NASA HISTORY DIVISION

Office of Communications

volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

From

the ChieF

historian

Our office has been quite busy recently on a 

variety of fronts.

Our division recently became part of the Office 

of Communications’ Public Outreach organization. Alan Ladwig, whom many of you 

probably know, is the Public Outreach leader. 

The conceptual fit for the History Division 

into this larger group is very good and harkens 

back to when the History Division reported 

to Alan in his prior capacity as the Associate 

Administrator for Policy and Plans. Jane, 

Nadine, and I have moved our desks to be 

colocated with other Public Outreach personnel, while our National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA) Historical Reference 

Collection has remained in place.

In terms of personnel, NASA should be 

advertising for a permanent NASA Chief 

Historian soon. I am also very pleased to have 

two excellent undergraduate interns aboard 

this summer. Tayler Lofquist is a senior from 

the George Washington University who is 

especially interested in Cold War history. 

Christopher Cohen is a history major at 

Brown University who recently finished his 

sophomore year. We were also sorry to see two 

other interns, Taylor Johnston and Thomas 

Simpson, finish their terms this spring because 

they completed so much excellent work.

In May, we had our 2010 NASA History 

Program Review at the Kennedy Space Center 

(KSC). Those of us who were able to come a 

day early had the opportunity to take a special 

tour of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 

(CCAFS) on Tuesday, 11 May. We saw such 

historic sites as the blockhouse and launchpad 

for Alan Shepard’s first U.S. spaceflight (intercontinued on next page

From the Chief Historian 1

News from Headquarters and the Centers 1

2010 NASA History Program Review 9

Recent Publications 13

Online Resources 19

NASA’s National Historic Landmarks 19

Other Aerospace History News 22

Upcoming Meetings 24

Obituaries 25

Headquarters

Jane Odom continues to evaluate and acquire new material for the 

Historical Reference Collection (HRC). She appraises items for historical value, directs the subsequent processing of collections, and answers 

reference requests. Jane is publishing speeches of key officials in NASA’s 

history online; she expects them to be available by mid-summer at https://

mira.hq.nasa.gov/history/. Recently, she helped with the preparation of the 

External Relations and the Public Affairs file plans, as required by the 

Records Management program. Additionally, she dealt with a Mandatory 

Declassification Review and cleared a half-dozen foreign nationals from 

different countries coming here to do research in the NASA History 

Division.

Collectively, Colin Fries, John Hargenrader, and Liz Suckow share reference duties, answer inquiries received by e-mail, assist walk-in researchers, 

and help Jane with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. They 

have completed the processing of a collection received from the Boston 

Museum of Science and have integrated the historically significant materials into the HRC. The collection consists of subject files kept by the deputy 

director, Walter Webb. Also, they are working to preserve our hard-copy 

collection by photocopying deteriorating news clippings, replacing worn 

continued on page 3

in this issue:
nasa history division

From the Chief Historian (continued)

estingly, these two are perhaps only 100 yards apart!) and the somber Launch 

Complex 34.

We started our Program Review in earnest on Wednesday morning with an excellent tour of KSC. This included visits to the Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing 

Facility, the Orbiter Processing Facility, and a drive-around and “photo op” near the 

launchpad where Atlantis was being readied for its launch on the STS-132 mission.

Joan Deming, an archaeologist who works on historic preservation at KSC, started 

the afternoon and meeting off with a very interesting presentation on the history of 

the KSC and CCAFS areas prior to the Space Age. We then had overview briefings 

on the NASA History Program and the NASA Historical Reference Collection at 

Headquarters before touring the nearby Astronaut Hall of Fame.

On Thursday, we had briefings from the history points of contact at the Field 

Centers and discussed Shuttle and Constellation history efforts, among other topics. 

I also briefed the attendees on the more than 40 active book projects currently in our 

production queue. We also had separate, concurrent sessions on e-books and the 

digitization of archival collections.

Then, on Friday, we discussed planning for some upcoming anniversaries such as 

the 35th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the 50th anniversaries of 

Yuri Gagarin’s and Alan Shepard’s first flights, the 30th anniversary of the first 

Space Shuttle flight, and the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s first spaceflight. We 

also heard excellent presentations from Kathleen Callister, NASA’s newly appointed 

Historic Preservation Officer, on her efforts to coordinate our communities’ respective work and from Alex MacDonald, who is from Carnegie Mellon University and 

Ames Research Center (ARC), on his provocative and insightful economic history of 

U.S. space exploration prior to 1957. Please stay tuned on the 50th anniversaries of 

Gagarin and Shepard’s first flights, as we hope to stage a scholarly public conference 

on this subject next spring.

Last and certainly not least, all the attendees got to see the spectacular afternoon 

launch of STS-132 on Friday. This was a unique experience to remember, especially 

as the Shuttle program draws down.

Staging such a Program Review is always a challenging, but largely unheralded, 

endeavor. Doing this at KSC, with its usual scores of visitors, before one of the 

last Shuttle launches added two further levels of complexity. Nadine Andreassen 

deserves great recognition for the tremendous amount of work she put into organizing the logistics for the meeting, both from Headquarters and on the fly in Florida. 

We also clearly could not have had this meeting without the hard work and practical 

insights from Elaine Liston and Gregg Buckingham at KSC.

Overall, our NASA History Program Reviews are always productive. I was particularly pleased this time, however, to have a number of attendees at this Program 

Review beyond our Center history points of contact. The presentation by Michael 

Crnkovic and Cindy Miller from the Headquarters Communications Support 

Services Center (CSSC) on e-books, for example, was a provocative and useful 

way to address this relatively new trend. We also had the pleasure of hearing from 

John Byram of the University Press of Florida on his interest in publishing more 

space history titles. Paul Candela and Steven Crofoot also attended; stay tuned for 

a ShuttleFlightJournal from them next spring in time for the STS-1 anniversary 

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volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

(akin to Eric Jones’s ApolloLunarSurfaceJournal, which we host on our Web site). 

I firmly believe that having a diverse mix of people from different professional and 

personal backgrounds, as well as different geographic locations, leads to very fertile 

discussions and a better shared understanding of our joint goals.

Thank you for all your interest and support of NASA history.

Stephen Garber

A

 

cting Director, NASA History Division

News from Headquarters and the Centers (continued)

folders, and updating abstracts of folder contents. Preservation work is currently 

focusing on files in the following areas: Earth sciences, international cooperation 

and foreign countries, impact of the space program, and satellites and space probes.

Colin completed the processing of a collection of sources used in the Exploringthe

Unknown series and also an addition to our unpublished manuscripts collection. Liz 

and Colin completed the appraisal of a collection of Administrators’ chronological 

correspondence files, ca. 1963–1978, copying historically significant items to add to 

existing subject files in the HRC. In addition, Colin continues to assist in maintaining the History Division Web pages. Colin and Liz updated the Apollo-Soyuz Test 

Project Web site for the forthcoming 35th anniversary.

Liz continues to appraise a 66-box collection borrowed from the Federal Records 

Center. This collection contains Office of Manned Space Flight correspondence 

and the papers of Surveyor Program Manager Benjamin Milwitzky. Liz has begun 

processing a collection of source material for the book TheSpaceShuttleDecision by 

Tom Heppenheimer. Liz continues to update the Headquarters oral history inventory available online at http://history.nasa.gov/oralhistory/ohcatalog.htm; she also 

enters descriptive information about the oral histories into the internal database.

John continues to verify photo dates in the Great Images in NASA (GRIN) database 

to make sure they conform as closely as possible to the dates the photos were taken 

after some errors were discovered in GRIN.

Ames Research Center (ARC)

Jack Boyd and Glenn Bugos are preparing a paper titled “Airmail as Analogy to 

Commercial Space” for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 

(AIAA) Space 2010 conference. This will explore in greater detail the role of the 

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in research to support 

airmail service in the 1920s and thus the development of commercial air transport in 

America. These insights may prove useful as NASA embarks on research to support 

the development of commercial spaceflight.

Lawrence Badash of the University of California, Santa Barbara, lectured on his 

new book, ANuclearWinter’sTale:ScienceandPoliticsin the1980s (MIT Press, 

2009) on 2 March 2010 to a packed audience at the Space Science Auditorium—the 

building where the key research on nuclear winter was done.

continued on next page 

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nasa history division

News from Headquarters and the Centers (continued)

Lisa Messeri of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Doctoral Program 

in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology, and Society has been conducting research on Ames’s efforts to generate maps of Mars.

Marsin3-D is a half-hour documentary on the Martian landscape using images 

returned from the stereoscopic imager aboard the Viking landers in 1976. Elliott 

Levinthal of Stanford University, who served as Principal Investigator for the 

imager and narrates the film, donated his materials from the film project to the 

Ames History Office. These prints are now being remastered by a group led by John 

Chowning of the Stanford University Center for Computer Research in Music and 

Acoustics, where graduate students had composed the score for the film. Plans are 

to show the film at a music festival on computer-generated music.

Archivist April Gage generated a new workbook on procedures for digitizing 

documents and generating metadata. To road-test this digitization workbook, 

spring archives intern Lisa Zakharova from San Jose State University digitized and 

created metadata for 54 documents (2,421 pages) in the Pioneer Project Records 

(AFS8100.15A) and created MARC records for several collections. Archives interns 

Ratana Ngaotheppitak and Stephanie Jo Pierce come on board this summer to 

digitize portions of the Alvin Seiff Papers (PP05.22-AS) and process two small collections, one collection related to early virtual environment systems developed at 

Ames and a second collection of the papers of the late Bay Area aviatrix and NACA 

programming mathematician, Amelia Reid.

A finding aid for the Kenneth B. Wilton and Alfred L. Ercoline Bending Brake, 

1964–1968 collection (PP09.07), is now posted on the Online Archive of California 

(OAC). Unique visitor access to the Ames finding aids on the OAC has climbed from 

66 in 2007 to 1,167 in 2009, reflecting how useful it has become. 

April also has compiled a survey of other information repositories on Ames. This 

includes not only the formal libraries, but also the configuration management files, 

program office collections of reprints, and glorified closets where researchers stash 

the data they use. One such repository is in the Simulation Sciences Building, which 

is proving useful as plans are being made to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 

Vertical Motion Simulator. 

We made two major additions to our Web sites. On the Ames historic properties 

Web site, to support the National Research Council (NRC) review of laboratory 

facilities, the History Office compiled data on the research capabilities of Ames 

buildings. We are currently investigating how to present the data mapped to our 

geospatial information systems. We also generated a brochure for a self-guided tour 

of the Ames campus, so that as visitors drive around, they can better appreciate the 

history and current efforts inside Ames buildings. In addition, on our internal Web 

site, we compiled all the research papers that have won the H. Julian Allen Award 

for the best technical paper by an Ames researcher. 

We bid adieu to Jacqueline Nelson, who very ably, and with great geniality, supported the History Office for the past four years. She is still nearby as an account 

manager with the NASA Research Park (NRP). One NRP resident firm, Bloom 

Energy, recently announced its new green-energy technology with great fanfare and 

constant reference to its historical origins in Ames’s research on in situ resource 

utilization on Mars.

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volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

Jack Boyd was inducted into the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 

Academy of Engineering Excellence. “These exemplary alumni,” noted Richard 

Benson, dean of engineering at Virginia Tech, “have lived their lives representing 

the spirit of UtProsim, Virginia Tech’s motto meaning That I May Serve.” And as a 

mark of the historic shift in Ames’s capabilities, Center Director S. “Pete” Worden 

received the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation Innovator’s Award for leadership in space 

exploration. “Like Sir Arthur,” said foundation chairman Tedson J. Meyers, “Pete 

Worden was in at the beginning of countless courageous departures—among them 

the Strategic Defense Initiative, the revitalization of civil space exploration and 

Earth monitoring, and programs to get mankind at a working distance from Near 

Earth Objects.”

Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC)

Curtis Peebles continues work on his latest book, TheForgottenX-Planes, which will 

bring a new appreciation for the roles these vehicles played in advancing aviation. 

Also, 11SecondsInto theUnknown:AHistoryof theHyper-XProgram has been 

accepted for publication by the AIAA, with an expected release sometime in 2011.

While at KSC for the annual history meeting, Peter Merlin wrote some entries for a 

new series of blogs that Dryden has begun carrying on its Web site. Recent contributors to the site include Center Director Dave MacBride and one of the engineers at 

the recent Pad Abort 1 launch at the White Sands Missile Range who provided a 

firsthand account of the launch. Pete took the opportunity to attend several events 

related to the launch of Atlantis not open to the public, and then he wrote about 

them as well as the launch. He also coordinated his time at KSC with Dryden Digital 

Learning Center Director David Alexander to work on some video material that 

David can use in later classroom activities. 

Following the NASA history meeting, Christian Gelzer is looking into the requirements to reconfigure the truck-fairing manuscript and make it e-book compatible, 

which is possible since layout has not begun. 

With off-site access to the History Office’s database around the corner, Betty Love 

will soon be able to enter data from her culling directly into the records rather than 

on paper. Fortunately, this will not reduce our chance to see her, since she must 

come out now and again to exchange sorted boxes for unsorted ones and brighten 

everyone’s day.

Glenn Research Center (GRC)

Congratulations to Glenn archivist Bob Arrighi (WYLE) on receiving the 2010 

Annual NASA History Award for his outstanding achievements in historic preservation. He received his award at the annual NASA History Program Review at KSC 

in May. 

RevolutionaryAtmosphere, the long-awaited history of the Altitude Wind Tunnel, 

will be released this June. Details on obtaining copies of this book will be forthcoming from the NASA History Division. A short DVD documentary on the Altitude 

Wind Tunnel is also in the production stages. This DVD will be available later this 

year from the Glenn History Office. It also will be available for viewing on the 

Altitude Wind Tunnel history Web site at http://awt.grc.nasa.gov/.

continued on next page

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nasa history division

News from Headquarters and the Centers (continued)

Bob Arrighi (right) receives the 2010 Annual NASA History Award 

from Acting Chief Historian Steve Garber (left).

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Erik Conway’s long-in-the-works manuscript on the history of robotic Mars exploration is now in internal review. Once it has met with internal approval, he will send 

it to the Headquarters History Division for its next round of evaluation.

Meanwhile, Erik is slowly working through JPL’s records of the Surveyor program 

of the 1960s. Surveyor became the first U.S. planetary lander and performed as a 

systems contract with Hughes Aircraft. It was the second-most-expensive robotic 

planetary program (in adjusted dollars, barely less than the Viking mission of the 

1970s) and has never been the subject of a history.

In January, Erik gave a presentation at the American Meteorological Society meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, on the 50th anniversary of the weather satellite, which 

was flown by Goddard Space Flight Center. He presented a summary of his new 

book, MerchantsofDoubt, at the Columbia History of Science Group meeting in 

Washington State in March. He also attended the annual NASA History Program 

Review in Florida. It was great to see all his fellow historians and stand under the 

belly of Endeavour in the Shuttle Processing Facility!

Most recently, Erik cochaired a California Institute of Technology (Caltech) conference on science and the Cold War with Naomi Oreskes and John Krige. He and 

Oreskes will be coediting the resulting volume of essays. His own paper will examine 

the way NASA responded to the changing tenor of the Cold War within its science 

programs, moving into new research areas as certain areas (such as planetary science) became less politically attractive.

Erik continues to do some writing for the NASA Climate Web site at http://climate.

nasa.gov, which won the People’s Choice Webby Award for a science site this year.

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volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

Langley Research Center (LaRC)

Langley’s hometown, Hampton, Virginia, is celebrating its 400th anniversary in 

2010, and Langley is joining the celebration. On 6 March, Langley brought an album 

of historic photos and some current exhibits to the Hunt for Hampton History event. 

Several retirees and adult children of retirees stopped by the exhibit to share their 

memories of the NACA and NASA.

The city compiled 100 oral histories into a four-DVD set. Included from NASA 

Langley were Roy Harris, former aeronautics director; Dr. Joel Levine, who spoke 

about Viking; Barry Meredith, who discussed Langley’s Space Shuttle work; Kathy 

Barnstorff, who talked about more recent aeronautics research; Dr. Bruce Wielicki, 

who discussed atmospheric science; Marshall Smith, who talked about Ares; and 

Gail Langevin, who talked about the Space Task Group and the Mercury astronauts.

Hampton is erecting a series of history markers around the city. Two markers 

commemorate Langley. One marker documents Langley’s accomplishments from 

the NACA days to the present. A second marker documents the Mercury program 

accomplishments and informs the reader about city landmarks that honor people 

who contributed to the program. The city’s main traffic thoroughfare, Mercury 

Boulevard, commemorates the program that put Americans into space. Six bridges 

that span a creek running through the city honor Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott 

Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Wally Schirra, and Deke Slayton. The road to Langley 

is named Commander Shepard Boulevard in honor of the first American in space. 

An elementary school is named after Christopher Kraft, who was born and raised 

in Hampton. A third sign tells the story of Chesterville, a plantation dating back 

to the 1600s. The ruins of the plantation are located between Langley’s Aircraft 

Landing Dynamics Facility and Brick Kiln Creek. Chesterville was the birthplace 

of George Wythe, a signer of the declaration of independence and a law professor at 

the College of William and Mary, whose students included Thomas Jefferson and 

Chief Justice John Marshall.

City artist Gail Duke visited the Center to gather images for inspiration for a painting that depicts Langley’s history. The painting will be adapted as cover art for a 

souvenir magazine commemorating Hampton’s anniversary.

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)

Text, photos, and videos about the history of MSFC are featured in a new online 

interactive timeline on the Center’s 50th anniversary Web site at http://history.msfc.

nasa.gov/50th_anniversary/timeline.pdf.

“The timeline starts with the events associated with the opening of Marshall on July 

1, 1960,” said Marshall Historian Mike Wright. “It features at least one significant 

event for every year up until the present.” He said that the timeline was a work 

in progress. “We will be adding new videos and photos throughout the year and 

beyond.” 

Molly Porter, from Deltha-Critique, and Roena Love, from the Marshall History 

Office, developed the timeline. 

continued on next page

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nasa history division

News from Headquarters and the Centers (continued)

Stennis Space Center (SSC)

The Stennis History Office assisted with the 

recently published monograph Rememberingthe

Giants:ApolloRocketPropulsionDevelopment.

On 25 April 2006, SSC hosted a series of lectures 

on Apollo propulsion development entitled “On 

the Shoulders of Giants.” This monograph is a 

transcript of the seminars held as part of the celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the first 

rocket engine test conducted at the site, known 

then as the Mississippi Test Facility (MTF). 

The event’s moderator, Steven C. Fisher of 

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR), coedited Remembering the Giants: Apollo Rocket

Propulsion Development, Monographs in 

Aerospace History, No. 45, along with NASA’s 

Dr. Shamim A. Rahman, Deputy Director for the Engineering and Test Directorate 

at Stennis. The seven presenters represented in the monograph and their topics 

include the following: Robert Biggs, PWR, “F-1 Saturn V First Stage Engine”; 

Paul Coffman, PWR, “J-2 Saturn V 2nd and 3rd Stage Engine”; Gerald R. Pfeifer, 

Aerojet, “Attitude Control Engines”; Tim Harmon, PWR, “SE-7 & SE-8 Engines”; 

Clay Boyce, Aerojet, “AJ10-137 Apollo Service Module Engine”; Gerald Elverum, 

TRW, “Lunar Descent Engine”; and Tim Harmon, PWR, “Lunar Ascent Engine.”

The monograph is a collection of reminiscences by Apollo experts involved in the 

early development and testing of the Saturn V Moon rocket’s engines. It describes 

work from decades ago that will continue to carry space exploration forward. The 

story told is not how one particular engine was built, but rather how ordinary people 

persisted and were driven to do extraordinary work. 

S-1C stage installation into the Hot Fire Stand at MTF, 

now Stennis Space Center, in 1967.

On 23 April 1966, engineers 

tested a cluster of five J-2 engines 

that powered the second stage 

of the Saturn V Moon rocket. 

Remembered as one of the most 

remarkable achievements in the 

evolution of rocket propulsion, 

the first-of-their-kind rocket 

engines delivered Apollo 11 astronauts safely to the surface of the 

Moon and back to Earth. These 

engines helped assure three individuals, Neil Armstrong, Edwin 

“Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael 

Collins, a place in the history of 

humankind.

8
volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

2010 nasa history Program review

The attendees visited the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station site and the Mercury-Redstone Rocket 

Facility.

The attendees visited the Apollo 1/Launch Complex 34 site.

continued on next page

9
nasa history division

2010 NASA History Program Review (continued)

The attendees toured Kennedy Space Center 

and viewed the Shuttle tiles in the Orbiter 

Processing Facility.

The Space Shuttle Main Engine Processing 

Facility refurbishes the reusable engines.

10
volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

The attendees toured Pad 39A before the 

Space Shuttle Atlantis launch.

Bob Arrighi won the 2010 Annual NASA 

History Award for his outstanding 

achievements in historic preservation.

continued on next page

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nasa history division

2010 NASA History Program Review (continued)

On 14 May 2010, Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on time for its final mission to the International Space 

Station.

2010 NASA History Program Review attendees stand together for a group picture: Mike Carrington, 

Nadine Andreassen, Christian Gelzer, Pete Merlin, Jennifer Ross-Nazzal, Gail Langevin, Elaine 

Liston, Erik Conway, Anne Power, Jane Odom, Glenn Bugos, Jonathan Wright, Alex MacDonald, Mike 

Wright, Sunny Tsiao, Kathleen Callister, Mike Crnkovic, Daphne Alford, Heidi Blough, Colin Fries, 

Steve Garber, Cindy Miller, Tracy McMahan, Michael Meltzer, Julie Cooper, Sandra Johnson, Roena 

Love, Steven Crofoot, Bob Arrighi, Rebecca Wright, Molly Porter, and Paul Candela.

12
volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

NASA Publications Reprinted by Dover Publications

LunarImpact:TheNASAHistoryofProjectRanger, by R. Cargill Hall, with a new 

foreword by Paul Dickson (Dover Publications, June 2010). This reprint makes 

available the complete history of Project Ranger, the first successful robotic lunarexploration missions that led to the broadcast of close-up images of the Moon’s surface on television. The book contains more than 100 photographs and illustrations. 

This book was originally published as NASA SP-4210 in 1977.

Commercially Published Works

Compiled by Chris Gamble

AlmostAstronauts:13WomenWhoDared toDream, by Tanya Lee Stone, with a 

foreword by Margaret A. Weitekamp (Candlewick, February 2009). When America 

created NASA in 1958, there was an unspoken rule to become an astronaut: you had 

to be a man. This children’s book tells the story of 13 women who had the right stuff. 

Even though the Mercury 13 women did not make it into space, they defied the prejudices of the time and blazed a trail for generations of women to follow. Weitekamp 

previously wrote RightStuff,WrongSex:America’sFirstWomeninSpaceProgram

(Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006), an excellent scholarly account of this story.

LaunchMagazine’sHistoryofRockets&ModelRockets, by Mark Mayfield (Skyhorse 

Publishing, October 2009). Complete with explanations of the events and scientific 

developments that led to the proliferation of hobby rocketry, this book is a full-color 

pictorial history of aerospace endeavors around the world.

TheLawandPolicyofAir,SpaceandOuterSpace, by Peter P. C. Haanappel (Kluwer 

Law International, 2nd edition, December 2009). This is a policy-oriented textbook 

on air and space law for students and practitioners. It covers the history and development of air and space law.

SpaceExplorationResearch, edited by John H. Denis and Paul D. Aldridge (Nova 

Science Publishers, December 2009). This book examines a multitude of issues 

related to space exploration, including philosophy, biology, dark energy, space tourism, space station measurements, supernovae, and Saturn’s rings.

PrepareforLaunch:TheAstronautTrainingProcess, by Erik Seedhouse (SpringerPraxis, January 2010). PrepareforLaunch provides a unique insight into the astronaut application, selection, and training process. This book uniquely explores the 

preparation required to apply and train for the most challenging and demanding job 

in the world.

SmallSatelliteMissions forEarthObservation:NewDevelopments andTrends, 

edited by Rainer Sandau, Hans-Peter Roeser, and Arnoldo Valenzuela (Springer, 

February 2010). This book is a compilation of contributions given at the 7th 

International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Symposium on Small Satellites for 

Earth Observation, 4–8 May 2009, Berlin, Germany, that are representative of the 

new developments and trends in the area of small satellites for Earth observation 

reflecting the potentials of a diversity of missions and related technologies. They 

continued on next page

13
nasa history division

Recent Publications (continued)

may be based on national projects or international cooperation; single satellites or 

constellations; or pico-, nano-, micro-, or mini-satellites; or developed by companies, research institutions, or agencies.

FutureU.S.SpaceLaunchCapabilities, edited by Franz Lojdahl (Nova Science 

Publishers, January 2010). This book presents a wide spectrum of in-depth analyses 

detailing the U.S. space program, including alternatives to the Space Shuttle, space 

acquisition policies, government and private space launch vehicles, as well as satellites and the space stations.

PolarOceans fromSpace, by Josefino Comiso (Springer, January 2010). Polar

OceansfromSpace presents a wealth of material providing a detailed history of the 

changing climate of the polar oceans as observed by satellite sensors in the last three 

decades. The main goal of the book is the presentation of results from studies of 

the time evolution of polar surfaces as observed by satellite sensors with about 150 

satellite images of surface parameters. The study results reveal that, from month to 

month and from one year to another, Earth is changing.

EmergingSpacePowers:TheNewSpaceProgramsofAsia, theMiddleEast,and

SouthAmerica, by Brian Harvey, Henk H. F. Smid, and Theo Pirard (SpringerPraxis, March 2010). This book describes the origins, the developments, and the 

future of several emerging space powers, namely Japan, India, Iran, Brazil, Israel, 

North Korea, and South Korea.

Missions from JPL: Fifty Years of Amazing Flight Projects, by Robert Aster 

(CreateSpace, January 2010). This book covers every NASA mission flown by JPL 

during its first 50 years, including America’s first satellite; rovers on Mars; spacecraft sent to intercept comets; and inside stories on more than 80 amazing projects. 

ForAllMankind:RecipientsoftheCongressionalSpaceMedalofHonor, by Eric R. 

Caubarreaux (CreateSpace, January 2010). ForAllMankind profiles 28 astronauts 

who have received NASA’s rarest and most coveted decoration.

LunarSettlements, edited by Haym Benaroya (CRC Press, February 2010). Bringing 

together some of the most recognized and influential researchers and scientists 

in various space-related disciplines, LunarSettlements addresses the many issues 

that surround the permanent human return to the Moon. Numerous international 

contributors offer their insights into how certain technological, physiological, and 

psychological challenges must be met to make permanent lunar settlements possible.

HuntsvilleAirandSpace(ImagesofAviation), by T. Gary Wicks (Arcadia Publishing, 

February 2010). Huntsville, Alabama, was at the epicenter of the greatest technological achievement of the 20th century as the Saturn V rocket propelled humankind to 

the Moon. Nowhere in the world is the century’s rapid advance of air and space technology more apparent than in Huntsville. This unique evolution of flying machines 

and space vehicles unfolds in this pictorial documentary, including the dramatic 

growth of the research facilities and community infrastructure that produced these 

remarkable inventions.

AmericanAstrophilately:TheFirst50Years, by David S. Ball (A&A Publishers, LLC, 

February 2010). In 70 years, the United States traveled from Kitty Hawk, North 

Carolina, to the Moon. This uniquely American story of the conquest of space is 

traced by stamp collectors who enjoy aerospace history. By exhibiting envelopes 

14
volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

that are postmarked near launchpads, near mission control centers, and on recovery 

ships, astrophilatelists tell an amazing tale of new sailing ships on a vast new ocean. 

MyDreamofStars:FromDaughterofIrantoSpacePioneer, by Anousheh Ansari 

and Homer Hickam (Palgrave Macmillan, March 2010). This book is the memoir 

of space pioneer Anousheh Ansari, the first-ever female commercial spaceflight 

participant.

TheRedRockets’Glare:SpaceflightandtheSovietImagination,1857–1957, by Asif 

A. Siddiqi (Cambridge University Press, February 2010). TheRedRockets’Glare is 

the first academic study on the birth of the Soviet space program and one of the first 

social histories of Soviet science. Based on many years of archival research, the book 

situates the birth of cosmic enthusiasm within the social and cultural upheavals of 

Russian and Soviet history. 

Mars:ProspectiveEnergyandMaterialResources, edited by Viorel Badescu (Springer, 

February 2010). The location and use of Mars’s natural resources is vital to enabling 

cost-effective, long-duration human exploration and exploitation missions as well as 

subsequent human colonization. This book investigates the possibilities and limitations of various systems supplying human bases on Mars with energy and other vital 

resources. The book collects together recent proposals and innovative options and 

solutions.

RevitalizingNASA’sSuborbitalProgram:AdvancingScience,DrivingInnovation,

andDevelopingaWorkforce, by the Committee on NASA’s Suborbital Research 

Capabilities, Space Studies Board, National Research Council (National Academies 

Press, March 2010). RevitalizingNASA’sSuborbitalProgram is an assessment of the 

current state and potential of NASA’s suborbital research programs and a review 

of NASA’s capabilities in this area. The findings illustrate that suborbital program 

elements—airborne, balloon, and sounding rockets—play vital and necessary 

strategic roles in NASA’s research, innovation, education, employee development, 

and spaceflight mission success, thus providing the foundation for the achievement 

of Agency goals.

TheHistoryofFinnishSpaceActivities, by Ilkka Tapio Seppinen and Risto Pellinen 

(Beauchesne Editeur, 2010). Finland started its first space-related hardware program 

in 1985. Ten years later, Finland was ready to join the European Space Agency. 

However, space-related, ground-based activities had been going on in Finland 

for nearly 160 years before it became an active member of the club of spacefaring 

nations. This book gives some background perspectives on this development and 

describes the first steps taken in Finland immediately after the launch of Sputnik I 

in 1957.

Hubble:AJourneyThroughSpaceandTime, by Edward Weiler (Abrams, April 

2010). Marking the 20th anniversary of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, this book 

contains more than 100 images, the most significant ones annotated by scientists. 

Space Shuttle astronauts who have performed maintenance on the telescope also 

contributed to this book.

TheDreamMachine:TheUntoldHistoryoftheNotoriousV-22Osprey, by Richard 

Whittle (Simon & Schuster, April 2010). The Marines’ V-22 Osprey “tiltrotor” is a 

hybrid aircraft able to take off, land, and hover with the agility of a helicopter yet 

fly as fast and as far as an airplane. Based on in-depth research and hundreds of 

continued on next page

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nasa history division

Recent Publications (continued)

interviews, TheDreamMachine is this airplane’s story: from early financial, technological, and political development troubles to fielding the aircraft into combat. The 

book is not only a chronicle of an extraordinary chapter in U.S. Marine Corps history, but it also provides a fascinating look at a machine that could still revolutionize 

air travel.

TheCambridgeDictionaryofSpaceTechnology, by Mark Williamson (Cambridge 

University Press, April 2010). While the emphasis is on defining the meaning of a 

word or phrase, TheCambridgeDictionaryofSpaceTechnology’s 2,300 entries have 

been written with the intention of enhancing the understanding of the subject, both 

for the practicing specialist and the interested layperson. 

AmericanX&YPlanes,Volume1:ExperimentalAircraftto1945, by Kev Darling 

(Crowood Press, April 2010). The world of experimental and prototype aircraft 

gives birth to many interesting and unusual machines. This book, the first of a twovolume history of U.S. “X” and “Y” experimental planes from the earliest years of 

aviation to the present day, covers the period from the Wright brothers to the end of 

World War II, covering famous names to long-forgotten manufacturers.

TheEconomicGeographyofAirTransportation:Space,Time,and theFreedomof

theSky, by John T. Bowen (Routledge, March 2010). This book answers three questions with examples drawn from throughout the world: how did air transportation 

develop in the century after the Wright brothers, what does it mean to live in an 

airborne world, and what is the future of aviation in this century?

TurningDusttoGold:BuildingaFutureontheMoonandMars, by Haym Benaroya 

(Springer-Praxis, April 2010). This book is a journey into our potential future, as 

several nations today begin seriously to plan and build up their capabilities for 

piloted spaceflight and settlement on the Moon and Mars.

TheSpaceflightVault:AHistoryofNASA’sMannedMissions, by Mark Mayfield 

(Whitman Publishing, April 2010). TheSpaceflightVault traces the extraordinary 

journey from the early rocketry pioneers to the astronauts of today. Filled with 

hundreds of photos from the archives at Johnson Space Center, Clark University, 

and private collections, TheSpaceflightVault also contains replicas of historic 

memorabilia.

TheEerieSilence:RenewingOurSearch forAlien Intelligence, by Paul Davies 

(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2010). After a half century of scanning the skies, 

the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has not provided any answer 

regarding intelligent life beyond Earth. Physicist and astrobiologist Paul Davies 

argues that the search should be expanded because we may well be looking in the 

wrong place, at the wrong time, and in the wrong way.

AnotherScienceFiction:AdvertisingtheSpaceRace1957–1962, by Megan Prelinger 

(Blast Books, April 2010). While science fiction writers expressed the dreams and 

nightmares of the era in pulp print, the aerospace industry itself often promoted its 

future capabilities with fantastical, colorful visions depicted in its advertisements 

aimed at luring young engineers into its booming workforce. Aerospace industry 

ads pitched the idea that we lived in a time when anything was possible. With nearly 

200 entertaining, intriguing, inspiring, and sometimes mind-boggling visions of our 

new Space Age in the atomic era, AnotherScienceFiction presents a fresh, smart, 

and focused look at the moment when American aerospace development and world 

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volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

politics led to Kennedy’s 1961 directive to achieve the goal of “landing a man on the 

Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

TheLegacyofFlight:ImagesfromtheArchivesoftheSmithsonianNationalAirand

SpaceMuseum, by David Romanowski and Melissa Keiser (Bunker Hill Publishing, 

April 2010). This book is a stunning documentary history of aviation and spaceflight 

in the last 100 years that highlights the achievements of both the famous and the 

everyday people involved in the endeavor as well as every major type of aircraft 

(military, civilian, commercial, and civil), and all the professions that make it work: 

pilot, mechanic, designer, builder, ground and air crew, astronaut and cosmonaut, 

controller, and scientist. Every image tells a story and is accompanied by short, 

delightful essays.

Apollo13:NASAMissionReports, edited by Robert Godwin (Collector’s Guide 

Publishing, Inc./Apogee Books, 40th anniversary edition, May 2010). After an 

explosion in the Service Module crippled the spacecraft while it was still outward 

bound, the crew would spend several harrowing days in near-frigid temperatures 

while the technicians at home worked around the clock to devise new and ingenious 

ways to keep them alive and bring them home safely. In this book, some of the rare 

official documentation of the voyage of Apollo 13 is collected and made commercially available for the first time.

TheUnbrokenChain, by Guenter Wendt (Collector’s Guide Publishing, Inc./Apogee 

Books, May 2009). This is the autobiography of Guenter Wendt, the one man who 

worked side by side with every astronaut who left the Cape bound for space. Because 

of his unique perspective from the launchpad, his story is filled with important 

accounts and anecdotes, many of which have never been published until now. 

Footprintsin theDust:TheEpicVoyages ofApollo, 1969–1975, edited by Colin 

Burgess (University of Nebraska Press, June 2010). This book covers the flights of 

the Apollo program from Apollo 11 through the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975. The 

authors convey the human drama and chart the technological marvels that went 

into those missions. They also put the accomplishments of American spaceflight 

into historical context, examining the competitive space race with the Soviet Union; 

the roles of politics and personality in launching the mission; and the consequences, 

practical and profound, of this giant leap for humankind.

MoonFire:TheEpicJourneyofApollo11, by Norman Mailer (Taschen, June 2010). 

One of the greatest writers of the 20th century, Norman Mailer was hired by LIFE

in 1969 to cover the Apollo 11 Moon mission. He enhanced his reportage in the 

brilliantly crafted book OfaFireontheMoon, which is excerpted in this edition. 

Mailer provides provocative and trenchant insights into this epoch-making event. 

Illustrating this volume are hundreds of photographs and maps from the NASA 

vaults, magazine archives, and private collections. These images document the 

development of the Agency and its mission, life inside the Command Module and on 

the Moon’s surface, and the world’s jubilant reaction to the landing.

AirplaneRacing:AHistory,1909–2008, by Don Berliner (McFarland, May 2010). 

The history of air racing is very much the history of aviation: with glamorous 

pilots, some of military fame (e.g., Jimmy Doolittle); builders (e.g., Glenn Curtiss); 

machines that captivated the national imagination; and many relatively unknown 

tinkerers and designers.

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nasa history division

Recent Publications (continued)

TransatlanticAirships:AnIllustratedHistory, by John Christopher (Crowood Press, 

April 2010). This book tells the story of transatlantic airships from the earliest 

flights to postwar proposals for colossal atomic-powered leviathans. It is a story of 

fantastic visionaries, incredible flying machines, great moments of triumph, and, 

ultimately, spectacular disaster.

SpaceTourismIssues, edited by Elias Wikborg (Nova Science Publishers, May 2010). 

This book evaluates the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) safety oversight 

of commercial space launches, responses to emerging issues, and challenges in regulating and promoting space tourism and responding to competitive issues affecting 

the industry. The federal role in commercial space launches and the government’s 

response to emerging industry trends, both domestically and internationally, are 

also dealt with.

ICAO: A History of the International Civil Aviation Organization, by David 

Mackenzie (University of Toronto Press, May 2010). The International Civil 

Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency, oversees and encourages 

the development of international civil aviation. ICAO is involved with aviation 

safety, technical standards, legal regulations, and operating procedures. This book 

covers a broad political-diplomatic history of the organization and the role that it 

played in the evolution of international civil aviation.

TheMakingofHistory’sGreatestStarMap, by Michael Perryman (Springer, May 

2010). How far away stars are is a question that has confounded scientists for centuries. In the last two decades of the 20th century, the European Space Agency 

developed and launched the Hipparcos satellite, around which this account revolves, 

to carry out these exacting measurements from space. This book traces the subject’s 

history, explains why such enormous efforts are considered worthwhile, and mixes 

these with a firsthand insight into the Hipparcos project and how big science is 

conducted at an international level. 

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volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

NASA History

http://history.nasa.gov/astp

In anticipation of the 35th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, this Web 

site features a number of new historical documents and videos. Special thanks to Liz 

Suckow and Colin Fries for assembling and posting them.

http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/50th_anniversary/timeline.pdf

Text, photos, and videos about the history of Marshall Space Flight Center are featured in a new online interactive timeline on the Center’s 50th anniversary Web site.

TheNationalParkServicemanagestheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces(NRHP).

TheNRHPcontainsapproximately2,900NationalHistoricLandmarks(NHLs):the

buildings,districts,structures,andobjects thataresignificant toAmerica’shistory

nationally.WhileNASA’shistoricaccomplishmentsinaeronauticalresearch,science,

and spaceexplorationarewelldocumented,lessisknownabout thebuildingsand

structuresthatsupportedandenabledtheseaccomplishments.Thisseriesprovidesan

overviewofNASA’s20NHLs.ThisissuefeaturesNASA’s25-FootSpaceSimulator

locatedattheJetPropulsionLaboratory,Pasadena,California.

From Mariner to the Rovers: The 25-Foot 

Space Simulator

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

By Christian Benitez and Paul Van Velzer

Success can be measured by its failures. Before the success of the first planetary 

flyby or the success of the first rover on Mars, the failures of the spacecraft were 

first identified. It is a routine process at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) 25-Foot 

Space Simulator to recognize how things should not be done before developing the 

successful design for how things should be done.

The 25-Foot Space Simulator (hereinafter referred to as the “Simulator”) was built 

in 1961 and is the only NASA facility capable of producing high-quality space 

simulation for testing spacecraft under conditions of extreme cold; high vacuum; 

and intense, highly uniform, collimated solar radiation. Since its construction, the 

Simulator has been extensively used for research, development, and qualification 

testing of space-related test articles. The Simulator enables JPL to test its spacecraft 

in a true space environment and to locate and eliminate problems before launch. 

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NASA’s National Historic Landmarks (continued)

This ability to create a true space environment has led engineers and scientists from 

Europe and Japan to study its construction in an attempt to build similar facilities.

In 1989, the Simulator was designated an NHL by the National Park Service as part 

of the NASA Man-in-Space theme study. Although the study focused on human

spaceflight, the study acknowledged the Simulator’s technological capabilities in 

simulating the environment of space and recognized its strong associations with the 

robotic space exploration program of the United States.

The Simulator was considerably utilized in the testing of some of the earliest U.S. 

planetary and lunar missions, including the Mariner and Ranger programs of the 

1960s and 1970s. The Mariner series of spacecraft were designed to investigate Mars, 

Venus, and Mercury; they marked a number of firsts, including the first planetary 

flyby, the first planetary orbiter, and the first gravity-assist. The Ranger spacecraft 

relayed the most detailed pictures and data of the Moon as they approached the 

lunar surface. Prior to their respective launches, each of these actual spacecraft was 

placed in its entirety within the Simulator for testing.

The Simulator is a stainless-steel cylindrical vessel 27 feet in diameter and 85 feet 

high. For solar simulation, the test volume is 20 feet in diameter and 25 feet high. 

For nonsolar testing, the test volume is approximately 70 feet high. The walls 

and floor of the Simulator are lined with thermally opaque aluminum cryogenic 

shrouds. The shrouds are louvered aluminum panels that are painted black on all 

surfaces that face the test volume. In order to simulate extreme cold conditions, 

the temperature of the shrouds can be maintained at -185°C by cooling with liquid 

nitrogen. Intermediate temperatures between -125°C to +100°C can be obtained by 

either cooling or heating gaseous nitrogen, which is pumped through the shrouds.

The solar simulation capabilities are performed through the use of an array of 37 

xenon gas-filled arc lamps (20 to 30 kilowatts each) that are capable of solar eclipses 

and radiation levels below and above 1 solar constant (1 solar constant = 126 W/ft2

). 

In addition to the arc lamps, the solar simulation utilizes an integrating lens unit 

(mixes the light from the lamps to form a uniform beam), a penetration window, 

and a single-piece 23-foot mounted collimating mirror located at the top of the 

chamber. The maximum beam diameter is 19.5 feet, which can provide intensities up 

to 2.7 solar constants. With a smaller collimating mirror and different integrating 

lens units, a 9-foot-diameter beam with intensities up to 12 solar constants can be 

provided. The Simulator’s use of a collimating mirror to produce the intense solar 

radiation of space was the first system of its type when installed in 1966.

Additional modifications have transpired at the Simulator in order to satisfy expanding space simulation and cleanliness requirements. A class 10,000 clean-room 

facility (35 feet long by 30 feet wide by 32 feet high) was constructed for test-article 

assembly and system checkout prior to environmental testing. An airlock separates 

the clean room from the Simulator. Test items are moved from the clean room into 

the Simulator via overhead monorail cranes. The test item is either hard-mounted to 

stanchions that protrude from the floor or is suspended by cables attached to hard 

points that are mounted at various levels around the chamber. Video capture of 

the test item within the Simulator is available using the Satellite Test Assist Robot 

(STAR) system. STAR consists of two video cameras and an infrared camera. The 

infrared camera can be used to monitor temperature gradients over the visible 

surfaces of the test item. The cameras are attached to a pan and tilt unit, which is 

20
volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

mounted on a beam that can be raised to an elevation of approximately 30 feet. This 

allows for the viewing of the backside, top, and bottom of the test item. The video 

captured from the cameras is recorded to VCR tape.

The simulated space environment (cold or solar) can be established in about 90 

minutes. Test conditions can be terminated and access provided to the tested items 

in about 21⁄2 hours. The Simulator is capable of supporting 24-hour operations, 

including past test durations that have exceeded 1 month.

Despite the various modifications to the Simulator, the Simulator maintains a historic appearance from its early construction. In addition to the Simulator itself, the 

Simulator control room has also required modifications. Ingenuity by the Simulator 

Operations team has allowed the control room to maintain its 1961 appearance 

but operate with the most current and effective technology. The control panels, 

which contain process-flow diagrams and digital data displays, are vintage 1961. 

The switches and dials on the control panel have functioned in the same manner 

since its original construction. However, behind the displays is an intricate design 

of computers and wiring that appropriately performs all commands initiated from 

the control room. Although the vintage paneling preserves the historic appearance 

of the Simulator, the decision to keep the original paneling was not only for historic 

integrity, but also equally for the purpose of continuity in the operation of the 

Simulator. The Simulator Operations team understood that upgrades to technology would allow the Simulator to perform more efficiently. However, the team 

also believed that the operating procedures should stay the same regardless of the 

technology. Therefore, rather than training technicians to learn new technology, 

the new technology was designed to function with the vintage panels. As a result, 

any technician from any time period would require minimal training to operate the 

Simulator.

From the early 1960s through the late 1980s, the Simulator was consistently utilized. 

In addition to NASA programs, the Simulator has been made available, with NASA 

approval, to any government agency and, under certain conditions, to private industry. Following the Mariner and Ranger programs, the Simulator performed testing 

of NASA spacecraft from the Surveyor, Viking, Voyager, and Galileo programs. 

Non-NASA testing has been performed on the European Space Agency’s Olympus 

program and various satellites from Intelsat, Ltd.

Although the Simulator was responsible for the testing of the Mars rover programs 

(Pathfinder in 1996 and Mars Exploration Rovers [MERs] Spirit and Opportunity in 

2002), testing opportunities at the Simulator have become scarce. Private aerospace 

companies have worked and continue to work with NASA in the development 

and construction of NASA spacecraft. As such, these aerospace companies have 

assembled infrastructure at their own facilities that perform testing comparable to 

that of the Simulator. Technology used at the Simulator, such as the use of nitrogen for cold simulation, is a common practice that can be used at other facilities. 

Although the Simulator has “one of a kind” solar simulation capabilities, spacecraft 

destined for the near-Sun interior planets (Mercury and Venus) and/or designed for 

exposure to extreme solar radiation have been limited. According to Paul Van Velzer 

of the Simulator Operations team, the Simulator has the capability of testing three 

spacecraft annually. However, the annual operating budget for the Simulator can be 

satisfied with the testing of only one spacecraft a year for a period of 10 days. When 

the Simulator is not performing actual testing, the Simulator requires frequent 

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nasa history division

NASA’s National Historic Landmarks (continued)

maintenance and upkeep in order to be ready for immediate testing. Although the 

testing of spacecraft is not as frequent as it once was, NASA programs and nonNASA partnerships have provided enough opportunities for testing to keep the 

Simulator utilized.

Welcome to Kathleen Callister, the new Agency Historic Preservation 

Officer. Many thanks and best wishes to Tina Norwood, who has moved on 

to another environmental program!

other aerosPaCe history news

National Air and Space Museum (NASM)

Compiled by Michael Neufeld

Roger Launius, Division of Space History, has published “Federal History and 

National Identity: Reflections from the Trenches,” FederalHistory, issue 2, January 

2010, pp. 74–80, based on his Roger Trask Award presentation at the 2009 Society 

for History in the Federal Government annual meeting. He also published an 

op-ed with G. Michael Green, entitled “New Vision for NASA,” FloridaToday, 

14 February 2010. Additionally, he organized and chaired the session “Spaceflight 

and the Environment: At the Conjunction of History and Policy” at the National 

Council on Public History/American Society for Environmental History annual 

meeting, Portland, Oregon, 11 March 2010, and organized and commented on 

the papers presented at the session “Visualizing Space Exploration: Images and 

Symbols from the Space Age” at the Organization of American Historians Annual 

Meeting, Washington, DC, 7 April 2010. He also moderated the Apollo 13 Crew 

and Mission Control Discussion sponsored by the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, 

Illinois, 11 April 2010.

Michael Neufeld and Alex Spencer, Aeronautics Division, have been editing a 

new, richly illustrated book, SmithsonianNationalAir andSpaceMuseum:An

Autobiography, to be published by NationalGeographic in October 2010. Melissa 

Keiser of the Archives Division has led the extensive in-house photo research and 

selection effort, assisted by Marilyn Graskowiak, Chair of the Archives Division. 

Major chapters and sections have been written by Tom Crouch, Bob van der Linden, 

Dominick Pisano, and Dik Daso of Aeronautics; Ted Maxwell of the Center for 

Earth and Planetary Studies; and Michael Neufeld. Senator John Glenn has provided the foreword, and General John R. Dailey, NASM Director, has provided the 

afterword. The book covers the history of the Smithsonian Institution’s involvement 

in flight technology, from Civil War ballooning through the building of the Mall 

Museum to the completion of the Udvar-Hazy Center’s Phase 2 in 2010.

Von Hardesty, Aeronautics, has been invited by the Department of State to participate in their U.S. Speaker/Specialist Program for the Russian Federation. The program, scheduled for May 2010, will consist of lectures and special seminars dealing 

with the theme of “Lend Lease Aviation to the Soviet Union in World War II.” The 

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volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

invitation was arranged through the Bureau of International Information Programs 

in coordination with the U.S. consulate in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

American Astronautical Society (AAS) 

History Committee

By Michael Ciancone

Newsletter and Distribution List

Explorer, the periodic newsletter of the AAS History Committee, is available on the 

AAS Web site at http://astronautical.org/committees/history/. Issue 10 was published 

in March 2010.

If you would like to electronically receive each issue, as well as an occasional bit of information related to spaceflight history, send an e-mail with 

your request to the Chair of the History Committee, Michael Ciancone, at 

michael.l.ciancone@nasa.gov.

Emme Award for Astronautical Literature

The AAS is pleased to announce the establishment of a new book award for books, 

the Emme Award for Astronautical Literature (Youth), or Emme Junior, as it has 

affectionately been dubbed. As you may know, the Emme Award, first presented in 

1982, is annually presented by the AAS to the author of the book that best serves 

public understanding about the impact of astronautics on society and its potential 

for the future. The Emme Junior will continue that tradition by recognizing efforts 

to inspire and educate K–12 students through books that effectively communicate 

the concept and possibilities of astronautics. Entries will be judged on the basis 

of originality (format, style, and subject), ability to inspire, educational content, 

accuracy of material, and effectiveness in reaching intended audience. The recipient 

of the first Emme Junior will be announced along with the Emme Award during the 

awards ceremony at the AAS National Meeting in fall 2010.

The 2009 Emme Award process has begun. The publishers of titles identified for 

consideration have been contacted for review copies if they wish to have their title 

considered further. The members of the review panel will meet and discuss during 

the next several months to select a recipient, as well as a short-list of finalists. The 

recipient of the award will be officially announced during the awards ceremony at 

the AAS National Meeting in fall 2010.

ABC-CLIO Space History Encyclopedia

The long-awaited SpaceExplorationandHumanity—AHistoricalEncyclopedia is 

slated to be released in August 2010. The AAS History Committee has provided 

sustained editorial support for the effort under the patient guidance of general editor Stephen Johnson. Our hope is that you will find that the wait has been worth it.

Anthology of American Writings About Flight

Joe Corn, Senior Lecturer Emeritus in the Department of History at Stanford 

University, is compiling and editing an anthology of American writings about flight 

for the Library of America (a nonprofit publisher).

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nasa history division

Other Aerospace History News (continued)

This collection will include many short (about 25 pages, maximum) selections written by Americans about flight, covering all eras and vantage points from ballooning 

to spaceflight. There will be selections by pilots, astronauts, engineers, inventors, 

passengers, and journalists.

Please send any citations for writings based on personal, first-hand experiences of f light that seem particularly memorable, moving, or unusual to 

joe.corn@stanford.edu.

NASA’s International Space Station Program Wins 

Collier Trophy

NASA’s International Space Station Program won the 2009 Collier Trophy, which 

recognizes the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America.

The National Aeronautic Association in Washington, DC, selected the Station “for 

the design, development, and assembly of the of the world’s largest spacecraft, an 

orbiting laboratory that promises new discoveries for mankind and sets new standards for international cooperation in space.”

The Station is a joint project of NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the European 

Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Russian Federal 

Space Agency. The orbiting laboratory nears completion, and it will mark the 10th 

anniversary of a continuous human presence in orbit later this year.

Upcoming meetings

The annual meeting for the Society of American Archivists will be held 10–15 August 

2010 in Washington, DC. Please see http://www2.archivists.org/conference/2010/

washington for more details.

The SETI Institute will host SETIcon 13–15 August 2010 in Santa Clara, California. 

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

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

29 September–3 October 2010 in Tacoma, Washington. Please see http://www.

historyoftechnology.org/annual_meeting.html#future_mtgs for more details.

The annual meeting for the History of Science Society will be held 4–7 November 2010

in Montreal, Quebec. Please see http://www.hssonline.org/Meeting/2010HSSMeeting/

index.html for more details.

The annual meeting for the American Historical Association will be held 6–9 January 

2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. Please see http://www.historians.org/annual/2011/

index.cfm for more details.

The annual meeting for the American Library Association (midwinter meeting) will 

be held 7–12 January 2011 in San Diego, California. Please see http://www.ala.org/

ala/conferencesevents/upcoming/midwinter/index.cfm for more details.

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volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

The 217th meeting for the American Astronomical Society will be held 9–13 January 

2011 in Seattle, Washington. Please see http://aas.org/meetings/aas217 for more details.

obituaries

Major General Robert White

Major General Robert White, the test pilot and space pioneer who set major milestones in the history of flight, died 17 March 2010. Major General White completed 

16 flights in the X-15 rocket-powered aircraft, becoming the first pilot to fly at Mach 

numbers 4, 5, and 6. On 17 July 1962, he also set a world altitude record flying to 

314,750 feet (or 59.6 miles), which qualified him for Air Force astronaut wings.

Major General White entered the military as an aviation cadet in 1942 and received 

his commission as a pilot in 1944 during World War II. After the war, he earned a 

degree in electrical engineering at New York University and got called back into 

service for combat missions during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Major General 

White also commanded the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base 

in the early 1970s and retired from the Air Force in 1981.

Guenter Wendt

Guenter Wendt, the man known as the original pad leader, died on 3 May 2010. 

He was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1949. Mr. Wendt 

worked as a mechanical engineer for McDonnell Aircraft Corporation and became 

responsible for the spacecraft on the launchpads to ensure everyone’s safety during 

the Mercury and Gemini flights. He would be the last man that outgoing crews 

would see and talk to before the spacecraft hatch closed. After the Apollo 1 fire, 

North American Rockwell hired Mr. Wendt to oversee the spacecraft launch preparations for Apollo, Skylab, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, as well as the beginning flights for the Space Shuttle. He retired in 1989 and wrote his memoirs, The

UnbrokenChain. Mr. Wendt received numerous awards including NASA’s Letter of 

Appreciation, several Group Achievement Awards, and the “Silver Snoopy.”

M. J. Raffensperger

Born 28 October 1922, M. J. “Maurey” Raffensperger died on 19 May 2010. He 

served in the Fourth Infantry Division during World War II, earning the Bronze 

Star, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and a Presidential Unit Citation.

After the war, Mr. Raffensperger earned both a B.S. and an M.S. in electrical 

engineering at Stanford University and an MBA from the George Washington 

University.

While he was working as the Director of Engineering at Nortronics/Northrop, 

NASA recruited him to become the Director of Manned Earth Orbital Studies. Mr. 

Raffensperger also worked for the Defense Communications Agency and the Voice 

of America before his retirement in 1984.

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nasa history division

Obituaries (continued)

During his long career in both private industry and federal government, Mr. 

Raffensperger obtained six patents. He also received the Exceptional Civilian 

Service Award for his work from the Department of Defense and the Distinguished 

Honor Award from the Department of State.

Rex Hall

British space historian Rex Hall passed away on 31 May 2010. He was a well-known 

and respected researcher of the Soviet/Russian space program and cosmonaut 

teams. Mr. Hall coauthored several books, including TheRocketMen:Vostok&

Voskhod, TheFirstSovietMannedSpaceflights; Soyuz:AUniversalSpacecraft; and 

Russia’sCosmonauts:InsideTheYuriGagarinTrainingCenter. He also served as a 

council member and past president of the British Interplanetary Society.

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volume 27, number 3 Third Quarter 2010

The NASA History Division, under the Office of Communications, NASA 

Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, publishes NewsandNotes quarterly.

To receive NewsandNotesvia e-mail, send a message to history-request@hq.nasa.

gov. In the text portion, simply type “subscribe” without the quotation marks. 

You will receive confirmation that your account has been added to the list for the 

newsletter and for receiving other announcements. For more information about our 

listserv, please see http://history.nasa.gov/listserv.html on the Web. We also post the 

latest issue of this newsletter at http://history.nasa.gov/nltrc.html on the Web.

Do you have more questions about NASA history in general? Please check out 

our NASA History 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 Giny Cheong, newsletter editor, at giny.cheong@nasa.gov.

NASA Headquarters History Division Staff Contact Information:

Stephen Garber, Acting Chief Historian stephen.j.garber@nasa.gov

202-358-0385

Nadine Andreassen, Program Support Specialist nadine.j.andreassen@nasa.gov

202-358-0087

Colin Fries, Archivist cfries@mail.hq.nasa.gov

202-358-0388

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:

Stephen Garber, NASA Headquarters History Division

Andrew Jarvis, Editor, NASA Headquarters Communications Support Services Center

Garrett Shea, Publication Specialist/Graphic 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

27
National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

NASA HISTORY DIVISION

Office of Communications

Washington, DC 20546

http://www.nasa.gov

http://history.nasa.gov