Steel; graphite jet vanes, some wooden construction elements in fuselage; aluminum tanks not present.
Dimensions:
Overall: 11 ft. 8 3/8 in. wide x 46 ft. 1 3/16 in. deep x 5 ft. 5 in. diameter x 44 ft. 5 3/16 in. long, 8427.9 lb. (356.6 x 1405.1 x 165.1 x 1354.3cm, 3822.9kg)
20.5 cu. ft. (20 record storage boxes) (1 document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Clippings
Compact discs
Floppy disks
Electronic records
Black-and-white photographs
Color photographs
Black-and-white transparencies
Black-and-white negatives
Audiotapes
Date:
1889-2011
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of the papers of David H. DeVorkin, Curator in the Space History Division at the National Air and Space Museum, 1981- , with earlier records
dating from when he was assistant professor of astronomy at Central Connecticut State College, as well as during the years he attended high school and college. DeVorkin specializes
in the origins and development of modern astrophysics and the space sciences, and is involved in professional societies that include the American Astronomical Society, the
History of Science Society, and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The papers primarily document DeVorkin's scientific articles, lectures, planetarium programs, research,
professional society activities, and preparation of his own books such as "Science with a Vengeance: How the Military Created the US Space Sciences after World War II" and
"Henry Norris Russell: Dean of American Astronomers." Materials include correspondence, memoranda, and notes; articles; book reviews; clippings; agreements; lecture papers
and presentation material; press releases; meeting agendas; information about committees, conferences, symposiums, and workshops; manuscripts; audiotape recordings; photographs,
slides, and negatives; course outlines; proposals; and supporting documentation. Some materials are in electronic format.
Restrictions:
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
San Diego State University Presentation: "Science with a Vengeance," November 1990
Container:
Box 8 of 21
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 16-376, David H. DeVorkin Papers
Requests to Review "Science with a Vengeance" Manuscript, 1990
Container:
Box 14 of 21
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 16-376, David H. DeVorkin Papers
"Science with a Vengeance" Reader Reviews and Correspondence, 1990-1991 (8 folders)
Container:
Box 14 of 21
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 16-376, David H. DeVorkin Papers
"Science with a Vengeance" Reader Reviews and Correspondence, 1990-1991 (17 folders)
Container:
Box 15 of 21
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 16-376, David H. DeVorkin Papers
"Science with a Vengeance" Reader Reviews and Correspondence, 1990-1991 (5 folders)
Container:
Box 16 of 21
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 16-376, David H. DeVorkin Papers
"Science with a Vengeance" Manuscript, 1991 (4 folders)
Container:
Box 16 of 21
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 16-376, David H. DeVorkin Papers
Tom Gehrels and Tom von Foerster: "Science with a Vengeance" Reviews and Correspondence, 1990-1991 (3 folders)
Container:
Box 16 of 21
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 16-376, David H. DeVorkin Papers
DeVorkin, David H. 1993. [Book review] "Science with a vengeance: how the military created the US space sciences after World War II / Springer-Verlag, 1992." Sky and Telescope, 86, 61.
DeVorkin, David H. 1995. [Book review] "Science with a vengeance: how the military created the US space sciences after World War II / Springer-Verlag, 1992." Journal for the History of Astronomy, 26, 179.
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
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
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
"Science with a Vengeance" - Front Matter and Index Pages, 1992
Container:
Box 1 of 2
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 15-179, David H. DeVorkin Papers
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 15-179, David H. DeVorkin Papers
The collection is comprised primarily of photographs showing the manufacture and test launching of V-2 missiles, both in Germany and in the United States (White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico) during and after World War II. There are also images of the facilities at Peenemunde and American confiscation of the technology. American projects documented include: Aerobee rockets, Project Blossom, and Viking rockets. There are also photographs of various instruments and technical graphs and charts. The photographs are black and white, except for approximately 40 color images (prints and 35mm color slides). A number of 4 x 5 inch copy negatives, 8 x 10 inch negatives, one glass lantern slide, some recent correspondence and several newspaper/magazine clippings are also included in the collection. Some of the sources from which the photographs were obtained include: the Applied Physics Laboratory; William Baum; the Deutsches Museum; William Dow and Nelson Spencer of the University of Michigan; Charles Johnson, Frances Johnson, Ernst Krause, and Richard Tousey of the Naval Research Laboratory; U.S. Air Force Air Materiel Command; and the University of Colorado.
Biographical / Historical:
David H. DeVorkin (1944- ) is a curator in the National Air and Space Museum's Space History Department. This collection of photographs was compiled by DeVorkin while researching for his 1992 book, 'Science with a Vengeance', which documents early rocket technology from the 1940s onwards. 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 requred 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, 1994-0056, 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
"Science with a Vengeance" - Rocket Book Permissions, 1991-1992
Container:
Box 1 of 2
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for research, Transferring office; 9/5/2007 Deed of Gift; Contact reference staff for details.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 15-179, David H. DeVorkin Papers