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Jules "Jay" Mermoud Collection

Extent:
9.4 Cubic feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Color slides
Color photographs
Black-and-white photographs
Newsletters
Black-and-white negatives
Color negatives
Date:
1956-1987
Summary:
The Jules "Jay" Mermoud Collection reflects his career as a producer, cinematographer, and media graphic specialist for McDonnell Douglas (then Douglas Aircraft) from the mid-1950s until his retirement in 1987. Mermoud worked extensively with NASA at a variety of locations within the United States. This material is particularly rich in documenting the early space missions of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Apollo-Soyuz, the Thor and Skybolt missions and a variety of Douglas/McDonnell Douglas aircraft such as the F-15 Streak Eagle.
Scope and Contents:
This collection is approximately 9.4 cubic feet and includes photographs, negatives, 16mm motion picture film, oversized photographic prints and posters, photo albums, slides, textual material including brochures, newsletters, press kits, annual reports and news and magazine clippings.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged into four series: Textual Material; Photographs, Negatives and Slides; Oversize Materials and Audiovisual Material. The first series is subdivided into three subseries: NASA and Spaceflight; McDonnell Douglas, Aircraft, Rockets and Missiles; and Miscellaneous.The second series is subdivided into four subseries: Photo Albums; NASA and Spaceflight; McDonnell Douglas, Rockets and Missiles; and Miscellaneous.
Biographical / Historical:
Jules "Jay" Mermoud (1925--1991) was born Monett, Missouri. After graduating from high school, he joined the Army Air Corps prior to the end of World War II. He then attended the University of Southern California and earned a Bachelor's degree in Cinema in 1952. Upon completion, he briefly worked as a film extra and appeared in such movies as "Above and Beyond" and "Pat and Mike." From 1952 until 1956, Mermoud was employed by three television stations as a cinematographer, film director, editor and on-camera moderator that took him to various cities including Albuquerque, New Mexico; Fresno, California; Los Angeles, California; Tulsa Oklahoma; and Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he was the host of an outdoor show called "Oklahoma Outdoors." He also met and married his beloved wife Marilyn in 1954.

Two years later, he landed a job with McDonnell Douglas' Tulsa Division as a producer/coordinator where he was responsible for scientific and engineering camera instrumentation support for special testing programs relating to the Douglas RB-66 and WB-66 Destroyer development. From 1958 to 1963 he was a photo coordinator, producer and director at the Atlantic Missile Range where he instituted all contractual photography range support in the Thor, Thor-Able, Skybolt and Saturn rocket programs. Beginning in mid-1963, he was responsible for all photography coordination relating to crewed spaceflight at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. While living there, Mermoud's wife Marilyn was an active member of the Women's Clubs of Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach. Marilyn was also a member of the Space Pioneer Wives. In July 1969, the family relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, where Jay became Supervisor of Cinematography, later advancing to Section Manager of Photo Services a mere two years later. He was promoted again at McDonnell Douglas when he was named the Staff Specialist of film and television production and program development.

Mermoud's striking photographs appeared in such publications as Industrial Photography, Janes' All the World's Aircraft, National Geographic, Aviation Week, Missiles and Rockets and Popular Science and at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. He was also an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed playing jazz bass and piano.
Provenance:
Frank Mermoud and Jean Pickett, Gift, 2023, NASM.2024.0006
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Topic:
Aeronautics  Search this
Avionics  Search this
Color photography  Search this
Apollo Project  Search this
Gemini Project  Search this
Mercury Project  Search this
Douglas Aircraft Family  Search this
McDonnell Aircraft Family  Search this
United States Air Force  Search this
Genre/Form:
Color slides
Color photographs
Black-and-white photographs
Newsletters
Black-and-white negatives
Color negatives
Citation:
Jules "Jay" Mermoud Collection, Acc. NASM.2024.0006, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2024.0006
See more items in:
Jules "Jay" Mermoud Collection
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg265fdcea9-9ac1-43e7-8d57-2bb379e0252a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2024-0006
Online Media:

Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys Manuscript

Creator:
Collins, Michael, 1930-2021  Search this
Extent:
.23 Cubic feet (1 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1973-1974
Summary:
Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journey is the 1974 autobography of Michael Collins (1930--2021). While his early aviation career in the United States Air Force is covered, the vast majority of the text details his experiences as Command Module Pilot during the historic Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. This manuscript features hand-corrections from the author.
Scope and Contents:
This is the original manuscript of Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys, the book in which Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins describes his experiences as a test pilot and in the space program. It features hand corrections by his editor (in red) and Collins (in black) and includes passages which are crossed out and do not appear in the published version.
Arrangement:
Collection is a single item and divided into five folders.
Biographical / Historical:
Michael Collins (1930 - 2021) served as a fighter pilot and an experimental test pilot at the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base from 1959-1963. He was one of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963. Collins was pilot on the three-day Gemini 10 mission in 1966, during which he became the nation's third spacewalker and set a world altitude record. His second flight was as command module pilot of the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. He remained in lunar orbit while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon. After leaving NASA in 1970, Collins became Assistant Secretaty of State for Public Affairs and, in 1971, became the Director of the National Air and Space Museum, where he remained for seven years. Collins has received numerous decorations and awards and is the author of several books, including this, Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys, which was released to critical acclaim by Farrar Straus Giroux in 1974.

A Chronology of Major General Michael Collins' Life

1930, October 31 -- Born to James and Virginia Collins in Rome, Italy. He is the youngest of four children.

1942, September 22 -- Enters St. Albans School in Washington, DC.

1948 -- Graduates from St. Albans School.

1952, June -- Graduates from the United States Military Academy in West point with a Bachelor of Science degree in Military Science.

1952, August -- Joins the United States Air Force (USAF) and begins basic training at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, where he learns to fly the T-6 Texan.

1953 -- At Connally Air Force Base, Waco, Texas, he learns to fly T-33A Shooting Star jet trainers.

1953, September -- Learns advanced day-fighter training on an F-86 Sabre at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

1954, January -- Joins the 21st Fighter-Bomber Wing at George Air Force Base, California, where he learns nuclear weapons delivery systems and ground attack.

1954, mid-December -- Transfers with the 21st Fighter-Bomber Wing at Chambley-Bussières Air Base, France.

1956 -- Wins first place in a gunnery competition.

1956 -- Deploys to West Germany during the Hungarian Revolution.

1957, April 28 -- Marries Patricia Finnegan, a social worker, in Chambley, France.

Late 1957 -- Enrolls in a nine-month aircraft maintenace officer course at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, that he finishes in six months.

1959, May 6 -- Birth of daughter, Kathleen.

1960 -- Commands a Mobile Training Detachment (MTD) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. This requires him to travel to airbases world-wide. He later becomes the first commander of a Field Training Detachment (FTD).

1960, August 29 -- Enrolls in the USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, as a member of Class 60C. While there, his flight test instructional aircraft are the F-104 Starfighter, F-86 Sabre, T-33 Shooting Star, B-52 Stratofortressand T-28 Trojan. He logs more than 5,000 hours of flying time.

1961, October 31 -- Birth of daughter, Ann.

1962, February 20 -- Collins' interest in becoming an astronaut is piqued after seeing coverage of John Glenn's orbit around Earth.

1962, October 22 -- Begins a postgraduate course on spaceflight at the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS) (formerly the USAF Experimental Flight Test Pilot School) where he flew the T-38A Talon and the NF-101 Voodoo. Classmates include future astronauts Joe Engle, Charles Bassett and Edward Givens.

1963, February 23 -- Birth of son, Michael.

1963, May -- Returns to fighter operations at Edwards Air Force Base after having successfully completed the coursework at ARPS.

1963, June -- Applies to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to become an astronaut.

1963, September 2 -- Is interviewed by NASA in Houston, Texas.

1963, October 14 -- Receives a phone call from NASA's Director of Flight Crew Operations Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, asking if he would like to be an astronaut. He does.

1963, October 18 -- At the Manned Space Center (MSC). later renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC), Collins is selected as one of fourteen new astronauts (7 from the Air Force, 4 from the Navy, 1 from the Marines and two civilians), bringing the total number of NASA astronauts to 30. This third group includes Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. Each astronaut is assigned a specialization. His is extravehicular activities (EVAs) and pressure suits.

1965, July 1 -- Collins and Edward White II are named the backup crew for Gemini 7. Frank Borman and James A. Lovell Jr are the prime crew.

1966, January 24 -- Collins is assigned to the prime crew of Gemini 10, along with John Young as mission commander. This makes Collins the seventeenth American to fly in space.

1966, July 18 -- At 5:20 pm EST, Gemini 10 lifts off from Launch Complex 19 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Among the accomplishments on this three-day mission were the successful rendezvous and docking with an Agena target vehicle, conducting dual rendezvous maneuvers using the target vehicle's propulsion systems, conducting two EVAs, practice docking maneuvers, executing fifteen scientific experiments and evaluating various docked spacecraft systems.

1966, July 21 -- Gemini 10 splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean, 529 miles east of Cape Kennedy, and is recovered by the amphibious assault ship USS Guadalcanal. Gemini 10 attained an apogee of approximately 475 statute miles and traveled a distance of 1,275,091 statute miles. It was the second spacecraft in the Gemini program to land within eye and camera range of the prime recovery ship.

1966, late July -- Receives Air Force Command Pilot Astronaut Wings.

1966 -- Receives NASA's Exceptional Service Medal.

1967, January 27 -- While attending a meeting in the Astronaut Office in Houston, Texas, Collins and others hears of the tragic deaths of astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Ed White. Collins went to the Chaffee home where he informed Roger's wife Martha that her husband died during a routine launch rehearsal test.

1967, November 19 -- NASA announces the crews for the first two manned Apollo/Saturn V flights. Collins (as command module pilot), Frank Borman (as commander) and William A. Anders (as lunar module pilot) are named the prime crew for AS-505, the second mission.

1968, July 22-23 -- At Wilford Hall Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Collins undergoes surgery to fuse two vertebrae after a bone spur is found on his spine.. His role as prime Apollo 9 crew in jeopardy as his convalescence might take up to four months.

1968, August 8 -- NASA announces that James Lovell will replace Collins as prime command module pilot for the upcoming Apollo mission.

1968, December -- Collins serves as capsule communicator (CAPCOM) for Apollo 8

1969, January 9 -- NASA names Neil A. Armstrong (commander), Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr (lunar module pilot) and Collins (command module pilot) as prime crew of Apollo 11.

1969, May 24 -- Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin practice splashdown and anticontamination procedures they will use after returning from the moon in two months. They donned plastic-coated biological isolation garments and sprayed each other with Betadine disinfectant before leaving a test spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico.

1969. July 3 -- Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin complete their final countdown rehearsal test. They achieved simulated liftoff at 9:32 am EST, the exact time of the scheduled July 16th launch.

1969, July 5 -- At MSC, the Apollo 11 astronauts hold a press conference where they are seated 50 feet away from the nearest reporters and were partially enclosed in a plastic booth to limit their contact 21 days prior to flight lest they get ill. Collins says that he doesn't not feel "the slightest bit frustrated" about going to the moon without landing on it. "I'm going 99.9 percent of the way there," he states, "and that suits me fine."

1969, July 11 -- The Apollo 11 crew undergo the last major preflight medical examination at KSC and are cleared for launch.

1969, July 16 -- At 9:22 am EST, Apollo 11 lifts off from launch complex 39A by Saturn V 506 booster at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff was relayed live on TV to 33 countries on 6 continents and watched by an estimated 25 million TV views in the United States. Onboard is command module pilot Collins, spacecraft commander Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot. While the latter two descend to the lunar surface on the Sea of Tranquility in the lunar module Eagle, Collins orbits the moon alone 30 times for more than 21 hours in the command module Columbia. It takes 48 minutes to pass behind the far side of the moon and is the most distant part of space that humans have yet visited alone. During that time, Collins loses all means of communication; the moon's 2,100-mile rocky diameter stood between him and all other human beings. While the press would later shortsightedly dub him "The Loneliest Man in History" during this period of disconnect, Collins recalled in Carrying the Fire that he was not having an existential, solipsistic crisis. Instead, he was preoccupied with the very real problem of failure on a scale that was hard to fathom. He documented his fear on audiotape recorded at the time, saying, "My secret terror for the last six months has been leaving them on the Moon and returning to Earth alone; now am within minutes of finding out the truth of the matter." What if things went terribly wrong and he returned to Earth alone? "I will be a marked man for life, and I know it." His worries proved to be unfounded. After Armstrong becomes the first man to set foot on the moon, he and Aldrin collect 21 kg of lunar surface material and conduct scientific experiments. After spending 21 hours and 36 minutes on the lunar surface, Armstrong and Aldrin lift off the moon's surface using the Eagle's ascent stage and return to lunar orbit, where Collins successfully docks Columbia to it.

1969, July 21 -- After almost a full day on the lunar surface, Armstrong and Aldrin launch off the moon's surface using the Eagle's ascent stage and return to lunar orbit, where Collins successfully docks Columbia to it. After jettisoning the lunar module, Apollo 11 begins its journey home.

1969, July 25 -- The Air Force promotes Collins to the rank of full colonel. In a congratulatory message, General John P. McConnell, Air Force Chief of Staff, says the Apollo 11 mission was "indeed a momentous achievement" and the promotion was a "token of appreciation for the part you played."

1969, July 25 -- Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins splash down on July 24 in the Pacific Ocean and are retrieved by the USS Hornet. After donning biological isolation garments, they enter the Mobile Quarantine Facility along with the recovery physician, a recovery technician and the lunar samples where they remain until August 10, 1969.

1969, August 12 -- Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins hold their first postflight press conference at MSC, where they narrate a 45-minute film of the mission and answer questions. While discussing hte lunar landing, Collins says it was a "technical triumph for this country to have said what it was going to do a number of years ago and then, by golly, do it. It was also a triumph of the nation's overall determination, will, economy, attention to detail, and a thousand and one other fators that went into it."

1969, August 13 -- The three Apollo 11 astronauts attended parades in their honor in New York City and Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. An estimated six million people attend.

1969, August 17 -- Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins appear on CBS's "Face the Nation". Collins mentions that he would not fly in space again because he found it increasingly difficult "to keep up year after year" with the rigorous training required.

1969, September -- The three Apollo 11 astronauts embarked on a 38-day world tour. In all, they visited 22 countries.

1969, September 6 -- The Apollo 11 astronauts attend celebrations in their hometowns. Collins, who was born in Rome, Italy, chooses to visit New Orleans, Louisiana, as his adopted hometown, where he also visits NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

1969, December 15 -- Begins work as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. President Nixon announced his plan to nominate Collins on November 28th.

1970 -- Receives NASA's Distinguished Service Medal.

1970 -- After 18 years of Active Duty service in the Air Force, begins serving in the Air Force Reserve.

1971, February 22 -- President Nixon accepts Collins' resignation as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, effective April 11.

1971, April 12 -- Becomes Director of the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, DC. Collins tirelessly lobbied for funding from Congress to build the museum. $40 million was allocated for construction.

1973, April 6 -- The Senate confirms the nomination of Col. Michael Collins to be a brigadier general.

1974 -- Completes the Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.

1974, August 11 -- Publishes Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys to critical acclaim.

1976 -- Publishes Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places.

1976, March 10 -- Is confirmed by the Senate as a reserve major general.

1976, July 1 -- The National Air and Space Museum opens to the public. Thanks to Collins' leadership, it is both under budget and three days ahead of schedule. The ceremony was presided over by President Gerald R. Ford and ribbon was cut by a signal transmitted by the Viking I spacecraft in orbit around Mars.to a large metal arm.

1976, November 16 -- Collins in one of 3 NASA employees to win the National Civil Service League's career service awards.

1976, December -- The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) announce that Collins has been appointed mobilization assistant to the AFSC commander. This position was the top Air Force Reserve post in AFSC.

1977 -- Is inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame atthe New Mexico Museum of Space History.

1977, September 30 -- The National Aeronautic Association announces that the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) will present the gold space medal to Collins, at a ceremony to be held in Rome, Italy, on October 3rd. It is awarded yearly as the world's highest award for spaceflight.

1978 -- Becomes an Undersecretary of the Smithsonian Institution, a position he holds until he resigns on January 28, 1980.

1980 -- Is Vice President of Vought, Inc. (formerly Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) Aerospace and Defense Company) in Arlington, Virginia.

1982 -- Retires from the Air Force as a Major General.

1983, March 4 -- Asteroid 6471 Collins is named after him.

1985 -- Resigns from LTV Aerospace and starts his own consulting firm, Michael Collins Associates.

1987, March -- Aviation Week and Space Technology reports that the Space Goals Task Force of the NASA Advisory Council, headed by Collins, will recommend a crew-tended mission to Mars. Collins stressed that the development and operation of a US/international Space Station was a prerequisite for exploration of Mars and beyond.

1988 -- Publishes Liftoff: The Story of America's Adventures in Space.

1990 -- Publishes Mission to Mars.

1993, March 18 -- NASA announces that 14 astronauts who orbited the Earth during Project Gemini (which includes Collins) were inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame.

1993, March 3 -- Death of son Michael in Massachusetts.

2011, November 16 -- Collins, Armstrong and Aldrin receive the Precedential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

2014, April -- His wife Pat passes away.

2020 -- The National Air and Space Museum Award, established in 1985, is re-named The Michael Collins Trophy.

2021, April 28 -- Michael Collin dies of cancer at his home in in Naples, Florida.

2023, January 30 -- Collins' ashes are interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
Provenance:
Material found in collection, October 1992.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Topic:
Aeronautics  Search this
United States Air Force  Search this
Apollo 11 Flight  Search this
Gemini Project  Search this
Apollo Project  Search this
Test pilots -- United States  Search this
National Air and Space Museum  Search this
Citation:
Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys Manuscript, Acc. NASM.XXXX.0399, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.XXXX.0399
See more items in:
Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys Manuscript
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg28c5dd05e-50f7-4cda-9cca-c730bd033867
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-xxxx-0399
Online Media:

Mercury and Gemini Program Manuals [Pruett]

Names:
Glenn, John Herschel, Jr., 1921-2016  Search this
Extent:
1.68 Cubic feet ((2 boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Technical manuals
Date:
bulk 1961-1964
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of the following manuals, many of which are annotated by Captain Carl E. Pruett, MC USN: MR-3 post-flight debriefing of Alan B. Shepard, Jr.; Project Mercury Familiarization Manuals (3 manuals); Project Flight Controller Handbook; Operations Plan: Bioastronautic Support for Project Mercury; Project Mercury Familiarization Manual; Descriptive Synopsis of Project Mercury; Mercury Atlas MA-6 booklet; NASA Project Gemini Familiarization Manual Long Range and Modified Configurations; Procedures for Alerting and Moving DOD Medical People in Support of Project Gemini; The First Manned Space Flight, by Yu. M. Volynkin, V. I. Yazdovskiy and others; Project Mercury Capsule Flight Operations Manual; MA-6 Briefing Notebook; Introduction to Project Mercury and Site Handbook; Basic Orientation Course, Aeromedical Monitors - Project Mercury Notebook; Project Mercury Vol. 1, Chronology, Suborbital Flight 1, Suborbital Flight 2, First Manned Orbital Flight; Project Mercury Flight Controller Handbook; Results of the Second US Manned Orbital Space Flight May 24, 1962; Remote Site Flight Controller's Console Handbook; Samples of the Project Mercury Bioinstrumentation Records, April 4, 1963; "Trip Report on TAD, NASA Project Gemini Command Control and Communications Network;" NASA photos from an unidentified site visit and presentation, and "Go: Colonel Glenn in Orbit" 33 1/3 RPM Record.
Biographical / Historical:
Captain Carl E. Pruett, MC USN, (d.1991) specialized in aviation medical safety, serving 30 years as assistant for medical and allied sciences to the deputy chief of naval operations. Pruett received a medical degree from the University of Illinois in 1943. He graduated from the Naval School of Aviation Medicine and served in Washington, DC, from 1953 to 1955 as aviation medical safety specialist in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air. Pruett assignments also included sea duty as a flight surgeon in the Pacific and as Chief of the Biomedical Division of the Air Force Aero Medical Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio. In 1958 Pruett was assigned to Point Mugu, California, where he helped establish the Pacific Missile Bioscience Office and Life Science Department of the Naval Missile Center (now the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division). He became a medical monitor for Project Mercury in 1962, and in that capacity served as medical monitor for the earth-orbiting flight of John Glenn. He was later transferred to Washington, DC, where he served in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations until his retirement.
Provenance:
Richard K Pruett (Rick), Gift, 2016
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
Astronautics  Search this
Manned space flight  Search this
Gemini Project  Search this
Mercury Project  Search this
Space medicine  Search this
Genre/Form:
Technical manuals -- 20th century
Citation:
Mercury and Gemini Program Manuals [Pruett], Accession 2017-0006, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2017.0006
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg254d0f096-75fb-4c06-8c4a-a617e2cb1536
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2017-0006

Gemini Program Emergency Separation Procedure Photographs

Creator:
McDonnell Douglas Corp  Search this
Extent:
0.05 Cubic feet ((1 folder))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
bulk 1930-1940
Scope and Contents:
his collection consists of the following materials collected by Richard E. Martens: eighteen black and white prints, two color prints and three black and white negatives of blast-shield tests panels, eight black and white photographs of the scale model used to for altitude testing, and four black and white prints of full-scale Gemini separation test hardware.
Biographical / Historical:
Richard E. Martens joined McDonnell in 1962 where he worked for the Gemini propulsion group. There he developed an analytical model describing the "pop gun" phenomena of a Gemini Mode II abort and monitored the test program on the emergency separation procedure. He later conducted ablative material evaluation with the McDonnell's Rocket Engine Technology group.
Provenance:
his collection consists of the following materials collected by Richard E. Martens: eighteen black and white prints, two color prints and three black and white negatives of blast-shield tests panels, eight black and white photographs of the scale model used to for altitude testing, and four black and white prints of full-scale Gemini separation test hardware., Gift, 2004
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
Astronautics  Search this
Propulsion systems  Search this
Gemini Project  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Gemini Program Emergency Separation Procedure Photographs , Accession 2004-0041, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2004.0041
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg249f1a15c-102d-4380-a697-317fbf04494b
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2004-0041

Gemini and Apollo Crew Splashdown Recovery Color Slides [Don Blair]

Creator:
Blair, Donald W.  Search this
Extent:
0.2 Cubic feet (One box.)
Container:
Box 1
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Slides
Color slides
Date:
1966-1972
Summary:
This collection consists of color slides taken by Don Blair during his coverage of astronaut crew splashdowns and recoveries, 1960s.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 35 mm color slides taken by Don Blair during his coverage of astronaut crew splashdowns and recoveries for the following missions: Gemini 9, June 1966 with USS Wasp (CVS-18); Gemini 10, July 1966 with USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7); Gemini 11, September 1966 with USS Guam; (LPH-9); Apollo 11, July 1969 with the USS Hornet (CVS-12); and Apollo 15, August 1972 with the USS Okinawa (LPH-3). The collection also includes two 35 mm black and white negative strips from Apollo 15, a small contact sheet of 35 mm three negatives from Apollo 11, and a few 35 mm copy slides of official National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) photographs. A set of digital scans of most of the original slides was provided by the donor on a USB flash drive.
Arrangement:
Slides are arranged by space mission recovery event, with black and white negatives appearing at the end of the collection.
Biographical / Historical:
Donald W. Blair (1933-2018) served in the Army from 1953 to 1955, and then attended the Cambridge School of Radio and TV in Manhattan, New York. The first 10 years of his career were spent in local radio before he joined the Mutual Network and from 1966 until 1989 he worked at Mutual, WCBS Radio, ABC Entertainment and NBC. Blair covered astronaut splashdowns and recoveries for the following missions: Gemini 9, June 1966 with USS Wasp (CVS-18); Gemini 10, July 1966 with USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7); Gemini 11, September 1966 with USS Guam; (LPH-9); Apollo 11, July 1969 with the USS Hornet (CVS-12); and Apollo 15, August 1972 with the USS Okinawa (LPH-3). Blair detailed his experience in his book, Splashdown: NASA and the Navy, which was published in 2004.
Provenance:
Robert Fish, Gift, 2019, NASM.2019.0034
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Topic:
Astronautics  Search this
Astronauts  Search this
Gemini Project  Search this
Apollo Project  Search this
Helicopters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Color slides -- 1960-1990
Citation:
Gemini and Apollo Crew Splashdown Recovery Color Slides [Don Blair], NASM.2019.0034, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2019.0034
See more items in:
Gemini and Apollo Crew Splashdown Recovery Color Slides [Don Blair]
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2a205b3ca-9478-4b13-a791-cd771e011071
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2019-0034
Online Media:

Bendix Air Races Collection

Creator:
Bendix Corporation.  Search this
Bendix Aviation Corp  Search this
Names:
All-Women Trans-Continental Air Race  Search this
Bendix Air Races  Search this
First Annual Aircraft Show (Cleveland, 1946)  Search this
Gordon Bennett Balloon Race  Search this
Intercollegiate Air Meet  Search this
Medallic Art Company  Search this
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. John F. Kennedy Space Center  Search this
National Air Races  Search this
National Intercollegiate Flying Association  Search this
National Soaring Contest  Search this
Soaring Society of America  Search this
Cochran, Jacqueline  Search this
Doolittle, James Harold, 1896-1993  Search this
Mantz, Paul  Search this
Stewart, James  Search this
Thaden, Iris Louise McPhetridge  Search this
Extent:
7.28 Cubic feet (5 records center boxes, 1 16 x 20 x 3 inch flatbox, 1 12 x 16 x 3 inch flatbox)
7.66 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Manuscripts
Photographs
Publications
Financial records
Audiotapes
Telegrams
Ephemera
Date:
1931-1985
bulk 1931-1939
bulk 1946-1962
Summary:
The Bendix Corporation (1924-1983), manufacturers of devices for the automotive and aviation industries, sponsored the Bendix Trophy Race—a transcontinental speed competition for aircraft—annually from 1931-1939, then sporadically from 1946-1962. This collection includes race-related materials from the Bendix Advertising and Publicity department, along with materials from other aviation events for which Bendix was a sponsor. Approximately a third of the collection relates to the corporation's activities from circa 1960 to 1983, including military and commercial avionics and communications systems, and support for the Unites States space program, particularly the construction of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex 39.
Scope and Contents:
This collection centers on the activities of the Bendix Advertising and Publicity department (later Advertising and Public Relations), for many years directed by William A. Mara (later Eldon E. Fox) and assisted by the New York public relations firm Carl Byoir and Associates, Inc. Materials include correspondence, telegrams, documents, brochures, press releases, photographs, and black and white and color negatives and transparencies. As the Bendix Trophy Races were closely associated with the National Air Races, the collection includes race programs, schedules, entry forms, and related air racing ephemera, as well as a number of photographs by Robert E. Burke and Associates, for many years the official photographer of the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. Similar materials relate to the National Soaring Contest held in Elmira, New York (1935-1946), and the All Woman Transcontinental Air Race (1956-1962) for which Bendix was a sponsor, various National Aircraft Shows and National Aviation Shows, and Bendix's membership in the Aircraft Industries Association of America (AIAA). The collection also includes materials relating to the design and production of the Vincent Bendix Trophy and related replicas and engraved plaques by the Medallic Art Company (New York, NY) and plaster models and plaques by The Potter-Bentley Studios, Inc. (Cleveland, Ohio). Also included are photographs and two sets of 11 audio cassette tape recordings each of interviews made as part of the 1985 program "The Golden Years," and photographs taken at the related October 30, 1985, event at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The later third of the collection relates to Bendix's activities circa 1960-1985, with documents and photographs relating to the construction of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex 39, followed by a small amount of assorted advertising ephemera for various Bendix electronic products and services.
Arrangement:
The materials are arranged in the original physical order as received from the donor, and have been grouped into four series. Folders within a series generally run in chronological order, although the last series contains an assortment of materials many of which would be more logically placed in earlier series. Folders of correspondence are generally arranged in reverse chronological order within the folder. Many of the photographs appearing in Series 2 (Bendix Trophy Races, By Year) can be found duplicated elsewhere in the collection. Boxes 6 and 7 both contain oversized materials.
Biographical / Historical:
The Bendix Corporation, founded in 1924 by inventor Victor Bendix, began as a manufacturer of devices for use in the automotive industry, initially of engine-related items such as starting motors and carburetors, but soon expanding to brakes and hydraulic systems. In 1929, renamed as Bendix Aviation, the corporation branched out into the design and manufacture of equipment for the closely related aeronautics industry, including aircraft hydraulics for brake and flap systems, aircraft engine carburetors, and various electric and electronic instruments. In 1931, Bendix decided to sponsor the first Bendix Trophy Race—a transcontinental speed competition open to all comers, male or female—"to encourage experimental developments by airplane designers and to improve the skills of aviators in cross-country flying techniques such as weather plotting, high altitude and instrument flight." The Bendix Trophy Races were held in conjunction with the National Air Races, occurring with great fanfare annually from 1931-1939, but were suspended from 1940-1945 during World War II. In 1946, the races resumed, but now had to contend with the invention of the jet engine—accordingly, the Bendix Trophy Race was split into two categories: the "R" Division for reciprocating engine airplanes, and the "J" Division for U.S. military jet airplanes. Interest in air racing had declined in the post-war period, and no race was run in 1950. In 1951 the races resumed, and from this point on were limited to U.S. military jets only. Subsequent Bendix Trophy Races occurred in 1953-1957, and then (after a three-year gap) in 1961, with the last race held in 1962.

By this point in time, the Bendix Corporation—which had branched out to dominate the US market in aircraft radio and radar equipment during World War II—was producing missile and radar systems for the US military. In the 1960s Bendix was also building ground and airbourne telecommunications and telemetry systems for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Bendix Field Engineering division worked on the construction of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex 39 at the Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) adjacent to Cape Canaveral, Florida, including the Apollo Launch Control Center, Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), and operational support equipment. In the 1970s, Bendix and its numerous Divisions were involved in a series of mergers, sales, and other changes involving the Raytheon and Allied (later Allied-Signal Aerospace) corporations, followed by a hostile takeover attempt in 1982 by Martin Marietta. In 1983, Bendix was acquired by Allied-Signal Aerospace (later Honeywell International) which retained the avionics part of the business.

The original Vincent Bendix Trophy was donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in 1985 [artifact number A19850368000]. On October 30, 1985, an event sponsored by Bendix/Allied-Signal was held at the museum in Washington, D.C., honoring aviators involved in the Bendix Trophy Races. Titled "The Golden Years," the program included interviews with several winners of the Bendix Trophy.
Provenance:
Allied-Signal Aerospace Corp, gift, 1988, NASM.1988.0115
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
Aeronautics  Search this
Aeronautics -- Exhibitions  Search this
Periodicals  Search this
Mercury Project  Search this
Gemini Project  Search this
Apollo Project  Search this
Project Apollo (U.S.)  Search this
Aeronautics -- Competitions  Search this
Trophies  Search this
Saturn 5 Launch Vehicle  Search this
Radar air traffic control systems  Search this
Avionics  Search this
Gliding and soaring  Search this
McDonnell F-4 (F4H) Phantom II Family  Search this
Genre/Form:
Correspondence
Manuscripts
Photographs
Publications
Financial records
Audiotapes
Telegrams
Ephemera
Citation:
Bendix Air Races Collection, Acc. NASM.1988.0115, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.1988.0115
See more items in:
Bendix Air Races Collection
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg29e1db245-c656-4326-93b7-7b2abc7fee27
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-1988-0115
Online Media:

United States Manned Space Program Manuals Collection [Donald Thompson]

Creator:
North American Rockwell Corp  Search this
Names:
Apollo Soyuz Test Project  Search this
Extent:
22 Cubic feet ((22 boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Technical manuals
Reports
Date:
bulk 1960s-1970s
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 22 cubic feet of manned space manuals from the Gemini, Apollo and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) programs. The collection consists of reports, manuals and working papers, including mission reports, flight crew logs, and technical and crew debriefings.
Biographical / Historical:
Donald B. Thompson was employed in the Downey, California, Project Integration Office of North American Rockwell from 1962 until his retirement in 1994. As Thompson's office monitored the testing and mission activities of most boilerplate, prototype and flown spacecraft, they maintained a large collection of NASA and company documents relating to all North American contracts with NASA, especially the Apollo, Skylab and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) programs. Thompson later removed these documents from the Downey plant to preserve them for posterity as they were scheduled for destruction. The documents were later returned to North American Rockwell, where they were gone through to remove company-sensitive material and then forwarded to Johnson Space Center for further review before being donated to the National Air and Space Museum.
Provenance:
NASA, Gift, 2013
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
Astronautics  Search this
Space flight  Search this
Gemini Project  Search this
Apollo Project  Search this
Genre/Form:
Technical manuals -- 20th century
Reports
Citation:
United States Manned Space Program Manuals Collection [Donald Thompson] , Accession 2013-0031, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2013.0031
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg2721738b8-9754-4f5c-9a4b-79fddb85d211
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2013-0031

Jacques Tiziou Space Collection

Names:
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration  Search this
Extent:
146 Cubic feet (204 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
Moon -- Exploration
Date:
bulk 1960s through 2010
Summary:
Jacques Tiziou (1939-2017) was a professional journalist and photographer, concentrating on aerospace topics. This collection includes materials from Tiziou's archive of historical documents, photography, and ephemera from the space program (both national and international) as well as his own photography and writings.
Scope and Contents:
Always an avid collector, Tiziou amassed an impressive archive of both historical documents and collectible memorabilia from the space program (both national and international), including over 800 cubic feet of press files, films, photography (including autographed crew photographs) and various souvenirs, from Sputnik to the US Space Shuttle Program. This archival collection consists of 146 cubic feet of materials drawn from Tiziou's original collection, including documents, ephemera, photographs, slides, and video/film, created or collected by Jacques Tiziou on space flight history. Much of the material was gathered from various sources such as NASA, but the collection also contains Tiziou's own photographs and writings.
Arrangement:
The material in the "Files" series has been removed from Tiziou's original file boxes and rehoused into new acid-free containers preserving the original order of each box's contents. The collection's boxes have been rearranged into subseries grouped by regional identity (USA, USSR, International, etc.) and then alphabetically by broad subject matter.

The "Photography" series has not yet been processed.
Biographical / Historical:
Jacques Tiziou (1939-2017) was a professional journalist and photographer, concentrating on aerospace topics. Born in Montélimar, France, he began his career while still a teen as a freelance journalist, and even before graduating in 1962 from the French engineering school Estaca he had worked for various European publications, radio, and television. Between 1965 and 1968, he was the Editor in Chief of the first Encyclopedia of Space and in 1969 he published A l'assault de la lune (A Storm of the Moon). Tiziou then moved to Florida, where he closely followed the Apollo and Skylab programs as a correspondent for Aviation Magazine, French TV channels and photo agencies, including Dalmas, Gamma, and Sygma (Corbis). While in Florida, Tiziou became friends with most American astronauts, and entertained them at his home. Tiziou was also interested in space policy affairs, and after the end of the Skylab program, he moved to Washington DC. Jacques Tiziou was awarded the Silver Feathers and Gold of the French Press, was named a correspondent for the Air and Space Academy in 1993, and was elected to the French National Academy of Air and Space in 1993.
Provenance:
Jacques-Jean Tiziou, Gift, 2018, NASM.2018.0078.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Topic:
Aeronautics  Search this
Aeronautics, Military  Search this
Astronautics  Search this
Supersonic transport planes  Search this
Artificial satellites  Search this
Ballistic missiles  Search this
Rocketry  Search this
Space flight  Search this
Space vehicles  Search this
Cold War -- 1950-1970  Search this
Apollo Project  Search this
Mercury Project  Search this
Gemini Project  Search this
Soyuz Program (Russia)  Search this
Saturn 5 Launch Vehicle  Search this
Space Shuttle Program (U.S.)  Search this
Project Vanguard  Search this
Vostok (manned satellite)  Search this
Citation:
Jacques Tiziou Space Collection, Acc. 2018.0078, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NASM.2018.0078
See more items in:
Jacques Tiziou Space Collection
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg275fd61ff-7ccf-42e9-b351-e9b69d2081e8
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nasm-2018-0078

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