Dr. Harold F. Stimson, described as a long-time friend of Goddard's, corresponded with Esther Goddard and collected a number of press clippings and other mentions of Dr. Goddard in various publications. This collection consists of the materials he gathered including a copy of the article "The Early History of Rocket Research" by Joseph W. Siry (reprinted from the November/December 1950 issue of The Scientific Monthly) signed by Esther Goddard; a program from the dedication of the Goddard Power Plant in Indian Head, Maryland dated June 25, 1957; eight issues of Report from Clark University (ranging in date from October 1965 to May 1969) with articles about the Robert Hutchings Goddard Library or the University's collection of Goddard's papers; correspondence relating to the establishment of a memorial to Goddard on Clark University's campus; a program for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Robert Hutchings Goddard Library dated June 4, 1966; a brochure for the library and a bookslip from one of their publications; three issues of the library's newsletters (ranging in date from March 1966 to spring 1971); Clark University's Report of the President 1964-1965 which includes an update on the Goddard Library program; the program from Clark University's Robert Hutchings Goddard Commemorative Convocation on October 12, 1966; a Clark University fundraising report from 1971-1972 listing Mrs. Robert H. Goddard as a donor; a typewritten report on the Goddard Rocket Research Exhibit at Clark's Department of Physics; the winter 1971 issue of Clark Now: The Magazine of Clark University which contains mentions of the Goddard Library; five typewritten pages of biographical data on Dr. Goddard; a Christmas card and signed photo of Esther Goddard inscribed to the Stimsons; and 17 clippings from various newspapers that mention either Robert or Esther Goddard (ranging in date from 1959-1982).
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945), rocket propulsion pioneer, graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1908 and received his doctorate while a professor of physics at Clark University. He served a research fellowship with Princeton University from 1912 to 1914 and there began to develop his theories of rocket action. Returning to Clark, he conducted experiments that culminated in a 1916 report to the Smithsonian Institution, published as A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes. With the advent of World War I, Goddard began work at the Mount Wilson Observatory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, developing various innovations such as reloading mechanisms for artillery and a forerunner of the bazooka. By 1920, Goddard had turned his attention to liquid fueled rockets and by 1926 had accomplished the world's first flight of a liquid fuel rocket. In 1930, Goddard moved to Mescalero Ranch near Roswell, New Mexico, continuing with his rocket experiments until 1932. After a return to Clark and laboratory testing, Goddard came back to Roswell and in 1936 published Liquid Propellant Rocket Development. In 1940 he was made Chief of Navy Research on jet-propelled planes.
Provenance:
Julia Appel, Gift, Unknown
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
This collection consists of pamphlets, bulletins, reports, and meeting notices from the ARS, RRS, and other rocket societies, compiled by Henry G. Elder.
Biographical / Historical:
The American Rocket Society (ARS), founded in 1930, is a national association of rocket and jet propulsion engineers devoted to the encouragement of research and engineering development of jet propulsion, rockets, and all types of jet-propelled devices. The Reaction Research Society (RRS), formed in 1943, is a nonprofit civilian organization whose purpose is to aid in the development of reaction propulsion and its applications.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Henry G. Elder, Gift, 1967, XXXX-0182, unknown
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
This collection consists of copies of material gathered or written by Milton Lehman for his authorized biography of Robert H. Goddard, This High Man, 1963. The collection contains the following: a typed transcript of Goddard's diary, 1898-1930; a typed transcript of Goddard's "Red Idea Notebooks" (1-10) covering the years 1924-1942; Goddard's patents and patent correspondence between Goddard and Charles T. Hawley, 1926-1945; and typed interview notes with Goddard's contemporaries, including: Hermann Oberth, Hugo Gernsback, G.R. Gladding, L.A. Gore, Charles T. Hawley, Andrew G. Haley, George Bode, Rear Admiral Calvin C. Bolster, Homer A. Boushey, Col. Henry Breckenridge, Dr. William Cole, Richard B. Dow, Rear Admiral Delmer Fahrney, Harry Guggenheim, Al Campbell, Clarence Hickman, Charles Lindbergh, Edward Pendry, and Inez Powers.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Mildred Lehman, gift, 1997, 1997-0040, unknown
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
This collection consists of the following materials: 1) Dr. Goddard's handwritten university note book, entitled 'Partial Differential Equations'; 2) Seven publications by Dr. Goddard related to railway and rocket topics from 1909 to 1938.
Biographical / Historical:
Born in Worcester, Mass., Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945) received his B.A. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1908 and received his M.A. in 1910 and Ph.D. in 1911 from Clark University. Dr. Goddard, trained as a physicist and engineer, is recognized as a space pioneer due to his concepts of rocket propulsion systems.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Mrs. Robert Goddard, transfer from NASM Division of Space History, 1997, 1997-0061, unknown
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
This collection includes material on the rocket and space activities and interests of Durant during the period circa 1953-1963. The collection consists of business and personal correspondence, articles, reports, pamphlets, manuscripts, color transparencies and photographs. Some of the contents are not in English. In April 2000, an additional six boxes were transferred to the Archives, which included film, video tapes, audio tapes, correspondence, pamphlets, and photographs. This material covers Durant's space activities and interests during the 1980s-1990s.
Biographical / Historical:
Frederick Clark Durant, III was trained in chemical engineering. He held numerous positions related to rocket and air technology. The positions which he held are: Director of Engineering at the Naval Air Rocket Test Station 1948-1951; Director of Maynard Ordnance Test Station 1954-1955; and executive at AVCO-Everett Research Laboratory 1957-1959; Director of public and government relations in the research division of AVCO Corporation 1959-1961 and senior representative of Bell Aerosystems Company 1961-1964. In 1964 he became assistant director of astronautics at the National Air Museum (later the National Air and Space Museum), Smithsonian Institution.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Frederick C. Durant, III, gift, XXXX-0084, Not NASM
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
This collection consists primarily of reports, both original and photocopied, from the NRL and other entities. Some correspondence, scientific abstracts and articles are also included.
Biographical / Historical:
The Naval Research Laboratory, with the use of captured German V-2 rockets, conducted in the 1940s and 1950s a long series of experiments which sought to further our understanding of the upper atmosphere and the nature of solar radiation. The technology utilized in the V-2 itself was also a focus of research.
General:
These reports were gathered by David DeVorkin from a variety of sources in research for his book, Science with a Vengeance, which documents rocket research from the 1940s onward.
NASMrev
Provenance:
David DeVorkin, DSH (NASM) and others, Transfer, 1998, 1998-0024, Public Domain
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
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Search this
Extent:
13.08 Cubic feet ((12 records center boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuals
Press releases
Publications
Photographs
Place:
Outer space -- Exploration
Date:
1950-1974
bulk 1959-1974
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of material gathered by the Space Science and Exploration Department, National Air and Space Museum, relating to the United States space program through the Skylab missions. The material consists of photos and reference material covering a wide variety of subjects, including space suits, food, lifting bodies, and other support and auxiliary functions, as well as material directly relating to the missions. The bulk of the material consists of photos and NASA press materials.
Biographical / Historical:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was inaugurated on 1 October 1958 with the intent of conducting a manned space program. NASA took over the rocketry and propulsion work previously performed by the United States Air Force, Navy, and National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Unmanned launches began during the International Geophysical Year (1957-58) under Air Force auspices and have continued to the present with a wide variety of payloads, including space science, weather, communications, and earth observation satellites. The manned program progressed through Projects Mercury (1959-63; launches 1961-63), Gemini (1962-67; launches 1965-66), Apollo (1960-72; launches 1968-72), and Skylab (1969-74; launches 1973-74). The manned program was supported by a number of unmanned exploration vehicles in the Ranger, Lunar Orbiter, and Surveyor series throughout the 1960s, as well as research into a number of related areas.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
NASA SS&E, Transfer, 1983, XXXX-0154, unknown
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
This collection consists of Peenemunde documents, including the following: memorandums, correspondence, telegrams, and reports. These documents are in German, and some of the documents have signatures of General Dornberger, Wernher von Braun, and Hermann Oberth. This collection also contains a few translated documents from the Wright Field Collection.
Biographical / Historical:
The Peenemunde Research and Development Station, Germany, was established in the mid-1930s. By the late 1930s, the research station was dedicated to the study and development of rocket driven projectiles, notably the V-2. Peenemunde was also the location of the V-1 test flying program and the test site for several other secret projects including the Messerschmitt 163 rocket-propelled aircraft.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Various sources, gift/transfer, 1994, 1991-0083, unknown
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
National Air and Space Museum (U.S.). Division of Space History Search this
Names:
National Air and Space Museum (U.S.). Division of Space History Search this
Extent:
15.26 Cubic feet ((14 records center boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Charts
Photographs
Reports
Manuscripts
Publications
Correspondence
Date:
[ca. 1000-1960]
bulk [ca. 1940-1960]
Scope and Contents:
This collection is a compilation of various reports, journals, letters, and books on three main subjects: early artillery, rockets, and space technology. The early artillery history is covered by manuscripts and reports from the Middle Ages to the mid-19th century. The collection then covers rocket development in Russia, Germany, England, the United States, and Austria from the mid-19th century to the 1960s.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Space History, NASM, transfer, 1986, XXXX-0007, unknown
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
Tï¸ S︡iolkovskiÄ, K. (Konstantin), 1857-1935 Search this
Names:
Tï¸ S︡iolkovskiÄ, K. (Konstantin), 1857-1935 Search this
Extent:
0.05 Cubic feet ((1 folder))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pamphlets
Date:
1930-1932
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of the following three brochures written by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky: 'Stratoplan-Semijet,' 1932; 'Scientific Ethics,' 1930; and 'How to Boost Energy of the Explosion (Heat) Engines,' 1931. These booklets are in the Russian/Cyrillic language.
Biographical / Historical:
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935) is regarded in the Soviet Union as the 'father of rocketry' and has been universally recognized for his pioneering work in astronautics-cosmonautics. Tsiolkovsky solved, theoretically, the problem of escape from Earth's gravity, designed multistage rockets, and foresaw interplanetary flights.
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
This collection consists of Willey Ley's personal files, including his business correspondence, book contracts, and galley proofs, as well as publicity concerning Dr. Ley and his activities, and inquiries and comments from Ley's readership during his tenure as columnist for Galaxy Magazine (1952-1969). The material also includes articles gathered by Ley on topics ranging from astronomy and space travel to biology and natural parks to mythology, psychic phenomena, and UFOs.
Scope and Contents note:
The Willy Ley Collection reflects Ley's broad, restless curiosity about the world around him. However, the main thrust of this material emphasizes his intense interest in the aerospace field. Ley's significant contributions as a great proponent, theorist and historian of rocketry and space travel are quite evident in this collection.
For the most part, the collection encompasses the years Ley spent in the U.S., roughly, from the mid 1930s to his death in 1969. Accordingly, very little pertaining to Ley's time in the VfR is found here. This wide array of materials was sold to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum (NASM) by Ley's widow, Olga, in 1970.(1) Later that year, NASM personnel traveled to Ley's home in New York to transfer this collection to the museum. They were careful to maintain the overall order of the collection which reflects its original organizational structure, as well as the research techniques and thinking processes of Ley himself.
The collection of materials listed in the finding aid is arranged into four series. The first series is composed of personal materials that include correspondence, book and article contract materials, galley proofs, manuscript and article drafts, notes, articles, lecture invitations and brochures, photographs, drawings, travel and war-time memorabilia, newspaper and press clippings, book reviews, personal bills and receipts, business cards, children's' report cards and Christmas cards. The materials of this series range in date from the early 1930s to 1969. Except for moving this series to the beginning of the collection, original order was maintained. Additionally, original folder titles were retained (as they were for the rest of the collection). Correspondence, book/article contracts materials, research notes, articles, newspaper and press clippings and miscellaneous personal materials are arranged chronologically while the manuscript drafts, galley proofs and book reviews are organized alphabetically by title.
The second series comprises the bulk --about two-thirds, of the Willy Ley Collection. This series, the aerospace subject files, ranges in date from the late 1800s to 1969, and covers the following topics: biography (Ley and others), aviation, inventions, astronomy, space travel, rockets, artificial satellites, manned space flight, ground support and rocket test centers. The folders include correspondence, photographs, notes, reports, brochures, pamphlets, magazines, articles and newspaper clippings. Original order was maintained for this series. The materials are organized by subject.
The third series consists of printed materials. This series ranges in date from the early 1950s to 1970 and includes various publications (newsletters, pamphlets, journals, reports, directories, magazines and books). Also included are article and newspaper clippings. Ley organized the newsletters by title and then chronologically.
The fourth and final series of this collection contains non-aerospace subject files. Ley's certificates, citations and a scrapbook are found in this series. The certificates and citations are for Ley's civic and professional achievements. The scrapbook contains miscellaneous newspaper clippings regarding rocketry and space travel (in English and German) from the 1930s and 1940s. However, this series, ranging in date from the early 1900s to 1969, mainly encompasses materials not directly related to aviation, rocketry or space travel. Original order was maintained for this series. The materials are organized by subject.
The researcher should note that all the folders (except for those of Series 4) are numbered. This numbering system reflects an effort by NASM's Department of Space History in 1970 to create a rough catalog of the Willy Ley Collection as it was being moved to the museum. Though now obsolete as an index, these penciled numbers were retained and are written in the upper right corner of the folders.
Endnotes: 1. That same year, Mrs. Ley also sold her husband's collection of books and journals to the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Currently, it is known as the Willy Ley Memorial Collection and resides at the University's library. Wernher von Braun and NASA Saturn launch vehicle program manager Arthur Rudolph participated in the dedication ceremony in 1971.
Arrangement note:
Series 1: Personal Materials
Series 2: Aerospace Subject Files
Series 3: Printed Materials
Series 4: Non-Aerospace Subject Files
Biographical/Historical note:
Willy Ley was a world-renown expert in and proponent of rocketry and space travel. Born in Berlin, Germany on October 2, 1906, Ley attended the Universities of Berlin and Konigsberg and studied astronomy, paleontology, zoology and physics. Beyond these studies however, he developed a passionate interest in rocketry and its potential applications for space travel. Accordingly, he wrote and published his first book, Die Fahrt in den Weltraum (Travel in Outer Space) in 1926 and helped found Germany's early rocketry and spaceflight club, Verein fur Raumschiffahrt or VfR (Society for Space Travel) the following year. In 1929, Ley, along with well-known rocketry theorist Hermann Oberth, acted as a technical consultant on Fritz Lang's film, Frau im Mond (Woman in the Moon). Throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s, he continued to write books, as well as numerous articles in German and foreign publications, on the subject of rockets and spaceflight. Once Adolf Hitler took power in 1933, the Nazis pressured Ley to cease publishing his articles in foreign journals and magazines due to rocketry's potential as a weapon in Germany's arsenal. Also, the VfR disbanded during the Nazis' first year in power amid concerns among the membership regarding the interest the German military was taking in their activities. These factors compelled Ley to leave Germany for Britain briefly and then to the U.S. in 1935. He became an American citizen in 1944.
Until World War II, Ley focused his writing career on topics unrelated to rocketry and space travel. He discovered little interest in these fields among the U.S. public. He was successful though, with a number of non-space publications such as Salamanders and Other Wonders and The Lungfish, the Dodo and the Unicorn. From 1940-44, Ley was science editor of the New York newspaper, PM and later lectured as a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. He was also a regular contributor to a myriad of magazines, encyclopedias and digests such as Popular Mechanics, Cowles Encyclopedia and Galaxy. However, once World War II began and especially after Germany launched V-2 missile attacks on Britain in 1944, Ley found himself in great demand as an expert in rocketry. Following the end of the war, his writings, lectures and newspaper, radio and television interviews helped to spur even greater public interest in rockets and their potential for space flight. Additionally, his books on this subject were widely read in the U.S. and around the world. First published in 1944, Ley's Rockets, Missiles, & Space Travel enjoyed a great deal of popularity and justified numerous printings of revised editions. Other highly successful titles that Ley produced during the 1950s and 1960s included The Conquest of Space, The Conquest of the Moon (written with Wernher von Braun and astronomer Fred Whipple) and Beyond the Solar System. Ley, along with von Braun, artist Chesley Bonestell and others, collaborated on a series of space-themed issues of Collier's (1952-54) that helped to foster popular support for future U.S. missions to earth orbit, the moon and the planets.
Aside from his busy career as a prolific author and populizer of rockets and space travel, Ley was also a husband and father of two children. His wife, Olga, was an accomplished ballet dancer, model and author in her own right. The couple had to two daughters, Sandra and Xenia. Ley had hoped to attend the Apollo 11 launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida but died of a heart attack at his home in Jackson Heights, New York, on June 24, 1969. His death came only four weeks before the launch of mankind's first landing on the moon's surface.
1906 October 2 -- Ley born in Berlin, Germany
1920 January 11 -- Smithsonian Institution publishes A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes, a pamphlet written by U.S. rocket scientist Dr. Robert H. Goddard
1923 -- Romanian rocket scientist Hermann Oberth publishes short book, Die Rakate zu den Planetenraumen (The Rocket into Planetary Space)
1926 -- Ley writes and publishes first book, Die Fahrt in den Weltraum(Travel in Outer Space)
1926 March 16 -- Goddard successfully launches first liquid-fueled rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts
1927 July 5 -- Ley helps found Germany's early rocketry and space travel club, Verein fur Raumschiffahrt or VfR (Society for Space Travel)
1929 -- Ley (along with Oberth) acts as a technical consultant for Fritz Lang film, Frau im Mond (Woman in the Moon)
1933 January 30 -- Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany
1935 -- Russian rocket scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky dies
1935 -- Ley leaves Germany for Britain and then to the U.S.
1939 September 1 -- Germany invades Poland – World War II begins
1940 -- Ley begins stint as science editor of New York newspaper, PM
1942 October 3 -- First successful launch of Nazi V-2 (A-4) rocket, Peenemunde, Germany
1944 -- Ley becomes a U.S. citizen
1944 -- Ley publishes first edition of book, Rockets (book would eventually see many revised editions and renamed Rockets, Missiles, & Space Travel)
1944 September 7-8 -- First V-2 rocket attacks on London and Paris
1945 May 8 -- Germany surrenders to Allies
1945 August 10 -- Goddard dies
1945 September 2 -- Japan surrenders to Allies
1945 September 29 -- Wernher von Braun and other captured German rocket scientists are taken to the U.S.
1945 October -- Arthur C. Clarke first proposes concept of communication satellites in Wireless World magazine
1946 April 16 -- First successful launch by the U.S. of a captured V-2
1950 -- Ley publishes book, The Conquest of Space
1952 -- Ley collaborates with von Braun, artist Chesley Bonestell and others on a series of space-themed issues of Collier's
1953 -- Ley collaborates with von Braun and Fred Whipple and publishes book, The Conquest of the Moon
1957 October 4 -- Russia's successful launch of first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1
1958 January 31 -- Successful launch of first U.S. artificial satellite, Explorer 1
1961 April 12 -- Russia's successful launch of first human into space, Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1
1961 May 5 -- Successful launch of first U.S. astronaut into space, Alan Shepard aboard Mercury-Redstone 3 (Freedom 7)
1964 -- Ley collaborates with Bonestell and publishes book, Beyond the Solar System
1969 June 24 -- Ley dies at his home in Jackson Heights, New York
1969 July 16-24 -- Flight of Apollo 11 succeeds in landing U.S. astronauts on the moon
List of Acronyms:
AFB -- Air Force Base
ARCAS -- All-Purpose Rocket for the Collection of Atmospheric Soundings
AS -- Apollo-Saturn [spacecraft-launch vehicle stack]
ELDO -- European Launcher Development Organization
GALCIT -- Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology
15.26 Cubic feet ((14 records center boxes) (2 flatboxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Articles
Reports
Correspondence
Notes
Photographs
Date:
[ca. 1950s-1970s]
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a large amount of material without arrangement, including such material as photographs, handwritten notes, correspondence, medical flight records, reports and articles. The Stratolab program is perhaps the most well-represented of Ross' projects documented in the collection.
Biographical / Historical:
Commander Malcolm D. Ross (1919-1985), USN, was commissioned an ensign in 1943. He attended Purdue University and the University of Chicago, studying physics and meteorology. In 1951, Ross was assigned to the Navy's plastic balloon research program. Subsequently, he was involved with Project Skyhook, Project Charity and was responsible for initiating the Stratolab program for upper atmosphere research. Ross' accomplishments as a physicist and aeronaut, a pioneer in modern scientific ballooning, are amply documented here.
General:
Additional materials housed with the National Air and Space Museum Aeronautics Department.
NASMrev
Provenance:
Marjorie Ross, Gift, 1998, 1998-0048, unknown
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
Peenemunde Research and Development Station Search this
Names:
Peenemunde Research and Development Station Search this
Extent:
1.58 Cubic feet (4 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Publications
Photographs
Charts
Maps
Date:
1940-1945, circa 1950
bulk 1940-1945
Summary:
The German Army and Navy experimental station at Peenemunde, on the North Sea coast of Germany, was established in the mid-1930s to continue the rocketry work begun at Kummersdorf in 1930.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of copies of reports primarily from the Peenemünde Archiv 14, 66, and 86 series.
Arrangement:
The documents are in German and are filed in order by Archiv Number (for example: 11/8, 14/2, 14/3).
Biographical/Historical note:
The German Army and Navy experimental station at Peenemunde, on the North Sea coast of Germany, was established in the mid-1930s to continue the rocketry work begun at Kummersdorf in 1930. By the end of World War II (1939-1945) the research station produced a number of successful weapons, including the first surface-to-surface guided missile (V-1), the first ballistic missile (V-2), and the first operational air-to-surface missile (He 293), as well as other designs. The equipment developed at Peenemunde formed the basis for postwar research and designs by both the United States and the Soviet Union.
This collection of papers consists of approximately 8 cubic feet of material chronicling Roy Healy's lifelong interest in rocketry and his career as a rocket engineer. The collection includes correspondence; technical manuals; technical drawings; book manuscripts; articles; reports; slides; photographic prints; publications; scrapbooks; and pamphlets.
Biographical / Historical:
Roy Healy (1915-1968) was a prominent American rocket pioneer whose career spanned more than 40 years. Healy began conducting amateur rocketry experiments in 1927 at the age of 12, and studied aeronautical engineering at the Casey Jones Technical School from 1934-1938. He worked for Brewster Aviation Company and American Airlines before being hired by the Air Material Command at Wright Field to work on rocket technology. From 1943 to 1946, he served as a project engineer for the design, testing, and development of air-to-air and air-to-surface rocket projectiles and launchers at the Armament Laboratory at Wright Field. This work led him to be sent, in 1944, to the China-Burma-India Theatre for four months to install rocket launchers in aircraft and to train crews on how to use them. Healy was involved with the Tiny Tim air-to-surface rocket, as well as a six-round automatic revolver type rocket launcher for 4.5-inch rockets designed by Bell Telephone Laboratories for use on the B-17 and other aircraft. During this period, Healy also served as the rocket and launching equipment design and development head at the Dover Rocket Development Center at Dover, Delaware. He also designed and flight tested wing rocket pods for the first U.S. Air Force jet fighters and was the Chief Technical Engineer, Preliminary Designs, at the Naval Aeronautical Rocket Test Station in New Jersey. From 1946 to 1953, Healy was employed at the M. K. Kellogg Co. of Jersey City, N.J., in their Special Projects Division, first on Navy liquid propellant boosters, from 1946 to 1949, and then as their Chief Design Engineer at Kellogg's test facilities at Lake Denmark, N.J. Healy's later work with Kellogg was on rocket sled boosters, rocket test equipment, and lastly on the preliminary design of rocket engines, boosters, and JATO units. In May 1953 Healy joined North American Aviation, working on their 75,000-lb thrust liquid propellant rocket engine for the Redstone missile. Also in 1953, Healy served as a temporary consultant to SNCASO of Paris, France, and helped arrange the installation of a rocket engine for their Trident interceptor aircraft. In 1955, North American formed its Rocketdyne Division, and Healy was transferred to this organization, advancing to the position of Senior Research Engineer. From 1955 to 1958, he was the Project Engineer for the Thor (S3E rocket engine), and from 1958-1960, he was the Program Manager for the Jupiter missile rocket engine (S-3D). In 1958, Healy was also named the Program Manager of a space mission cluster project for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, although he retained his positions at Rocketdyne. In 1961 Healy transferred to North American Rockwell's Space Division to become the Assistant Program Manager of the Saturn S-II engine. In June of 1966, Healy went on medical leave and he died of a heart attack in 1968. Healy was very involved with the American Rocket Society (ARS), joining in 1935. He became the President of the ARS both in 1942 and 1947, and was named a Fellow in 1955. Healy served as the editor of the ARS Journal during the 1940s, and authored numerous technical and popular articles on rockets. He also co-chaired the AIAA's Los Angeles Section Historical Committee for 1966-1967. In 1970, a 23.6 mile diameter crater on the far side of the Moon was named in Healy's honor (situated at 32.8° N, 110.5° W).
Provenance:
Adele and Lyn Healy, Gift, 2017
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
This collection contains one hundred fifty-six news articles from sixteen different newspapers all pertaining to early rocketry and space exploration. The majority of articles are from wire news services. The following newspapers are represented in this scrapbook: Burlington Daily Times-News (BDTN), Chicago Daily News (CDN), Cincinnati Enquirer (CE), Chicago Tribune (CT), Indiana (University) Daily Student (IDS), Indianapolis Star (IS), Jeffersonville (IN) Evening News (JEN), Los Angeles Times (LAT), (Louisville) Courier-Journal (LCJ), London Daily Mail (LDM), Louisville Times (LT), New York Herald Tribune (NYHT), New York Times (NYT), Stars and Stripes (U.S. Army)(SS), Tulsa Tribune (TT), and the San Francisco Chronicle (SFC).
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
M. Edward Peck, Gift, unknown, XXXX-0585, N/A
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
This collection consists of material in German and English documenting Oberth's life and career in the field of astronautics. The information includes six photographs, an article written by him for Space Journal, correspondence between Dr. Oberth and the donor Anton Palmai, and four books, three of which are in German.
Biographical / Historical:
Hermann Oberth (1894 - 1989) was known as the Father of Astronautics. Born in Rumania in 1894, he received his German citizenship in 1941. After extensive studying at Gottingen, Heidelberg, Klausenbury, Munich and Vienna, he became a teacher, having at one time Dr. Wernher von Braun as his pupil. In 1923 he published his first work, The Rocket to the Planets, the first book to treat the theory of rockets as applicable to space flight in a scientific manner. Oberth was one of the three great rocket pioneers of the world, along with Professor Goddard of America and Professor Ziolkovsky of Russia.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Anton Palmai, Gift, 1989, 1989-0091, NASM
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
This collection consists of AMROC's business records. Included here is information on AMROC's various hybrid rocket motor programs and models, including Aquila, Hybrid Engine Analysis and Technology (HEAT), and SET-1, as well as general information relating to hybrid rocket technology. The types of materials present here include: correspondence, articles, press releases, presentations, analyses, reports, programs, agreements, and financial data.
Biographical / Historical:
The American Rocket Company (AMROC) was established in 1985 by George Koopman with the goal of developing space exploration with hybrid rocket technology. Promoting the safety and economical aspects of hybrid motors, AMROC developed several hybrid rocket motors through various partnerships and programs. AMROC's first proposed launch, with Single Engine Test-1 (SET-1), was postponed numerous times and the eventual attempt was not successful. AMROC was eventually crushed by a combination of hardships, including financial difficulties and the sudden death of Koopman due to a car accident. Without Koopman's motivation and leadership AMROC slowly deteriorated. The company did, however, play a key role in the development of hybrid rocket motors. The innovative technology AMROC used is still being used in the development of hybrid rocket technology.
Provenance:
Scott Sacknoff, Gift, 2006
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
This collection consists of the photographs used in the book.
Biographical / Historical:
David DeVorkin, a Space History Curator at the National Air and Space Museum, completed Science With A Vengeance in 1992. This book traces the exploration of the upper atmosphere with ballistic missiles systems, particularly the V-2. The first part of the book deals with the military context of upper atmospheric research: the military interest in seeing that such work was being done, the formation of appropriate groups in military labs capable of doing the work, and the development of the technical and managerial infrastructure required to get the work done. The later half of the book examines the specific problems each scientific group addressed, including the technical, professional and managerial obstacles they faced as they explored the use of rockets for studying the sun, cosmic rays, the upper atmosphere, and the ionosphere.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
David H. DeVorkin, Transfer, 1994, 1994-0054, NASM/David DeVorkin
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
This collection consists of documents relating to Madeline Johnson and her role as Director of the Office of Commercial Space Transportation (OCST).
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of documents relating to Madeline Johnson and her role as Director of the OCST, including agendas, memorandums, reports, presentations, her statements in front of Congress, and newspaper articles. Of special interest are the Economic Policy Council's Commercial Space Working Group documents and recommendations to President Reagan on commercializing satellite launches.
Arrangement:
No arrangement.
Biographical / Historical:
President Reagan signed Executive Order 12465 on February 25, 1984, designating the Department of Transportation to be the lead agency for commercial expendable launch vehicles. Later that year, the Office of Commercial Space Transportation (OCST) was established and placed in the Office of the Secretary. Madeline Johnson was selected by then Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole to be the Director of OCST in 1986. During her tenure, Johnson worked to build a cross-government coalition to persuade President Reagan to create the opportunity for a private-sector satellite launching industry; this was especially needed as the Challenger accident had grounded Space Shuttle missions. The OCST was moved from the Office of the Secretary and today resides with the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The OCST now gives final approval of any commercial rocket launch operations involving a U.S. launch operator or a launch from the U.S.
Provenance:
Estate of Sara Madeline Johnson, Gift, 2020, NASM.2020.0015
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.
This collection consists of biographical material on Robert Gordon, papers authored by him and by colleagues on various aspects of rocket propulsion, and his associations with the American Rocket Society, the Aerojet Engineering Corporation and the University of California Department of Nuclear Engineering.
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Gordon (1917- ) graduated from Cooper Union before serving with the US Army Air Forces as an engineer and as a navigator. He joined the Aerojet Engineering Corporation in 1945 where he conducted research on rocket propulsion systems. In 1957,Gordon received his Masters degree in Nuclear Engineering and in 1962, a Ph.D in Engineering Science. While at Aerojet General Nucleonics (AGN), he worked on covert naval free-flooded submarines, advanced composite structures and the Snap-8 liquid metal power conversion system. In 1971, Gordon and two associates formed Advanced Composites Industries.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Dr. Robert Gordon, gift, 1999, 1999-0023, unknown
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
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