Sheldon, Charles Stuart, II, 1917-1981 Search this
Names:
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service Search this
National Aeronautics and Space Council (U.S.) Search this
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Astronautics Search this
United States. Congress. House. Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration Search this
United States. Congress. Joint Economic Committee Search this
Sheldon, Charles Stuart, II, 1917-1981 Search this
Extent:
13.08 Cubic feet ((12 records center boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Notes
Publications
Photographs
Drawings
Manuscripts
Correspondence
Place:
Outer space -- Exploration -- Soviet Union
Outer space -- Exploration -- United States
Date:
1934-1980
bulk 1958-1972
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists mainly of Sheldon's research correspondence files from his tenure at CRS and NASC. The collection also reflects his activities as Staff Economist for the Joint Economics Committee (1955-57), Assistant Director, House Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration (1958), and Technical Director, House Committee on Science and Astronautics (1959-61). The bulk of the material consists of papers and notes regarding U.S. and Soviet space programs (both manned and unmanned) in connection with various papers and speeches prepared by Dr. Sheldon, including original drawings of Soviet spacecraft, various photos of U.S. and Soviet craft, articles, and papers touching on various aerospace subjects, as well as notes of lectures given by Dr. Sheldon, and copies (both rough-draft and final) of speeches given by him in the 1960s.
Biographical / Historical:
Dr. Charles Stuart Sheldon II (1917-1981) was an economist, author, and advisor to Congress and the President on aerospace matters. Sheldon graduated from the University of Washington (BA, 1936; MA, 1938) and Harvard University (AM, 1939; Ph.D., 1942) and worked in several transportation and economics-related positions before World War II. During and after the war he served in the United States Navy (1943-1952) before transferring to the Naval Reserve. He spent several several years on the staff of the University of Washington Departments of Transportation (1940-48), including three years as Director (1946-48), and Economics (1949-55), before joining the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress (CRS) as Senior Specialist, Transportation and Communications (1955-58). At the same time he served as director of several congressional committees relating to astronautics. He joined the professional staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Council (1961-66), which advised the President on aerospace matters, before returning to CRS (1966-81).
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
C.S. Sheldon II, Gift, 1984, XXXX-0141, 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
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Search this
Extent:
0.36 Cubic feet ((1 letter box))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Newsletters
Correspondence
Notes
Charts
Photographs
Motion pictures (visual works)
Reports
Drawings
Articles
Place:
Outer space -- Exploration -- United States
Date:
bulk 1959-1970
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of material chronicling the NACA/NASA career of Dennis Hasson, notably his work on Project Mercury, his work with a lenticular manned reentry vehicle for planned lunar missions; and his work with deep-space probes. The following type of material is included: Langley NASA newsletters; memos and correspondence; phone lists and organizational charts; newspaper articles; photographs; one 16 mm film of wind tunnel testing; reports; and drawings.
Biographical / Historical:
Dennis Hasson received his Mechanical Engineering BES from The John Hopkins University, his Aerospace Engineering MS from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and his Engineering Material Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. Hasson worked at NACA-NASA at Langley Research Center, as well as the Goddard Space Flight Center. Hasson's work started with experimental aerodynamic studies on advanced aircraft, such as the X-15 and Mach 3 transport. In March 1959, Hasson was assigned to the Aerodynamics Group at Langley Field. That group was responsible for the aerodynamic performance of the manned space vehicle in the earth's atmosphere. Hasson was responsible for the wind-tunnel program for the Mercury project and he and two coworkers received a patent for a manned reentry vehicle for planned lunar missions. In 1961, he became involved in advanced control thruster and power systems for deep-space probes, using advanced materials including fabricators and metallic, polymeric and ceramic materials. He is a Fellow of both ASM international and ASME Internal. He received the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, and was Pi Tau Sigma USNA Chapter Teacher of the Year. He is currently a Professor at the US Naval Academy in the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Provenance:
Dennis F. Hasson, Gift, 2004
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Horace E. Weihmiller (1902-1963) was a professional aerospace consultant and pilot. During the 1950's he was an active member of the American Astronautical Society (AAS), serving as Vice President, Chairman of the Nominating Committee, Chairman of the New York section, Chairman of the National Affairs Committee and a member of the Scientific Research Committee. This collection consists of correspondence, notes and reports dealing with Weihmiller's activities in the AAS from 1957 thru 1963. 1 cubic foot (3 boxes).
Scope and Content:
This collection consists of correspondence, notes and reports dealing with Weihmiller's activities in the AAS from 1957 thru 1963.
Arrangement:
The materials are arranged in chronological order.
Biographical/Historical note:
Horace E. Weihmiller (1902-1963) was a professional aerospace consultant and pilot. Following his graduation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BSE, 1925) he served briefly in the Army Air Corps (1926), receiving his wings at Brooks Field, Texas. He joined the Travel Air Corp and served as Chief Engineer from 1927 to 1928. Weihmiller then became the President and General Manager of the Corman Aircraft Company from 1928 to 1931. He later joined the Ford Motor Company, Airplane Division as an Aeronautical Engineer from 1931 to 1933. Weihmiller went on to work for the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation from 1933 to 1937 and Vice President from 1937 to 1943. In 1943 he formed a scientific and aircraft consulting service in Washington, D.C. and in 1945 was appointed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to survey the German aircraft industry, receiving the Patriotic Civilian Service Certificate, the Army's highest civilian award. Weihmiller acted as consultant to the Air Policy Commission under President Truman and as administrative assistant to the Director of Science Research at Republic Aviation Corporation. During the 1950's he was an active member of the American Astronautical Society (AAS), serving as Vice President, Chairman of the Nominating Committee, Chairman of the New York section, Chairman of the National Affairs Committee and a member of the Scientific Research Committee.
This collection contains the following: documentation pertaining to the production and endurance test results of the J-1 Engine; engineering data for the Model Z-5 and the Model B engine; five engineering drawings for various parts; photographs;correspondence; price listings; lists of engines by serial number; service notes; calculations; and an obituary on C.L. Lawrance.
Biographical / Historical:
Lawrance Engines was established by Charles L. Lawrance in the late 1910s. Lawrance built the first air cooled radial engine, which evolved into the 200 horse power Wright Whirlwind engine. In 1924, Lawrance merged with the Wright Aeronautical Corporation. After serving as president of the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and vice president of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, he founded the Lawrance Engineering and Research Corporation in Linden, New Jersey (1930). Lawrance engines are associated with the aircraft flown by Charles Lindbergh, Rear Admiral Byrd and Amelia Earhart.
Provenance:
Joseph Worth, gift, 1972, XXXX-0579
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
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
This donation includes the following: eighteen diaries of Sellers, 1899-1903 and 1907-1909; his laboratory daybook in which he wrote many of the details of his aeronautical work; Sellers' personal correspondence, 1899-1917; photographs, including images of Sellers quadruplane hang gliders, wind tunnels, and biplane; photographs by Sellers of the Wright Model A at the 1909 Fort Myer Military Trials; miscellaneous reports; and family papers.
Biographical / Historical:
Matthew Bacon Sellers II (1869 - 1932) received a LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1893 and during 1893-94 studied chemistry, physics, and mechanical arts from the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard University, and Drexel Institute. From childhood, Sellers exhibited an interest in artificial flight, making his own kites, hot-air and hydrogen balloons, and various kinds of 'mechanical birds.' In 1903 Sellers began to direct his full attention to aeronautical research and invention. From 1903 to 1925, Sellers was involved with building gliders, aircraft and wind tunnels to accurately measure lift and drag of various airfoil curves. Sellers made his first powered hop in 1908 and among the mechanical innovations that he received patents on was an undercarriage design featuring retractable wheels. He was considered a leading authority on aerodynamics and was appointed to several boards, including the Aerodynamic Laboratory Commission, and the Naval Consulting Board as an expert on aviation and related matters. Sellers was also the technical editor of 'Aeronautics' and authored 30 articles on aerodynamics.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
John Clark Sellers and Matthew Bacon Sellers III, Gift, 1986, 1986-0050, 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
The supercritical wing concept was developed by Dr. Richard T. Whitcomb of the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Whitcomb's airfoil was designed to delay formation of shock waves at high speeds.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains documents gathered from Langley Research Center on the development of the supercritical wing concept and the F-8 test bed program. The material primarily consists of notes and reports covering the wind tunnel development, flight testing, and evaluation of the concept. The collection also includes general and press information about the program.
Series and Subseries Organization:
The NASA F-8 Supercritical Wing Collection is divided into four series:
Series 1 - Background Information
The Background Information Series contains publicity material, articles, general information, and technical reports. The technical reports are then arranged chronologically.
Series 2 - Wind Tunnel Testing
Test reports of the Wind Tunnel Testing Series are arranged numerically, and reports are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Series 3 - Development and Flight Testing
The Development and Flight Testing Series begins with work statements and requests for proposal (RFP) information. These are followed by notes arranged in chronological order. Developmental technical reports are in alphabetical order by folder title. The flight test reports are arranged chronologically. These reports are then followed by photographs.
Series 4 - Evaluation of the Supercritical Wing
Evaluation reports on the Supercritical Wing Series are in chronological order
Biographical Note:
Richard T. Whitcomb (1921- ) was born in Evanston, Illinois. His family later moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, where Whitcomb attended public schools. He received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1943. Following graduation he accepted a position with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, the forerunner of NASA) at Langley Laboratories, Virginia. Whitcomb devoted much of his career to research in the problems of supersonic flight.
In the early 1950s Whitcomb discovered the transonic area rule concept. This rule amounts to a sensitive balance of fuselage and wing volume, which minimizes drag at transonic speeds. This concept was applied to post World War II fighters and resulted in operational military aircraft capable of supersonic flight.
Whitcomb earned international acclaim through his accomplishments with the area rule concept and the supercritical wing. Until his retirement from NASA he worked on aircraft energy efficiency and new winglet configurations.
Historical Note:
The supercritical wing concept was developed by Dr. Richard T. Whitcomb of the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Whitcomb's airfoil was designed to delay formation of shock waves at high speeds.
In comparison with conventional wing cross sections, the supercritical wing was flattened on top, delaying the formation of shock waves and moving them further aft along the wing to increase total wing efficiency. To compensate for the lift lost with the flattened wing top, the rear lower surface was shaped with a deeper, more concave curve. The Mach number (the speed of the aircraft calculated as a percentage of the speed of sound) at which the relative airflow reaches the speed of sound at some point on the airframe is called the critical Mach number. Below the critical Mach number the flow is said to be subcritical, and above the critical Mach number it is called supercritical. The initial wind tunnel tests of the supercritical wing indicated that the new airfoil shape could allow highly efficient flight near the speed of sound of approximately 660 mph at cruising altitudes.
Initial designs for the supercritical wing were produced in 1964. The development of the supercritical airfoils included three phases: slotted (1964-1966); integral (1967); and thickened trailing edge integral (1968-1969). Flight testing of the supercritical wing began in 1971 and ended in December 1972. A Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) F-8 aircraft modified with the supercritical wing was used in these tests, making its first flight on 25 March 1955. The LTV F-8 was a single place land or carrier based supersonic aircraft equipped with radar to provide an all-weather capability. Its most unusual feature was the hydraulically operated variable incidence wing.
The blunt leading edge of the supercritical wing led to better takeoff, landing, and maneuvering characteristics. Subsonic transports, business jets, STOL (short takeoff and landing) aircraft, and remotely piloted vehicles made use of the supercritical wing technology, using less fuel and flying more efficiently than aircraft with conventional wings.
The F-8 Supercritical Wing Collection was received by the National Air and Space Museum in July 1984 from NASA's Langley Research Center. The collection was assembled originally by Dennis W. Bartlett Richard Whitcomb's colleague at Langley's 8-Foot Transonic Dynamics Tunnel. The material in the collection came from the offices and warehouses of the tunnel facility.
0.75 Cubic feet ((1 flatbox and one cassette tape box))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Audiotapes
Newsletters
Clippings
Notes
Correspondence
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Date:
1927-1937
Summary:
This collection consists of a scrapbook, photographs, correspondence, interviews, and newspaper articles relating to National Air Transport (NAT).
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of the following material: NAT scrapbook which includes 110 photographs of NAT pilots, aircraft used by NAT and the service overhaul shop; correspondence and notes by or about Walter J. Addems, E.B. Gray Egbert P. Lott, C.T. Robertson, R.T. Hopkins, and Beebe Daniels; miscellaneous material on Stout Air Services, BAT and NAT; photographs of Stout stewards; tapes of interviews with Harry Bitterman, Egbert P. Lott, and E. Brown Gray; photocopies of newspaper articles on aircraft crashes; copy of a 1933 weather report; photographs of United; and the NAT 1933 newsletter, 'Flypaper'.
Arrangement:
Arrangement by type.
Biographical / Historical:
National Air Transport (NAT), Boeing Air Transport (BAT), and Stout Air Services were three early airmail carriers. NAT was formed in 1925 by Clement Keys, and in 1927 won the bid for the New York to Chicago Airmail route. BAT received the Chicago to San Francisco route in 1927, and also carried passengers. Stout Air Service was formed in 1925 and carried mail and passengers from Detroit to Cleveland. These three companies were all predecessors of United Air Lines, which was formed in 1929.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Joseph D. Hutchinson, Gift, 1990, NASM.1991.0024, 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 <extref xlink:href="http://airandspace.si.edu/permissions"
Topic:
Aeronautics, Commercial -- Passenger traffic Search this
This collection consists of copies of 107 color slides taken by Col. Schirmer at Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona, circa 1946-1947. The collection also includes a copy of lecture notes for a slide presentation given by Col. Schirmer in 1981 entitled, "4105th Army Air Force Base Unit (Aircraft Storage) Davis-Monthan Field Arizona 1946-1947 and a Glimpse into the Past of MASDC and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base." (MASDC, the U. S. Air Force's Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center, is now known as the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center, or AMARC.) Many of the slides referenced in the lecture notes do not appear in this collection. The color slides depict predominantly B-29 aircraft of the 58th Bomb Wing (58BW) and its component units (40BG, 444BG, 462BG, and 468BG), but several B-29s of the 73BW, 313BW, and 314BW are also seen. Also included are 19 slides of C-47 aircraft, and a group of about a dozen slides that detail the cocooning process. Most photographs are close-up views which show aircraft nose art, nicknames, unit insignia, mission marks, and victory marks. A few historic aircraft are also pictured: the Boeing B-29 "The Great Artiste", the record-setting Boeing YB-29J "PacusanDreamBoat", the Boeing XB-19, and the Consolidated C-87 used during WWII by Wendell Wilkie. There is one slide that shows Lt. Col. Schirmer.
Biographical / Historical:
At the end of World War II, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (then Davis-Monthan Field) outside of Tucson, Arizona, was selected by the U. S. Army Air Forces as a storage site for hundreds of decommissioned aircraft, particularly excess Boeing B-29 Superfortresses and Douglas C-47 Skytrains. The C-47s began to arrive at the field in January 1946, and in September 1946, Lt. Colonel R. Frank Schirmer took command of the newly formed 4105th AAFBU (Acft. Stg.) [Army Air Forces Base Unit (Aircraft Storage)]. By 1947 a large number of B-29s had arrived at the field, and the 4105th began a preservation project to cocoon (or "mothball") a group of 479 B-29s. The cocooning process consisted of covering the aircraft with four layers of heavy sprayed-on plastic in four colors: yellow, red, black, and silver-the final coat was of heat-reflecting aluminum.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Tom Britton, gift, 1999, 2000-0021, 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
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Search this
Extent:
2.18 Cubic feet ((2 records center boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Correspondence
Notes
Drawings
Date:
1959
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains data on the Big Joe capsule and its operation. The material includes blueprints of the thermocouple, telemetry, cooling, instrument, intercom, and other systems. It also contains notes and information on operations, afterbody assembly, personnel assignments, and safety measures, as well as other aspects of the work performed with the capsule during the Big Joe project.
Biographical / Historical:
Soon after the organization of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in October 1959, that agency selected Project Mercury as the first United States manned space program. The project was planned to launch a single man into Earth orbit and return him to Earth. Before launching a manned flight NASA planned a series of unmanned launches with the Mercury spacecraft/launch vehicle combinations to insure the success of later manned flights. The first successful launch of an instrumented Mercury boiler plate capsule, dubbed 'Big Joe' occurred on 9 September 1959 on an Atlas-10D booster from Cape Canaveral. The capsule reached an altitude of 161km (100 miles)e successfully reentering the atmosphere.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
A. Martin Eibrand, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, Gift, unknown, XXXX-0189, 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 material contains what appears to be a small group of the research gathered for this project, including photographs, articles, correspondence and research notes on the following oil companies: Standard Oil of New Jersey; Humble Oil and Refining Company; Andian National Pipeline; Esso/Exxon; Imperial Oil Limited; Standard Oil of Louisiana; California Arab Standard Oil/ARAMCO; and Mobile Oil.
Biographical / Historical:
"Project Oilwings" was a research project sponsored by the American Aviation Historical Society (AAHS) to compile a history of all aircraft used by domestic gasoline and petroleum companies prior to World War II. The project was to have been a compilation of photographs, drawings, usages and dispositions of oil company aircraft, as well as of personnel, personal anecdotes, and corporate history within the years 1919-1941. The project was then to present this material in manuscript form. Announced in the fall of 1965, "Project Oilwings" was headed by project leader, David R. Winans.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Larry Moore, gift, 2000, 2000-0013, 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 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
Singer, S. Fred (Siegfried Fred), 1924- Search this
Extent:
54.5 Cubic feet ((50 records center boxes))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Publications
Photographs
Drawings
Financial records
Notes
Correspondence
Place:
Outer space -- Exploration -- United States
Outer space -- Exploration
Date:
1953-1989
bulk 1960-1980
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of Singer's personal papers. The material consists of correspondence and research files, as well as financial records. The collection covers Singer's career beginning with his tenure at Maryland and continued through his retirement in 1989.
Biographical / Historical:
Dr. Siegfried Fred Singer (1924- ) is a professor, physicist, and administrator. Singer emigrated to the United States from Vienna in 1940 (naturalized 1944) and attended Ohio State University (BEE 1943; D.Sc. (honorary) 1970) and Princeton (AM 1944, Ph.D. (physics) 1948). He taught briefly as a doctoral candidate at Princeton (1943-44) before joining the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as a physicist (1946-50). He acted as the Office of Naval Research Scientific Liaison Officer at the US Embassy in London (1950-53), then joined the faculty of the University of Maryland (assoc. professor, physics 1953-59; professor 1959-62). He continued to alternate between public and academic positions, working at the National Weather Satellite Center, Department of Commerce (Director, 1962-64); School of Environmental and Planetary Science, University of Miami (Dean, 1964-67); Department of the Interior (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water Quality and Research, 1967-70); University of Virginia (Professor, Environmental Science, 1971-87); and the Department of Transportation (Chief Scientist, 1987-89). Singer authored a number of papers and articles on astrophysics, space exploration, and environmental issues and was involved in formulating public policies on these topics.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
S. Fred Singer, gift, 1989, 1989-0130, 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
1.54 Cubic feet ((1 legal document box) (1 records center box))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Notes
Reports
Financial records
Photographs
Date:
1963-1970
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of material documenting the development of the Stratoscope II. Included are the following types of material: photographs, financial reports, annual reports, test notes, minutes from internal meetings, correspondence, test plans, flight procedures and tests, record books, slides, and flight schedules.
Biographical / Historical:
The Stratoscope II was a giant .09 meter infrared telescope that was originally designed in the early 1960s for direct imaging but was first applied to infrared spectroscopy of planets and galaxies. The Stratoscope II was a balloon-borne telescope; the balloon was unmanned and the working of the telescope was radio-controlled from the ground while the telescope's pointing and focus were monitored by television.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
John Dearden/Johns Hopkins University, gfit, 1993, 1993-0069, 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
United States Women in Aviation 1940-1985, by Deborah G. Douglas, was published in 1991 as part of the Smithsonian Institution Press series on women in the aviation industry. This collection consists of a variety of different types of material compiled during the author's research for the book.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a variety of different types of material compiled during the author's research for the book. Included are: various types of correspondence; photographs; newspapers and other publications; photocopies of book chapters and magazine and newspaper articles; working notes belonging to the author; reports (official and personal); interview transcripts; and approximately 600 bibliographic note cards. Also included are 10 cassettes containing interviews with the following aviators: Ann Carl, Toby Felker, Nancy Fitzroy, Margaret Hoffman, Jean Ross Howard, Lt. Beth Hubert, Lt. Col. Yvonne C. Pateman, Janet Rassmussen, Lynn Rippelmeyer, and Mary F. Silitch.
Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects. In addition, images of some material in the collection have been excluded from online display due to possible copyright restrictions.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged by topic/subject.
Biographical / Historical:
United States Women in Aviation 1940-1985, by Deborah G. Douglas, was published in 1991 as part of the Smithsonian Institution Press series on women in the aviation industry. The publication documents the stories of women involved in all aspects of aviation during this time period, from pilots and engineers, to aircraft industry personnel and flight attendants.
Provenance:
Deborah G. Douglas, Gift, 1995, NASM.1995.0062
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
