see http://www.nps.gov/history/ 

history/online_books/butowsky4/ 

index.htm). 

The location selected for the first 

antenna was Fort Irwin, a military 

reservation located 45 miles northwest of Barstow, California. Located in the heart 

of the Mojave Desert near the Goldstone Dry Lake, ARPA’s selection of governmentowned land supported the funding and schedule restrictions while also meeting two 

principal stipulations: that the location be remote enough to provide isolation from 

humanmade electrical and commercial radio and television interference and that the 

terrain be a natural bowl shape. Construction of access roads and support facilities 

began in April 1958, and antenna components began arriving at the site in June. 

The assembly of the antenna also followed an accelerated schedule, commencing 

in August. Before construction was completed in November, Executive Order 

(EO) 10783 established NASA effective 1 October 1958. Then, on 3 December, EO 

10793 transferred the functions of JPL from the U.S. Army to NASA. Three days 

later, on 6 December 1958, Pioneer 3 was launched. This was the first mission the 

Pioneer Antenna supported, along with a mobile tracking station in Puerto Rico. 

The spacecraft contributed to the major scientific discovery of bands of radiation 

around Earth, the Van Allen Belts. Although the probe failed to reach the projected 

altitude, the new Goldstone antenna was successful, acquiring telemetry for the 

entire time the probe was above its horizon, tracking it 63,500 miles from Earth. 

In 1959, Dr. William Pickering, then Director of JPL, gave a presentation at the 

Seventh International Meeting of Communications Engineers in Italy entitled 

“Communications with a Lunar Rocket.” He used the Pioneer space mission and 

new 26-meter antenna to emphasize that as rockets became available to launch 

spacecraft into deep space orbits, the communications engineers would play a key 

role in the success of missions. 

The Pioneer Antenna remained in service until 1981. For 23 years, the Pioneer 

Antenna tracked a wide range of NASA missions, including Pioneer, Echo, Ranger, 

Lunar Orbiter, Surveyor, Apollo, Helios, Mariner, Viking, and Voyager. Although 

it was originally designed only to track probes as a receiver, upgrades enabled twoway communications including deep space command and navigation. According to 

Dr. Barry Geldzahler, DSN Program Executive, NASA Headquarters, the Pioneer 

continued on next page 

25 
NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Quarterly Series: NASA’s National Historic Landmarks (continued) 

Antenna was associated with numerous exploration milestones and complex communication capabilities. In 1959, the Pioneer Antenna successfully tracked Pioneer 

4, the first United States spacecraft to leave Earth’s orbit. In 1962, as part of the DSN, 

the Pioneer Antenna successfully commanded Mariner 2 to extend its solar panels 

and adjust its trajectory, thereby allowing it a close pass of Venus. It was heralded 

as the first time scientific data were received directly from the vicinity of another 

planet, earning the JPL/NASA team a visit to the White House in January 1963. In 

1964, Ranger 7 impressed the world with spectacular images of the lunar surface 

as a JPL announcer relayed events directly from Goldstone. The construction of a 

64-meter antenna at Goldstone began in late 1963 and was completed in 1966. This 

antenna was used as the primary video link for the Apollo missions, with all data 

routed through the Manned Space Flight Network Apollo station. The Pioneer 

Station had a “Manned Space Flight” wing added to allow the Pioneer Antenna 

to provide backup support during the Apollo missions. In 1978, the 26-meter Echo 

antenna was expanded to 34 meters with the addition of X-band capability. By 1986, 

Goldstone had the new 34-meter High Efficiency antenna and the DSN was using 

“real-time combining” to array the antennas to bring back data from the Voyager 2 

spacecraft during the encounter at Uranus. By 1989, the 64-meter Mars antenna had 

been upgraded to 70 meters to support the Voyager 2 encounter at Neptune. 

In 1978, NASA erected a plaque at the Pioneer Antenna in recognition of the important contributions the antenna made to the DSN and the people who operated the 

antenna. The NPS named the antenna a National Historic Landmark in October 

1985 as part of the Man-in-Space NHL Theme Study. The nomination states, 

The Pioneer Station antenna represents the first generation of 

26-meter antennas that enabled NASA to solve the technical 

problems of tracking deep space probes. Although it has now been 

superseded by newer and more efficient antennas it was the first, the 

prototype for the entire system. Features incorporated into the latest 

generation of 64-m antennas that enable NASA to track Pioneer 

and Voyager Spacecraft to the very edge of the Solar system and 

beyond were first developed and proven at the Pioneer Station. 

The fate of the Pioneer Antenna is unknown. It has been permanently retired because 

it is not capable of supporting future DSN needs. All satellite communications 

equipment in the support buildings has been removed. The antenna remains on 

Army property, currently used for urban warfare training. The City of Barstow 

and the Barstow Community College have approached NASA about the possible 

relocation of the Pioneer Antenna. They are seeking a state bond to support a 

proposed Center for Science and Technology (COSAT) as a regional Smithsonianaffiliated center and museum. Relocated in the middle of the learning center and 

museum, the Pioneer Antenna would provide a visual beacon and testimony to the 

region’s contribution to space exploration. 

Peter Robles, NASA’s Historic Preservation Officer (HPO) at JPL, states that if 

Barstow Community College receives state funding to construct COSAT, NASA 

would then initiate formal consultation as required under the National Historic 

Preservation Act to support the donation of this Pioneer Antenna to the college. 

According to Mr. Robles, “NASA continues to use many of our NHLs across 

the agency. However, the Pioneer Antenna is technologically obsolete and cannot 

be upgraded to support the agency’s mission. I therefore support the donation of 

26

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

the Pioneer Antenna to the Barstow Community 

College. It would make the NHL accessible to the 

public and support local tourism.” The donation 

would also be consistent with the federal stewardship 

charge given by EO 13287, Preserve America. The 

EO places responsibility on the federal government 

to assist local communities in promoting the use of 

historic properties for heritage tourism and related 

economic development in a manner that contributes 

to the long-term preservation and productive use of 

those historic properties. 

Information for this article was obtained from UplinkDownlink: A History of the Deep Space Network, 

1957–1997 (NASA SP-2001-4227) and William H. 

Pickering, America’s Deep Space Pioneer (NASA 

SP-2007-4113), both by Douglas J. Mudgway, as 

well as from NASA JPL personnel and publications. 

For additional information, contact Peter Robles, 

NASA’s HPO at JPL, at Peter.Robles@nasa.gov or 

Tina Norwood, NASA Federal Preservation Officer, 

at tnorwood@hq.nasa.gov. 

The Pioneer Antenna operating at night during November 

1964. (JPL Photo Number P4124A) 

Annual NASA History 

Program Review 

By Gail Langevin 

Participants in NASA’s History Program gathered at Langley Research Center from 29 April 

to 1 May to review activities of the past year 

and discuss mutual concerns. Historians from 

the Air Force’s Air Combat Command and 

1st Tactical Wing at Langley Air Force Base 

joined the conference, as well as folks from 

NASA’s Historic Building team. 

Mark Shuart, Senior Advisor for Composite 

Materials, welcomed attendees and provided 

a brief overview of Langley Research Center, 

the nation’s first civilian aeronautical laboratory. Steve Dick, NASA Chief Historian, then 

detailed the History Division budget and strategic plan. Included in the presentation were 

accomplishments associated with each of the 

History program’s eight goals. It was noted that the NASA History Division’s Web 

site (http://history.nasa.gov) had had a total of 77,574,617 hits in 2007 and that GRIN, 

the historic images Web site, had had 7,966,850 hits. 

NASA Chief Historian Steven J. Dick addresses the 

group. (Source: NASA/Steven J. Dick) 

continued on next page 

27

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Annual NASA History Program Review (continued) 

Archivist Elaine Liston speaks on behalf of Kennedy 

Space Center. (Source: NASA/Steven J. Dick) 

Jane Odom, Chief Archivist, reported that 

approximately 240 researchers had visited 

the NASA Headquarters Archives in the 

past year. These researchers included representatives from institutions like the Library 

of Congress, the Leichhardt Library in 

Australia, and the University of Cumbria in 

the United Kingdom. Thirty-five cubic feet 

of material was added to the archive, including an audio recording and transcript of an 

interview with Wernher von Braun. Over 100 

cubic feet of material was processed by the 

History Division staff in order to make this 

material more accessible to staff and visitors. Digitization of all current news articles 

has been completed, and work is beginning 

on the speeches of NASA’s senior leaders. 

Approximately 44 manuscripts are in process 

in the History Division’s various publication 

series. Series such as Exploring the Unknown and the Historical Data Book have 

long-awaited volumes near the end of the publication process. A new publication 

classification system was presented at the conference. The new system will make it 

easier for readers and researchers to locate materials. 

Joel Levine discussed the scientific and engineering legacy of the Viking missions 

to Mars. The Viking spacecraft were the first and second to land successfully on 

Mars. The Orbiters imaged 97 percent of the Red Planet and sent back over 50,000 

images. 

Glenn Bugos presented a paper that examined NACA-style organizations with an 

eye toward recommending NACA business practices that may be helpful to current 

space industry entrepreneurs. 

Lynn Heimerl presented an overview of the NASA Scientific and Technical 

Information program. The History Division has an agreement with the NASA 

Center for Aerospace Information to 

make history publications available to 

the public. 

In addition to the presentations and 

discussion, the group took two tours. 

The Langley Research Center tour 

began at the historic and photograph 

archives. Stops included the historic 

30-by-60-foot tunnel, built in the 

1930s; the National Transonic Facility, 

NASA’s newest large wind tunnel; the 

Landing and Impact Dynamics Facility, where Neil Armstrong practiced 

for his eventual landing on the Moon; 

and the Structures and Materials lab, 

The NASA Langley Research Centver Landing and Impact 

Research Facility is where Neil Armstrong practiced for his 

future landing on the Moon. (Source: NASA/Steven J. Dick) 

28

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

where visitors viewed a concept for a lunar habitat. A tour of the Jamestowne 

archaeological dig featured a stop at the Archaearium, which displays items uncovered by Dr. William Kelso and his team. Dr. Kelso rediscovered the site of the 

Jamestowne fort, where approximately 100 Englishmen settled in 1607. On display 

in the Archaearium is a 400-year-old metal shipping tag stamped “Yamestowne,” 

rediscovered in an abandoned well at Jamestowne. The tag was flown on STS-117 

and returned to the site after its 14-day spaceflight. 

The next History Program review will be held at NASA Ames in the spring of 2009. 

2008 NASA History Award: 

John W. Boyd 

By Glenn Bugos 

For his contributions to NASA history, Jack Boyd was awarded the 2008 NASA 

Headquarters History Division Award. Among his many jobs, Jack has served as 

the NASA Ames Research Center Senior Advisor for History since 2003. The award 

citation commends him for “Energetic outreach and promotion of NASA history and 

for making history relevant to NASA’s present and future.” NASA Chief Historian 

Steven Dick presented the award at the annual NASA History Program Review at 

NASA Langley Research Center. He commended Jack for his vigorous lecture and 

outreach schedule and his ability to describe NASA’s present and its future in terms 

that showed that its past truly mattered. He noted how NASA benefits when those 

with institutional memory, like Jack’s, participate so actively in conversations about 

shaping its vision. 

In thanking the NASA history community for the award, Jack called it a pleasure 

to work for an agency that has taken its history seriously. He thanked them all for 

building a professional history and archive function within NASA that is consistently 

relevant, remains cutting-edge, and 

works to high academic standards. He 

paraphrased a favorite quote, saying 

that “historians never finish their work; 

for various reasons they simply abandon 

it.” Jack also shared one instance of a 

brush with greatness when, as a young 

researcher, he presented his work at a 

1950s NACA conference while Theodore 

von Karman sat in the front row. To him, 

this was a great example of how NASA 

and its predecessors have always enjoyed 

attention from great minds and of the 

power of personal contacts to share 

experience. 

Jack has had a long and distinguished 

career of contributions to the Agency, 

beginning in 1947 and extending through 

Jack Boyd, NASA Ames Senior Advisor for History (center), with 

the NASA Ames History Office staff, Glen Bugos (right) and April 

Gage (left). Boyd received the 2008 NASA Headquarters History 

Division Award. (NASA photo by Dominic Hart) 

continued on next page 

29 
NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

2008 NASA History Award: John W. Boyd (continued) 

today. He currently also serves as Senior Advisor to the Ames Center Director, 

where he helps guide those managers who do not have long experience with NASA. 

Also, as ombudsman, he helps solve problems that arise where the Ames corporate 

culture is broken and formal channels cannot fix it. 

Over the past four years, Jack has delivered one or two formal presentations per 

week. Most often these lectures are Center overviews, and he always describes the 

Center’s present and its future with excitement about the past. Sometimes the lectures 

are on special historical topics of interest to the audience, like a history of planetary 

probes or a history of education outreach at Ames. He is happy to discuss NASA 

history with any group—visiting dignitaries, professional societies, new employees, 

school groups. He is in demand because he does a great job. Furthermore, the slides 

he produces circulate widely around the Center, provoking comments and questions 

and making it easy for Ames people to start all of their own presentations with a 

history of their topic. 

Since August 2003, Jack has helped establish, from nothing, a serious history and 

archive function at Ames. Most important, Jack has validated the importance of 

corporate memory in every meeting he has attended and in every conversation he 

has had with those coming to him for advice. Throughout NASA, he has been a very 

persistent and vocal advocate of the value of the past in planning for the future. 

NASA Records Management 

Training 

By Patti Stockman 

For the first time ever, NASA is offering records management training on an Agencywide basis. 

Over the past five months, the NASA Records Management program, based in the 

Office of the Chief Information Officer, has made available 10 online NASA records 

management training modules to increase employee and contractor awareness 

of better record preservation methods. These records may, in turn, serve as good 

source material for historians documenting histories of NASA facilities, people, 

or programs. In addition, Agency records have reuse value to NASA scientists and 

engineers who work on new programs. 

“Records Management for Everyone” is a required course for all NASA civil servants and optional for NASA contractors. It provides learners with an understanding of what constitutes a record, how to maintain it, and when it can be destroyed or 

archived, as well as where to go for additional help. 

30

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

Seven optional training modules cover focused subject areas and teach the following 

skills: 

 Understanding of the difference between records and nonrecords, why records matter, 

and the records management life-cycle. 

 How to organize and file both paper and electronic records and how to create a finding 

aid that facilitates both easy filing and efficient reference. 

 How to locate the online NASA Records Retention Schedule, understand how it is 

organized, understand its importance in the proper management of records, and use it 

to identify retention periods for records. 

 Familiarity with terms associated with electronic records; basic understanding of relevant records theory and technology, as well as how to manage electronic records. 

 How to store (retire) records that are no longer in active use but have not met their full 

retention period. 

 How to retrieve records from storage and to authorize the disposition of records in 

storage that have met their full retention period. 

Stockman believes that two brief training modules that may potentially have significant impact specifically on the preservation of program and project records are 

those providing overviews of actions to be taken for records at project startup and 

project closeout. 

Recognizing his invaluable contribution to the NASA 

records management training program, Records Officer 

Patti Stockman presents National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA) Great Lakes Region’s Galen 

Wilson with a framed montage of NASA posters that 

announced the new records management training. He 

was the originator of the training modules, collabo

rated extensively with NASA in their refinement, and 

conceived promotional posters that use paintings by the 

masters with added records-related dialogue. 

S

S

c

w

p

le

a 

o

e

ti

w

w

r

e

e

d

he highly recommends the “Project 

tartup” course and “Project Closeout” 

ourse to project management personnel 

ho will be involved with organizing for 

roject startup. Project personnel will 

arn how to prepare on the front end of 

project for the systematic management 

f project records in order to facilitate 

asy record retrievability and disposion throughout the project. Personnel 

ill learn, at a high level, how to determine which project records to save and 

hich to destroy, how to protect selected 

ecords for potential use by future projcts, and how to ensure that the project’s 

xistence and products are appropriately 

ocumented. 

-

31

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Other Aerospace History News


News from the National Air and Space Museum 

On 14 June 2008, NASM opened its newest exhibition: “Space: A Journey to Our 

Future.” Roger Launius, Margaret Weitekamp, and Jennifer Levasseur of the 

NASM Division of Space History led a broad effort to bring this traveling exhibition to NASM, where it will remain open until 11 January 2008. “Space: A Journey 

to Our Future” highlights past projects in space exploration—satellites, space 

telescopes, living in space—and provides a glimpse of the possibilities for future 

human space travel. The most advanced interactive displays and state-of-the-art 

projection and audio technology are used to bring the story to life. Highlights of 

the exhibition include a lunar habitat where visitors can experience what it might 

be like to live on the Moon; an up-close look at NASA’s Constellation Program and 

a model of the Orion capsule, the spacecraft that will take human explorers back 

to the Moon; an illustrated timeline of NASA’s 50 years of space exploration; and 

the 360-degree, multimedia “Future Theatre.” “Space: A Journey to Our Future” 

is a traveling exhibit developed by Evergreen Exhibitions and presented at NASM 

courtesy of NASA on its 50th anniversary, General Motors, and Lockheed Martin, 

with additional support from ATK. 

Roger Launius has published two articles in Acta Astronautica this year. “Underlying Assumptions of Human Spaceflight in the United States,” Acta Astronautica 

62 (March–April 2008): 341–356 suggests that Americans embraced human space 

exploration because of its potential for extending human dominion into space and 

for the promise of colonization and expansion, although that has usually been at best 

a subtext for the effort. When thinking about those human activities over the long 

term, moreover, it raises important and difficult questions about the evolution and 

survival of the species. “Space Stations for the United States: An Idea Whose Time 

Has Come—And Gone?” Acta Astronautica 62 (May–June 2008): 539–555 traces the 

evolution of the space station concept from its first expression in 1869 through the 

realization of the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of the 20th century. 

But even as the ISS became a reality, its role was made tenuous by the loss of the 

Space Shuttle Columbia on 1 February 2003 and by the grounding of the fleet. On 

14 January 2004, moreover, President George W. Bush announced a reorientation 

of NASA’s programs to emphasize a return to the Moon and a human expedition to 

Mars. In that context, he advocated the retirement of the Space Shuttle by 2010 and 

the ending of U.S. involvement in the ISS before 2020. Suddenly, the space station 

had become irrelevant to American efforts in space. The history of space stations 

and their development over time, and what it portends for the future of space policy, 

is the subject of this essay. 

Roger Launius also organized and moderated a set of panel discussions, “Herman 

(Potočnik) Noordung’s Work and Ideas” and “Possible Futures of Space Travel” at the 

Embassy of Slovenia, Washington, DC, 27 March 2008. Among those participating in 

this seminar was Michael J. Neufeld, Chair of Space History Division, who spoke on 

the probable influence of Noordung on von Braun’s space station concepts. 

Roger Launius and David DeVorkin were named as Goldfarb Visiting Fellows 

at Colby College, Waterville, Maine, during its Celebration of Research event, 

32

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

28 April–2 May 2008. David DeVorkin has also been named the Smithsonian 

Distinguished Research Lecturer for 2008. 

Michael Neufeld has won a Secretary’s Research Prize at the Smithsonian Institution 

for Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War (2007). In addition, he recently 

published an article derived from the book: “Von Braun and the Lunar-Orbit 

Rendezvous Decision: Finding a Way to Go to the Moon,” Acta Astronautica 63 

(2008): 540–550. 

Thomas Lassman is the new curator for rocketry after 1945 in the Division of Space 

History at the National Air and Space Museum, where he has succeeded the recently 

retired Frank Winter. (Michael Neufeld is curating all rocket artifacts up to 1945). 

He joined the division on 9 June after spending three years working on the Defense 

Acquisition History Project at the U.S. Army Center of Military History. He has 

a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in the history of science and technology and recently completed a monograph, Sources of Weapon Systems Innovation 

in the Department of Defense: The Role of In-House Research and Development, 

1945–2000, which will be published this year. Dr. Lassman is currently outlining a 

new writing project on the history of weapons research and development in the U.S. 

Army’s primary manufacturing arsenals from 1945 to 1962. 

Ted Maxwell, the Associate Director for Collections and Research, has announced that 

he is stepping down and, with the NASM Director’s blessing, returning to the Center for 

Earth and Planetary Studies (CEPS) at NASM as a Senior Scientist. By training, he is a 

geologist and planetary scientist. Peter Jakab, historian, longtime curator of early flight 

artifacts in the Aeronautics Division, and past chairman of that division, will assume the 

post, which is now the Associate Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs. Five 

divisions report to him, as to Ted: Aeronautics, Space History, CEPS, Archives, and 

Collections. Peter intends to keep his early flight collection while simultaneously holding 

his new post. 

Other Aerospace History 

Information Online 

Stanford University Department of Aeronautics and 

Astronautics 50th Anniversary 

In the months following the shock of Sputnik in October 1957, Stanford University 

established an independent department of aeronautics and astronautics. From 8 to 

10 May 2008, the Stanford Aero/Astro department celebrated its anniversary with a 

series of tours and talks by eminent alumni, and NASA was well represented. Several speakers remarked that Aero/Astro was the first interdisciplinary department 

at Stanford and that this interdisciplinary mission focus remains a key part of the 

department’s culture. 

For more information on the Stanford University Department of Aeronautics and 

Astronautics, please visit http://soe.stanford.edu/aeroastro50/index.html. 

33

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Calls for Papers


Society for History in the Federal Government Online 

Journal 

The Society seeks papers for its new, online, peer-reviewed history journal to be 

published in the fall of 2008. The journal will promote scholarship on all aspects 

of the history and workings of the federal government and of the developmental 

relationships between American society and the U.S. military or U.S. government 

from 1776 to the present. In addition, the journal will feature research articles on 

methodological developments in federal historical work, including the fields of 

history, archival science, historic preservation, public history, museum studies, 

Web-based history, memory studies, and other related areas. The manuscript must 

be fully documented and follow the submission standards posted at our Publications 

link at http://www.shfg.org. Send your manuscript, an abstract, brief biographical 

information, and information on available images to editor-shfg-journal@shfg.org. 

Deadline now extended to 31 August 2008. 

Job Opportunity 

Post-Doctoral Historian (Position 2008204): NASA Ames 

Research Center, Mountain View, California 

An immediate postdoctoral opportunity is available in the History Office of the 

NASA Ames Research Center. The postdoc will support the NASA Ames Senior 

Advisor for History and the Ames Historian in the preparation of a history of Ames 

since 1958. 

Minimum qualification is a Ph.D. in the history of recent technology or science. 

Because of the breadth of research done at Ames, historical expertise may be in 

such fields as aeronautics, astronautics, materials, space science, life sciences, or 

information technology. Experience with archival research in government records, 

oral history, and scholarly methods of citation is required. A record of peer-reviewed 

publications is preferred. 

The position is based at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. The 

incumbent also is expected to spend time at the National Archives facility in San 

Bruno, California. The position is available now, and the appointment is for 12 

months. Basic applications must be completed at http://edassoc.arc.nasa.gov. Curricula vitae may be sent by e-mail to eaprogram@mail.arc.nasa.gov. Please note 

“history postdoc” in the subject line for such submissions. For more information 

about the position, please contact Glen Bugos at glenn.e.bugos@nasa.gov. 

34

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

Upcoming Meetings


25–27 September 2008, “John F. Kennedy: History, Memory, and Legacy: An 

Interdisciplinary Conference” will be held at the University of North Dakota 

in Grand Forks, North Dakota. President Kennedy’s special counsel, adviser, 

and speechwriter, Theodore Sorenson, will be one of the keynote speakers for 

the conference. Please visit http://www.und.edu/instruct/jfkconference/ for more 

information. 

11–14 October 2008, The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) will be 

hosting “SHOT @ 50: Looking Beyond” in Lisbon, Portugal. Please visit http://www. 

shotlisbon2008.com/ for more information. 

28–29 October 2008, “NASA’s First 50 Years: A Historical Perspective” will be 

held in the NASA Headquarters Auditorium in Washington, DC. For more on this 

conference, see the article that appears earlier in this newsletter or visit http://history. 

nasa.gov/50thannnasaconf/index.html. 

13–15 November 2008, “Aeronautical Culture: Artifacts, Imagination, and the 

Practice of Aeronautics, 18th–20th Century,” organized by the Centre d’histoire 

des techniques et de l’environment (CDHTE/CNAM) and the Centre Alexandre 

Koyré—Centre de recherches en histoire des sciences et techniques (CAK-CRHST/ 

CNRS), with the participation of the Aéro-Club de France, the Département 

d’histoire de l’armement (DGA/CHEAr), and the Musée de l’air et de l’espace, 

and supported by numerous institutions, will be held in Paris. Please see http:// 

wwwshotnews.net/?p=419 for more information. 

15–21 November 2008, “The 20th Anniversary of the Annual Supercomputing 

Conference,” hosted by the Association of Computer Machinery and the Institute of 

Electrical and Electronics Engineers, will take place in Austin, Texas. The Twentieth 

Anniversary Initiative Committee is planning a number of activities to highlight 

the evolution of the conference, high-performance computing (HPC), and related 

fields. Please direct questions, comments, and suggestions to 20thanniversary@info. 

supercomputing.org or visit http://sc08.supercomputing.org/ for more information. 

Obituaries 

Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., 89 

Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., former NASA Deputy Administrator and Secretary of 

the Air Force, died on 28 June 2008 of heart failure in his home in Beverly Farms, 

Massachusetts. 

Dr. Seamans had a long history with NASA and its predecessor organization: from 

1948 to 1958, he served on the technical committees for the National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics; in 1960, Dr. Seamans joined NASA as Associate 

Administrator, and in 1965, he became Deputy Administrator while retaining many 

of the duties of the Associate Administrator and also serving as Acting Administrator. 

Working closely with the Kennedy administration, he worked toward achieving the 

continued on next page 

35


.
NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Obituaries (continued) 

goal of a human lunar landing by the end of the decade and was instrumental in 

deciding, against many objections, to send Apollo 8 to the Moon. 

Born on 30 October 1918 in Salem, Massachusetts, Dr. Seamans earned his bachelor’s of science from Harvard University and his master’s and doctorate in instrumentation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In the 1940s and 

1950s, Dr. Seamans served as a professor and researcher in the field of aeronautics 

at MIT. 

After his initial time at MIT, Dr. Seamans joined the Radio Corporation of America 

(RCA) in 1955, and in 1958, he became Chief Engineer of the Missile Electronics 

and Controls Division in Burlington, Massachusetts. While with NACA and 

NASA, he also served as a consultant to the Scientific Advisory Board of the United 

States Air Force from 1957 to 1959, as a member of the Board from 1959 to 1962, 

and as an Associate Advisor from 1962 to 1967. He was also a National Delegate, 

Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development, North Atlantic Treaty 

Organization (NATO) from 1966 to 1969. 

Dr. Seamans remained a consultant to NASA after his retirement in 1968 and became 

a visiting professor at MIT. He served as Secretary of the Air Force from 1969 to 

1973 and was named as administrator of the Energy, Research and Development 

Administration by President Carter in 1974. In 1977, Dr. Seamans returned once 

again to MIT to become dean of its School of Engineering and continued to teach 

freshman seminars even after his retirement in 1984. 

His memoir, Aiming at Targets, was published by the NASA History Division in 1996. 

Dr. Seamans is survived by his wife, Eugenia; his 3 sons, Joseph, Robert III, 

and Daniel; his 2 daughters, Katharine and May; 12 grandchildren; and 2 greatgrandchildren. 

To learn more about Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., please visit http://history.nasa.gov/ 

Biographies/seamans.html. From this link, you can also access the HTML version 

of his memoir, Aiming at Targets (NASA SP-4106, 1996), and his monograph on the 

Apollo program, Project Apollo: The Tough Decisions (NASA SP-2005-4537). 

To sign Dr. Seamans’s online guestbook, please visit 

http://www.legacy.com/bostonglobe/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=112538627. 

Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, 94 

Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, one of the last surviving members of the 126 German rocket 

scientists brought over to the United States after World War II, died on 25 May 2008 

at his home in Huntsville, Alabama, of “complications of old age,” according to 

Robert Petroff, his friend and neighbor. 

Born on 19 December 1913 in Niederrimbach, Germany, Dr. Stuhlinger earned his 

Ph.D. in physics at the age of 23 and began to work for the German Atomic Energy 

Program in 1939. He became a member of Wernher von Braun’s team working on 

guidance systems in 1943 in Peenemünde. After World War II, Dr. Stuhlinger immigrated to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip and became a naturalized 

U.S. citizen on 14 April 1955. 

36

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

In the 1950s, Stuhlinger developed designs for solar-powered spacecraft at Redstone 

Arsenal in Alabama. Later, Stuhlinger served as director of the space science lab 

at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville from 1960 to 1968, and then 

as the associate director from 1968 to 1975. Retiring in 1975, Dr. Stuhlinger became 

an adjunct professor and senior research scientist at the University of Alabama in 

Huntsville. 

Dr. Stuhlinger was one of the key inventors of ion propulsion, a common technology 

that has recently been implemented by the American and Russian space programs 

in order to conserve fuel and extend the life of spacecraft. In the 1970s, the Space 

Electric Rocket Test (SERT) was the first mission to use this technology, and in 1998, 

NASA’s Deep Space 1 spacecraft depended on ion propulsion for its missions. As 

far back as 1970, Dr. Stuhlinger and von Braun were convinced that ion propulsion 

would be a key part of interplanetary exploration. 

Dr. Stuhlinger is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter. 

Mr. Harry Lange, 77 

Harry Lange, former illustrator for NASA and cinematic art director, died on 22 

May 2008. 

During his time at NASA, Mr. Lange worked closely with Wernher von Braun’s team 

as section head of the future projects staff of illustrators working on interplanetary 

and deep space projects. He was later commissioned to illustrate several books on 

space travel, including von Braun’s History of Rocketry and Space Travel. 

Mr. Lange was born on 7 December 1930 in Eisenach, Germany. He planned to 

pursue studies in classical archaeology. The end of World War II and the subsequent 

annexation of his hometown as part of the Russian Occupied Zone (East Germany), 

however, made it difficult for him to pursue his archaeological ambitions. Leaving 

East Germany in 1949, Mr. Lange studied art in Hamburg and Munich and, upon 

graduation, took a job as an advertising designer in New York City. Later, working 

for Craig Air Force Base and the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, Mr. Lange prepared a number of air and space illustrations. 

After Mr. Lange left NASA, Arthur C. Clarke introduced him to Stanley Kubrick, 

who chose him as an art director for 2001: A Space Odyssey because of his experiences at NASA. His work on the film earned him the British Academy Award and 

an Oscar nomination. 

After working on several other films, including three Star Wars films (1977, 1980, 

1983); Moonraker (1979); and the last Monty Python film, The Meaning of Life 

(1983), Mr. Lange pursued his original ambitions and became a staff member of the 

University of Arizona’s expedition to design and supervise the construction of the 

Mirobriga Room in a Portuguese archaeological museum. 

Mr. Lange is survived by his wife Daisy and his two sons. 

For more information on Harry Lange and his artwork, please visit http://www. 

harry-lange.org.uk/index.html. 

37
NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Images in Space History


On 27 June 2008, NASA Chief Historian Steven J. Dick, Chief Archivist Jane Odom, 

and Johnson Space Center History Coordinator Rebecca Wright visited with Dr. 

Eilene Galloway, who served as Special Consultant to the Senate Special Committee on Space and Astronautics in 1958 and partook in the legislative process that 

produced the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958. 

Dr. Eilene Galloway (left) with NASA Chief Historian Steven J. Dick (right). 

Dr. Eilene Galloway (center) with NASA Chief Archivist Jane Odom (left) and Johnson 

Space Center History Coordinator Rebecca Wright (right). 

38

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

During 25–29 June 2008 and 2–6 July 2008, NASA, along with the country of Bhutan 

and the state of Texas, played an integral part in the Smithsonian Institution’s 

annual Folklife Festival on the National Mall. Representatives from Headquarters 

and every Center shared their knowledge and experiences with the curious crowd. 

Goddard Space Flight Center Chief Scientist Dr. Jim Garvin (left), National Air and 

Space Museum Curator Dr. Roger Launius (center), and NASA Chief Historian Dr. 

Steve Dick (right) discuss NASA’s rich history and the exciting future of human and 

robotic exploration. (Source: NASA/Ed Goldstein) 

Alison Kilpatrick conducts exciting scientific experiments during her presentation on 

“Mad Science.” (Source: NASA/Ed Goldstein) 

continued on next page 

39

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Images in Space History (continued) 

A beautiful view of the length of the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival on the National Mall. 

(Source: NASA/Bill Ingalls) 

NASA Chief Historian Steven J. Dick speaks during a panel entitled “Why We Explore.” 

(Source: NASA/Ed Goldstein) 

40

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

The Prince of Bhutan looks on while NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale 

delivers her speech introducing the NASA program of the Folklife Festival during 

the opening ceremony on 25 June 2008. (Source: NASA/Bill Ingalls) 

The Prince of Bhutan test-drives one of the winning Great Moonbuggy Race 

entries. (Source: NASA/Ed Goldstein) 

continued on next page 

41

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Images in Space History (continued) 

NASA Aeronautics representatives (from left to right) David Nils Larson, James Ross, and 

Jim Sokolik discuss the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS), with a special 

“appearance” by NASA’s High Altitude Pressure Suit. (Source: NASA/Ed Goldstein) 

Festival-goers learn about the differences and similarities between Space Shuttle main engines and the 

J-2 engines that will be used to propel the Ares rockets to the Moon. (Source: NASA/Bill Ingalls) 

42

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3 August 2008 

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

Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, publishes News and Notes quarterly. 

To receive News and Notes via e-mail, send a message to majordomo@hq.nasa.gov. 

Leave the subject line blank. In the text portion, simply type “subscribe history” 

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 Division Home Page at http://history.nasa.gov on the Web. For 

information about doing research in the NASA History Division, 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 comments to Steve Garber, newsletter editor, at stephen.j.garber@nasa.gov. 

NASA Headquarters History Division Staff Contact Information: 

Steven J. Dick, Chief Historian steven.j.dick@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 

Elizabeth Suckow, Archivist elizabeth.suckow-1@nasa.gov 

202-358-0375 

Created and produced by the following: 

Steve Garber, NASA Headquarters History Division 

Lisa Jirousek, Editor, NASA Headquarters Communications Support Services Center 

Garrett Shea, Designer, NASA Headquarters Communications Support Services Center 

Hanta Ralay, Printing Specialist, NASA Headquarters Communications Support Services Center 

Trenita Williams, Mail Coordinator, NASA Headquarters Mail Room 

Carl Paul, Distribution, NASA Headquarters Communications Support Services Center 

43

44

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 

NASA HISTORY DIVISION 

Office of External Relations 

Washington, DC 20546 

http://www.nasa.gov 

http://history.nasa.gov