National Association of Rocketry (U.S.) Search this
Stine, G. Harry (George Harry), 1928-1997 Search this
Extent:
20.8 Cubic feet (15 records center boxes, 1 flat box, 4 map folders, 13 film containers)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Brochures
Newsletters
Clippings
Correspondence
Photographs
Date:
Circa 1950s-1970s
Summary:
G. Harry Stine (1928--1997) was a renowned rocket expert and a pioneer in the development of the aerospace hobby of model rocketry. This collection consists of G. Harry Stine's collection of archival material relating mainly to his involvement in rocket associations, including the National Association for Rocketry (NAR), and his association with model rocket manufacturers.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of G. Harry Stine's collection of archival material relating mainly to his involvement in rocket associations, including the National Association for Rocketry (NAR), and his association with model rocket manufacturers. The following mediums are included: photographs from model rocket meets, correspondence, magazine and newspaper articles, newsletters, galley proofs, committee minutes, model rocket drawings, model rocket manufacturers' brochures, and film.
Arrangement:
Collection is unprocessed.
Biographical / Historical:
G. Harry Stine (1928--1997) was a renowned rocket expert and a pioneer in the development of the aerospace hobby of model rocketry. Stine graduated from the University of Colorado, and first worked as an civilian scientist at White Sands Proving Ground as chief of the Controls and Instruments Section of the Propulsion Branch. In 1955, Stine went to work for the US Naval Ordnance Missile Test Facility at White Sands as head of the Range Operations Division and Navy Flight Safety Engineer. Stine later worked as an engineer for Stanley Aviation Corporation and the Huyck Corporation. Stine was the founder of Model Missiles, Inc., which was the first company to produce and market model rockets. He has also served as a freelance consultant for different organizations, including the National Air and Space Museum. Stine was a prolific author of both articles and books on science, astronautics and model rocketry, and he also wrote science fiction under the pseudonym, Lee Correy. In 1957, Stine founded the National Association for Rocketry (NAR), and he was an active member. He was also a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the British Interplanetary Society, and the Explorer's Club.
Provenance:
G. Harry Stine, Gift, circa 1973, NASM.XXXX.0573
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 six feet of material documenting Porter's many scientific contributions. The following types of material are included: photographs, lecture notes, correspondence, trip notes, newspaper clippings, symposium programs, papers, and periodicals, circa 1930s-1980s.
Scope and Content:
The Richard Porter Collection reflects Porter's career as an electrical engineer, rocketry expert, and a corporate manager and consultant. Almost the entirety of this collection consists of materials related to his professional work. This includes correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, reports, notes, speeches, photographs, brochures, pamphlets, programs, magazines, newsletters, papers, articles, newspaper clippings, miscellaneous materials (directories, mailing lists, transcript, etc.), as well as a scrapbook. It is worth singling out a few of the aforementioned materials for their particular historical significance pertaining to the development of rocketry and space exploration. Some of the correspondence, memoranda and notes reveal the inner workings of Operation Paperclip: the U.S. plan to seek out, debrief, recruit and evacuate German rocket scientists from war-torn Germany to America. Additionally, other examples of correspondence and notes give candid appraisals of some key figures in the aerospace field, as well as to illustrate exchanges between Porter and such scientific luminaries as Carl Sagan, Wernher von Braun, Simon Ramo, Holger Toftoy, Fred Durant III, Edith Goddard and Clyde Tombaugh.
The Porter Collection is arranged both chronologically and alphabetically. Correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, notes, notebooks, speeches, photographs, brochures, pamphlets, programs, magazines, journals, articles, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous materials are organized by the former method. Reports are arranged alphabetically by organizational name while newsletters and papers are grouped alphabetically by title and then chronologically.
The reader should note that the Porter Collection was exposed to a fire in Porter's office sometime during the late 1970s. The fire, along with the subsequent dousing of water from the firefighters, destroyed much of this collection. All that remained are the materials described here. While the surviving materials generally suffered only minor damage (mainly to their original folders), scorch marks can be occasionally observed on some correspondence, speeches, reports, etc.. More serious problems exist with seven folders containing photographs. For conservation purposes, they have been separated from the rest of the photographs in this collection and are currently unavailable to researchers.
Arrangement:
The Porter Collection is arranged both chronologically and alphabetically. Correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, notes, notebooks, speeches, photographs, brochures, pamphlets, programs, magazines, journals, articles, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous materials are organized by the former method. Reports are arranged alphabetically by organizational name while newsletters and papers are grouped alphabetically by title.
Biographical/Historical note:
As an established authority on rockets, GE placed Porter in overall charge of the company's guided missiles department in 1953. By the mid-1950s, his great knowledge in this field also lead to a position as head of a panel of scientists tasked with developing a U.S. space program in time for the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58. On February 1, 1958, Porter was given the honor of announcing to reporters that the U.S. had launched its first satellite, Explorer 1, the previous night. The booster employed for this endeavor, an Army Jupiter-C, was designed and built mainly by the German rocket scientists (including their leader, Wernher von Braun) Porter helped to bring to America thirteen years earlier. By this time, GE assigned him as a company-wide consultant. Besides serving as leader of the U.S. IGY effort, he also served on many other boards and panels such as the International Relations Committee of the Space Sciences Board, U.S. National Academy of Science, the U.S. Academy in the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and the U.S. delegation for the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. During his long career in engineering and aerospace development, Porter was also the recipient of numerous honors and awards. These included the Coffin Award, Goddard Award and the Scientific Achievement Award given by Yale University.
Aside from his career, Porter had a busy personal life. In 1946, he married Edith Wharton Kelly. The couple had two daughters and a son. Porter enjoyed horticulture -- especially growing orchids, as well as skiing and playing the clarinet. He died on October 6, 1996 at the age of 83.
General note:
Dr. Porter had a fire that destroyed most of his papers. These six boxes are all that remain.
Provenance:
Susan Porter Beffel and Thomas Andrew Porter, Gift, 1997, 1997-0037, NASM
Robert Truax was one of the great originals of American rocketry and a major proponent and inventor of ultra-low-cost rocket engine and vehicle concepts.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of material relating to the career of Robert Collins Truax including correspondence, photographic material, technical drawings, technical manuals and reports, presentation and conference materials, papers by Truax, news clippings, published materials and business records for Truax Engineering, Inc.
Projects and programs referenced in this collection include the Knievel Rocket Car (Truax X-2 Sky-Cycle); X-3 Volksrocket; amphibious launchers, including the "Sea Dragon," "Sea Horse," and SEALAR (Sea Launched Rocket); the Space Shuttle program; the Gemini and Apollo programs; Rocketdyne LR89 Liquid-Fuel Motors; Rand Project; the Corona Reconnaissance Satellite; and Project Private Enterprise.
The researcher should note that the collection also contains audio-visual material. These items are not included in the finding aid but the NASM audio-visual archivist can assist you regarding access.
Arrangement:
This collection was arranged into series by the processing archivist. There was no original order when the collection was received.
Series 1: Personal & Business Papers
Series 2: Papers Authored by R.C. Truax
Series 3: Drawings
Series 4: Images
4:1 - Slides
4:2 - Photos, Negatives & Floppy Discs
Acronyms:
Numerous acronyms were used by the creator when labeling his file units. Some will be obvious to the researcher but the archivist has identified some acronyms that might be more unclear. Not all acronyms were able to be identified.
AFRL - Air Force Research Lab
ATD - Advanced Technology Development
BAA - possibly Broad Agency Announcement
BMDO - Ballistic Missile Defense Organization
CDRL - Contract Data Requirements List?
CPAI - Chemical Propulsion Information Agency
ITAR - International Traffic in Arms Regulations
KACST - King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology
MSFC - Marshall Space Flight Center
PMRF - Pacific Missile Range Facility
RSLP - Rocket Systems Launch Program
SEALAR - Sea Launch & Recovery
TEI - Truax Engineering Inc.
TPIPT - Technology Planning Integrated Product Teams
Biographical / Historical:
Robert Truax (1917-2010) was one of the great originals of American rocketry and a major proponent and inventor of ultra-low-cost rocket engine and vehicle concepts. A longtime member of the American Rocket Society (serving as its president in 1957,) He received the Robert H. Goddard award for outstanding work in liquid propellant rockets as well as the Legion of Merit citation for his conceptual work on making the "Polaris" guided-missile submarine a primary naval weapon. Truax was also inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2003.
Inspired by Robert Goddard, Truax began building rockets when he was a teenager in California. From 1936 to 1939, while enrolled at the United States Naval Academy, he tested liquid-fueled rocket motors. During the late 1940s, he organized the US Naval Missile Test Center's propulsion laboratory at Point Mugu, California, and headed rocket development within the Navy's Bureau of Aeronotics where he advanced the concept of a staged combustion system upon which the Space Shuttle's main engines would eventually rely. In 1946, Truax led a team that interrogated the rocket engineer for Nazi Germany, Wernher von Braun.
By 1955, however, his proposal for a submarine-launched ballistic missile had failed to win Navy approval and he joined the Air Force's newly established Western Development Division (WDD) From 1955 to 1958, Captain Truax headed the Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) development program. Truax studied the sea launching of rockets, such as the Sea Bee and Sea Horse projects. In 1959 he retired as a Captain, and headed the Aerojet-General Advanced Development Division and Aerojet's Sea Dragon project in the Advanced Development Division until leaving in 1967. In 1966 Robert Truax founded Truax Engineering Inc. (TEI,) which studied sea launch concepts similar to the earlier Sea Dragon—the Excalibur, the SEALAR (Sea Launched Rocket,) and the Excalibur S. Here his low-cost booster program plan was elaborated and further studied, but he was again unable to interest NASA or the USAF in the concept of cheap access to space.
In the 70's and early 80's, Truax, heretofore prominent in scientific communities, emerged in popular culture. Literally building rockets from his own backyard in Saratoga, Truax built both of Evel Knievel's "Skycycles" for his 1974 for attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon. He later competed in the original X-prize competition to send a private astronaut into suborbital flight.
Robert Truax, died on September 17 aged 93, as a key figure in the rocket research that took America into the space age, while also being an inspiration to the do-it-yourself, back-yard amateur.
Peenemunde Research and Development Station Search this
Names:
Peenemunde Research and Development Station Search this
Extent:
2.2 Cubic feet (5 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Reports
Date:
1938-1945
bulk 1942-1944
Summary:
The German Army and Navy experimental station at Peenemünde, 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 from the Peenemünde Archiv 66 series covering aerodynamic work on the V-2 (A4), A5, and Wasserfall missiles.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into two series: first are blueprint copies, which include photographs as illustrations, followed by autopositive copies, which include copy negatives used to produce illustrative photographs. There is significant overlap between these two series. In each series the documents are in order by Archiv Number.
Biographical/Historical note:
The German Army and Navy experimental station at Peenemünde, 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 Peenemünde formed the basis for postwar research and designs by both the United States and the Soviet Union.
145 Film reels (143 16mm film reels - runtime of 40:24:65
2 35mm film reels - runtime of 58:23)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound tape reels
Videodiscs (dvd)
Video recordings
Electronic discs (cd)
Sound cassettes
Film reels
Motion pictures (visual works)
Movie scripts
Transcripts
Audiotapes
Videotapes
Clippings
Scripts (documents)
Date:
1957-2011
bulk 1980-1990
Summary:
The documentary film Growing Up With Rockets, produced by Vanguard Productions and Nancy Yasecko and released in 1984, is the story and personal reminiscences of the children, now grown, of those who worked at Cape Canaveral. The film discusses the Bumper Project (using captured V-2 missiles after World War II); Sputnik; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs; and ends with the first flight of Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) in 1981. Nancy Yasecko offers first person commentary with rare archival film, newsreels, excerpts from NASA promotional films, home movies and contemporary footage.
In 1990, under the auspices of Citizen Exchange Council (CEC), a NY-based Soviet-American exchange organization, Growing Up With Rockets was included in the American Documentary Showcase. The Showcase was the first uncensored collection of American documentary films ever to reach general audiences across the USSR.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately thirteen cubic feet of material related to the production and marketing of the documentary film Growing Up With Rockets including audio tapes; motion picture film and video recordings, scripts, post-production notes, reference material, correspondence, financial information, interview transcripts, news clippings, information regarding distribution contracts, event programs, photographs, and project descriptions and flowcharts.
The researcher should note that the collection also contains 16mm film and rollettes, U-Matic cassettes, VHS tapes, 1 inch videotape, 3/4 inch videotape, and DVD. There are 191 motion picture items totaling 75:51:35. Audio tape formats include compact disc; 1/4 inch reel to reel; audio cassettes; and records in various sizes. There are 128 audio items in total. These items are not included in the container list but a NASM Archives staff person can assist you regarding access.
Arrangement:
Organized into 6 series:
Series 1: Production
Series 2: Events
Series 3: Publicity
Series 4: Reference
Series 5: Other
Series 6: Oversize
This collection was arranged at the time of processing to better reflect its main areas of subject matter.
Within series, file units were placed in chronological order with undated material placed at the end of the
series. Original folder titles were kept. Archivist's description appears below folder titles.
Biographical / Historical:
Nancy Yasecko is a media artist and educator who grew up and is still living on the Space Coast of Florida. She graduated from Cocoa Beach High School in 1972,and received her B.A. from the University of South Florida in 1975, and her M.A. in Instructional Technology from the University of Central Florida 1997.
Nancy Yasecko is also the proprietor of Vanguard Productions, located on Merritt Island, FL, a producer of film and video for PBS broadcast and non-profit and governmental organizations.
Her film Growing Up with Rockets was included with the first group of US documentaries to be screened in the former Soviet Union in the American Documentary Showcase, Glastnost Tour 1990.
Provenance:
Nancy Yasecko, Vanguard Productions, gift, 2012
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 oral history recordings and transcripts for the Peenemünde Interviews Project, which examined the development of the German Peenemünde complex from the early 1930s through World War II.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of 39 hours of interviews with 13 individuals (in both audio cassette and transcript formats).
Arrangement:
The Peenemünde Interviews Project is arranged alphabetically by interviewee. Boxes 1, 2 and 3 contain the interviews on cassette tapes; box 4 contains the edited transcripts of the audio.
Historical note:
The collection consists of the oral history recordings and transcripts for the Peenemünde Interviews Project, which examined the development of the German Peenemünde complex from the early 1930s through World War II. This project constitutes one of several oral history projects conducted within the Department of Space History, NASM. The principal investigator for this project was Michael Neufeld and the following individuals were interviewed: Werner Dahm; Konrad Danneberg; Walter Haeussermann; Karl Heimberg; Helmut Hoelzer; Fritz Mueller; Herman Oberth; Eberhard Rees (with Mrs. Rees); Gerhard Reisig; Arthur Rudolph; Bernhard Tessman (with Karl Heimburg); Georg von Tiesenhausen; and Walter Wiesman.
Provenance:
Space History, NASM, Transfer, 1999, 1999-0038, Varies
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.
Science Service was founded in 1921 by newspaper publisher Edward Willis Scripps (1854-1926) and the zoologist William Emerson Ritter (1856-1944) as a news service for the purpose of disseminating information on scientific progress to the public, and to "present facts in readable and interesting form." The Science Service Astronomy and Astronautics files in the National Air and Space Archives consists of papers, news releases, articles, newspaper and magazine clippings, and technical papers pertaining mainly to astronomy and astronautics and dating from the late 1920s through the early 1970s.
Scope and Contents:
The Science Service Astronomy and Astronautics files in the National Air and Space Archives consists of papers, news releases, articles, newspaper and magazine clippings, and technical papers pertaining mainly to astronomy and astronautics and dating from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. News coverage of the U.S.--oviet space race and the Cold War is particularly extensive. The collection also includes many sighting report telegrams sent by astronomers to Science Service. Small selections of other subjects were included in the collection.
Arrangement:
The Science Service Collection is organized in the following series:
Series 1 --Clippings, Publications, Papers, and Press Releases
Collection material was housed in folders organized and titled according to the Library of Congress Classification system.
Library of Congress Classification Subjects in the Science Service Collection:
B - Philosophy. Psychology. Religion
BF Psychology
T - Technology
TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
TL Motor vehicles, Aeronautics. Astronautics
[A small group of TL files, filed under QB]
[Another group of TL files]
V - Naval Science
VK Navigation. Merchant marine
VM Naval architecture. Shipbuilding. Marine engineering
Series 2 --Photographs
Subseries 1 --Photographs in Folders or with Subjects Indicated
Subseries 2 --Loose Photographs without Subject Headings
Series 3 --Miscellaneous Material
Historical Note:
Science Service was founded in 1921 by newspaper publisher Edward Willis Scripps (1854-1926) and the zoologist William Emerson Ritter (1856-1944) as a news service for the purpose of disseminating information on scientific progress to the public, and to "present facts in readable and interesting form." The service provided news stories to subscribing newspapers and issued the Daily Science News Bulletin (later renamed the Daily Mail Report) and the Science News Letter. Science Service made major contributions to science education through its sponsorship of the Science Clubs of America, the Science Talent Search, and National Science Fairs. Its monthly Things of Science educational kits were distributed by subscription from 1940 to 1989. The Science News Letter was renamed Science News in 1966. In 1988, Science Service became the Society for Science & the Public.
Provenance:
Science Service Astronomy and Astronautics Files, gift, 1986
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 a complete set of production blueprints for the V-2 rocket powerplant and directly related accessories.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of engineering drawings for the V-2. The material consists of a complete set of production blueprints for the V-2 rocket powerplant and directly related accessories. The drawings are identified as 'Engineering Records File Copy' (in English).
Arrangement:
Arranged by drawing size.
Biographical / Historical:
The V-2 was a short-range ballistic missile designed by Germany for use against Southern England in 1944-45. The missile carried a 2000 lb. (910 kg) conventional warhead at supersonic speeds. The vehicle was fueled with sufficient alcohol and liquid oxygen for c.65 seconds of powered flight, giving a maximum range, including unpowered ballistic trajectory, of c.220 miles (352 km). A number of V-2s were captured intact by the Allies and used for rocketry experiments in the late 1940s. In addition, the V-2 design team, headed by Werner on Braun, was captured by the United States Army and returned to the United States, where it formed the core of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and National Aeronautics and Space Administration launch vehicle design teams.
General:
Access note: Only eight of the drawings have been translated.
NASMrev
Provenance:
NASM SS&E, Transfer, 1987, NASM.1987.0089
Restrictions:
ITAR-controlled technical data.
Rights:
ITAR-controlled technical data. 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 photographs, negatives, blueprints, patents, test reports and correspondence dealing with Mount's rocket application inventions.
Biographical / Historical:
Wadsworth W. Mount (1907-1985) was educated at Amherst College and New York University. Besides practicing business and finance, he patented and successful demonstrated a number of inventions, including wire and cable carrying rocket projectors for antiaircraft and lifesaving applications. Among his rocket patents are 4 types of ordnance equipment for the US Navy in WWII. After WWII he worked with the Naval Ordnance Lab and Bureau of Ordnance requirements, and conducted experiments on the use of small rocket motors for firing steel cable ashore from ships in distress.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Wadsworth W. Mount, gift, XXXX-0368, 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 contains numerous articles and papers on rocketry, as well as drawings and photographs of rockets and rocket systems. The material was collected by Sutton in the course of this work.
Biographical / Historical:
George Paul Sutton (1920- ) was an aerospace engineer and manager. He received degrees from Los Angeles City College (AA, 1940) and the California Institute of Technology (BS, 1942; MS (ME), 1943) before going to work as a development engineer for the Rocketdyne Division of North American Aviation [now Rockwell International]. He remained at Rocketdyne into the late 1960s, while also sitting as Hunsaker Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at MIT (1958-59) and serving as Chief Scientist, Advanced Research Projects Agency and Division Director, Institute of Defense Analysis for the Department of Defense (1959-60). Following his work at Rocketdyne he joined the technical staff at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
No donor information, gift, unknown, XXXX-0009, 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 a nine by eleven inch scrapbook containing newspaper accounts of the activities and experiments of the Cleveland Rocket Society and of speaking engagements of Ernst Loebell, several black and white photographs of Loebell and his rockets, a binder entitled "Personal History of Ernest Loebell," a binder of Ernest Loebell's lectures and documents and correspondence relating to his career and to the Cleveland Rocket Society.
Biographical / Historical:
German-born Ernest (Ernst) Loebell (1902-1979), engineer and rocket designer, was a graduate of Breslau and Oldenburg universities. In Berlin and later New York, Loebell was employed as a mechanical engineer for Otis Elevator Company. He moved to Cleveland in 1930 and worked for White Motor Company and Lear, Inc. In Ohio, he helped organize the Cleveland Rocket Society, which between 1933 and 1938 sought to develop a liquid fueled engine that could power a stratospheric rocket across the Atlantic. Six rocket motors were built and were tested on an estate outside of Cleveland. One of the Society's rocket models was displayed at the Paris International Exposition of 1937. The Cleveland Rocket Society folded in 1938 due to lack of funds.
Provenance:
Ernst Loebell, Gift
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 approximately 0.15 cubic feet of material relating to Harry W. Bull and his work with rockets.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 0.15 cubic feet of material relating to Harry W. Bull and his work with rockets. Included in the collection are photocopies of items loaned by the donor for copying, including copies of pages of a scrapbook which includes captions by Bull. Additional types of material contained in the collection include correspondence; photographs; news clippings; technical papers written by Bull; pages of notes on Bull's research and experiments including calculations, drawings, and notes on various tests; three notebooks of technical information compiled by Bull; and copies of diary entries made by Bull in 1925. There is a section of material relating specifically to Bull's rocket-propelled sled. Notable correspondents whose letters appear in the collection include Robert Hutchings Goddard and George Edward Pendray.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged according to location.
Biographical / Historical:
Harry W. Bull (1909-1971) was an American rocketry pioneer who conducted more than 800 individual tests during the period from 1926 to 1934, as well as building and successfully riding a rocket-propelled sled in 1931. Bull was credited by James Hart Wyld with being the first American to design and build a regeneratively-cooled rocket motor and the first to experiment with a monopropellant rocket motor. Bull also did extensive research on steam propulsion as well as various types of propellants. Bull financed his education by lecturing on rocketry, and by selling photos of his successful rocket sled experiments to various news outlets. Bull also was able to use publicity generated by the sled run to produce and sell a copyrighted specification booklet. Bull graduated from the College of Applied Science at Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1932. After graduating, Bull was employed by Church and Dwight Company to design and test packaging machines, then went to work in 1935 with the Tennessee Valley Authority where he was involved in aerial mapping. Bull joined The Dow Chemical Company in 1937 as a design engineer, becoming a packaging coordinator in 1954, and he was named Director of Packaging in 1962. Bull retired from Dow in 1968 due to ill health. Bull was a member of the American Interplanetary Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and was a charter member of the American Rocket Society, as well as belonging to various organizations relating to his work in packaging.
Provenance:
Bertha K. Bull, Gift, 1973, NASM.XXXX.1207
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 one scrapbook containing newspaper clippings pertaining to rocketry during the 1930s.
This collection is in English.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of one spiral bound scrapbook, 12.5 by 10 inches, containing newspaper clippings pertaining to rocketry during the 1930s. The subject of the articles is primarily Dr. Robert H. Goddard, but Lester D. Woodford, Johannes Winkler, Rheinhold Tiling, Bernard Smith, Gerard Zucher, Charles A. Lindbergh, and Harry F. Guggenheim are also mentioned. The articles discuss rocketry achievements in Germany, Japan, the United States, and the Soviet Union. The front cover is printed with the words "Roto Scrap Book" in gold. "Franklin M. Gates," possibly the owner, is written on the first page.
Arrangement:
Collection is in original order.
Biographical / Historical:
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, 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. He served a research fellowship with Princeton University from 1912--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:
Unknown, found in collection, NASM.XXXX.0820.
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.
A collection of items attributed to rocket pioneer James Hart Wyld dating from the 1930s and 1940s. The collection consists of two boxes, with one containing notes and prints attributed to Wyld and the other containing original negatives.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of approximately 140 black-and-white negatives (28 35mm strips of 8 frames each, seven 35mm strips of 2 frames each, and six 3.5 x 6 inch sheets), predominantly taken by James H. Wyld, of American Rocket Society meets and rocket tests and an Elmira, New York, glider meet, and images taken by Wyld on various trips around the New York City area and elsewhere. Buildings, engineering projects, and landscapes pictured include the Lincoln Tunnel and the Triborough Bridge (under construction), the Empire State Building, Central Park, Gilgo Beach and Long Beach (Long Island), Port Washington, Fire Island, the 1939 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, the Vanderbilt Cup races in Mineola, New Rochelle, Cornwall, and the Catskills, all in New York. Also included are images taken in Princeton, New Jersey; Connecticut; Mount Washington, New Hampshire; and Massillon, Ohio. Individuals pictured include Frank Harrison, Albert Rice, and Bill Baum. The collection also consists of Wyld's personal papers including a diary covering the period of February 1931 to May 1936; a 1932 scientific notebook; two photographs of rocket test activities; a post card addressed to Wyld from "John" (possibly John Shesta) referencing a postponement; a portraint of James Wyld; handwritten report, "An Automatic Thrust and Mixture Control for Rocket Motors," 1946.an envelope full of information relating to a court case involving the American Society of Mechanical Engineers; a Princeton University Alumni Lectures pamphlet entitled America's Problem of National Defense by Professor Harold Sprout; five newspaper clippings related to rockets; an undated letter, missing the first page, to Wyld from Bernard E. "Ben" Smith regarding rocket testing; two letters, dating from 1938-1939, from Wyld to "John" (possibly John Shesta) regarding rocket testing; a report entitled Long Range Rocket, Section II (Propellant Systems) by Dr. Paul F. Winternitz, Director of Laboratories, Reaction Motors, Inc.; "Proposal for Unguided Liquid-Propellant Rocket Projectile" by an unknown author, possibly Wyld; two drawings of rockets; three pages of notes handwritten by Wyld, and a letter from Albert M. Paquin to the American Rocket Society, with handwritten comment attached, regarding financial assistance from the Society for rocket research. In addition, the collection contains a memo to Wyld regarding Reaction Motors, Inc. stock prices; and Wyld's handwritten notes and drawings entitled, "The Design of Streamline Hulls and Fins for Rockets," "The Nature of Rocket Flight" (noted as draft of Chapter IV of Introduction to Rocketry), "Pumping Mechanism" (appears to be missing pages), "Superchargine Airplane with Oxygen," and six additional pages of miscellaneous notes and drawings. Some pages of the notes have been initialled and noted by Shesta and Lawrence.
Biographical / Historical:
Rocket pioneer James Hart Wyld was born in 1913 and received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University in 1935. He joined the American Interplanetary Society (later the American Rocket Society) in 1931. In the late nineteen thirties, Wyld developed and tested the first modern liquid-propellant rocket motors. In 1941 he, along with John Shesta, Lovell Lawrence, Jr., and Hugh Franklin Pierce, formed Reaction Motors, Inc. (RMI), the first US rocket propulsion company.
Related Materials:
The American Rocket Society's Rocket Test Stand No. 2 is featured in negatives present in this collection. More information concerning this artifact can be found at American Rocket Society's Rocket Test Stand No. 2.
Provenance:
Anne W. Blizard, Gift, 2005, NASM.2005.0051
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 51 of Boris E. Chertok's diaries, covering the years from 1945 to 1988. The diaries, all in Russian, are handwritten and are in small notebooks of various sizes and types. Some of the diaries have loose pages or loose covers and each diary has a paper cover note pasted to the outside of the notebook. The 1945 diary contains Chertok's notes on the examination of German rockets and sites in Germany. The collection also contains the envelopes, with notes in Russian, that the diaries came in. Finally, the collection contains a manuscript draft of Chertok's autobiography, Rockets and People, in Russian. The manuscript is largely handwritten, but contains some typewritten pages.
Biographical / Historical:
Dr. Boris E. Chertok is a former Soviet rocket engineer whose early work included designing the first Soviet aircraft with a rocket engine, and collaboration with the designer of the Katyusha rocket. During World War II, Chertok worked on developing Soviet heavy bombers and on rocket technology. In 1945, Dr. Chertok founded the Rabi Institute in which was appointed by Joseph Stalin to be the organization responsible for assimilating World War II German rocket technology. Chertok was assigned to Sergei Korolev's NII-88 institute in August 1946 and was named Deputy Chief Designer in 1956, a position he would hold with that bureau and its successors until his retirement in 1992. During the Cold War, Chertok worked on the control systems for the SS-6 Missile (R-7, Sapwood) and the Vostok, Voskhod, and Soyuz spacecraft programs. In the 1990s, Chertok published his autobiography, Rockets and People. After leaving the reorganized Energia enterprise in 1992, Chertok worked remained active as a professor in Moscow.
Provenance:
Boris Chertok, Purchase, Purchased by NASM and Arthur M. Dula in 1997, transferred from the Space History Department to the Archives in 2009
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 eighteen prints and 2 reels of color and black and white footage relating to the White Sands Project.
Biographical / Historical:
Charles Frank Novak, Sr., worked on the V-2 project at White Sands, New Mexico. Novak's specific project was work on the release system for the V-2 smoke generator. The smoke generator was used to study wind velocities in the upper atmosphere by means of visible smoke clouds.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Joseph Suarez, Gift, 1994, 1995-0008, 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
Topic:
Launch complexes (Astronautics) -- White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico Search this
This collection is comprised mostly of administrative memoranda of the portion of the V-2 Panel which represented the Rocket-Sonde Research Section of NAR. The thirty-four files from Rocket-Sonde members are roughly chronological and are followed by files from other entities such as the Ad Hoc Committee on Rocket, Satellite and Space Research. The material in this collection was gathered by David DeVorkin while he conducted research for his book, _Science with a Vengeance_.
Biographical / Historical:
The Rocket-Sonde Research Section of the Naval Research Laboratory (NAR) participated in the V-2 Panel (ACA V-2 Upper Atmosphere Research Panel), which, with the use of captured German V-2 rockets, conducted in the 1940s and 1950s a long series of experiments which sought to to further our understanding of the upper atmosphere and the nature of solar radiation, as well as the technology utilized in the V-2 itself.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
David DeVorkin, Transfer, 1998, 1998-0025, 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
In 1928, along with Wernher von Braun, Rolf Engel joined the newly formed Berlin Section of the Verein Für Raumschiffahrt (German Rocket Society), where he participated in liquid propellant rocket experiments at the Raketenflugplatz (Rocket Airfield) with people like Rudolf Nebel, Willy Ley, Klaus Riedel and von Braun. Engel also worked as chief technical assistant to Johannes Winkler, who launched the HW-1 rocket on February 20, 1931 at a military parade ground near Dessau. This event represented the first launching of a liquid propellant rocket by someone other than Robert Goddard.
This collection consists of files for eight different projects related to rockets conceived by members of the Verein für Raumschiffahrt, including Hermann Oberth, Rudolf Nebel, Franz Mengering, Reinhold Tiling, Johannes Winkler and some unattributed work.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of files for eight different projects related to rockets conceived by members of the Verein für Raumschiffahrt (Germany Rocket Society), including Hermann Oberth, Rudolf Nebel, Franz Mengering, Reinhold Tiling, Johannes Winkler and some unattributed work. The rockets discussed in the project files include Mirak and Doppelstaber (this may be another name for the Repulsor), as well as several other types. The files contain drawings, notes, and photographs. All materials are in German.
There are also several folders of National Air and Space Museum-generated copy photography and a set of photocopies of many of the images.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged in two series: Project Files and NASM Copy Photography. The first series, Project Files, contains drawings, notes, and photographs of Verein für Raumschiffahrt rocket projects and is arranged by project number. The second series, NASM Copy Photography, contains copy photographs, notes, and captions for materials from the Rolf Engel collection, generated by the National Air and Space Museum.
Biographical / Historical:
Rolf Engel was born on August 10, 1912 in Menz/Ruppin, Germany. In 1928, along with Wernher von Braun, Engel joined the newly formed Berlin Section of the Verein Für Raumschiffahrt (German Rocket Society), where he participated in liquid propellant rocket experiments at the Raketenflugplatz (Rocket Airfield) with people like Rudolf Nebel, Willy Ley, Klaus Riedel and von Braun. Engel also worked as chief technical assistant to Johannes Winkler, who launched the HW-1 rocket on February 20, 1931 at a military parade ground near Dessau. This event represented the first launching of a liquid propellant rocket by someone other than Robert Goddard. From 1932 to 1935, Engel founded two research groups, Research Institute for Rocket Technology and Versuchsabteilung (Experimental Department), but they were short-lived due to lack of funding. In 1939, Engel was named technical director of Versuchsanstalt Für Strahltriebwerke (Research Center for Jet Engines) where work primarily focused on the development of fin-stabilized, solid propellant liquid rockets.
During World War II, Engel was a member of the Ministry of Armament's Commissions on Ammunition, Armament, and Ballistic Missiles and also a member of the Reichsforschungsrat (National Research Council). From August 1944 to April 1945, he served as the head of the test division of Waffen-Union Skoda-Brunn in Pibrans, Czechoslovakia. From 1946 to 1952, Engel worked in France as a consultant for ONERA (Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aéronautiques). From 1952 to 1957, he worked in Egypt advising the Egyptian Air Force as Director of CERVA (Compagnie des Engines à Réaction pour Vol Accéleré). From 1957 to 1962, Engel lived in Rome, Italy and served as a consultant to various guided missile manufacturers including SISPRE (Societa Italiana per lo Studio della Propulsione a Reazione) and Bombrini Parodi-Delfino. In 1962, Engel returned to Germany where he was named Director of the newly-formed space division of the Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm (MBB) consortium in Munich. In 1971, Engel retired from active professional life for health reasons, although he published several books throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Rolf Engel died in 1993 at the age of 81.
Provenance:
Rolf Engel, Gift, 1965, NASM.XXXX.0856
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
Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Panel (V-2 Panel) Reports
Creator:
Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Panel (V-2 Panel) Search this
Names:
Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Panel (V-2 Panel) Search this
Extent:
1.35 Cubic feet ((3 legal document boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Minutes
Reports
Date:
1946-[ca. 1960s]
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists primarily of what are referred to as V-2 Reports, being the minutes of meetings held by the Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Panel and others. These contain meeting agenda, reports of completed firings of V-2 rockets, statements of results and suggestions for future tests.
Biographical / Historical:
The Upper Atmosphere Rocket Research Panel (V-2 Panel) oversaw aspects of a long series of experiments conducted after World War II utilizing captured German V-2 rockets. These experiments were designed to further our understanding of the upper atmosphere and the nature of solar radiation, as well as the technology of the V-2 itself.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
David DeVorkin, Transfer, 1998, 1998-0035, 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
World War II German Aircraft and Missile Photography [Porter]
Extent:
287 Megabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Megabytes
Digital images
Date:
bulk 1945
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of 14 digital image scans of the following German aircraft and missiles, probably largely taken at the Messerschmitt complex in Oberammergau, Germany, after its capture by American Forces in 1945: Dornier Do 335 Pfeil (Arrow); Enzian Flak Missile; Heinkel He 162 Spatz (Sparrow) Volksjager (People's Fighter); Feuerlilie (Fire Lily) F-55 Missile; Messerschmitt Me 262; Messerschmitt P.1101; and the Heinkel-Hirth 109-011 (HeS 011) Turbojet.
Provenance:
W. Daniel Porter, 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
