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
Fox, A. H., Dr. (General Electric, Project Hermes) Search this
Extent:
97 Frames
Container:
Reel 4, Item 23
Type:
Archival materials
Microform
Frames
Date:
May 1946 (General Electric translation)
January 1946 (Bell translation)
Scope and Contents:
Two reports translated from Dr. Kurzweg, "Die Aerodynamische Entwicklung der Flakrakete Wasserfall," WVA report, March 15, 1945. Archiv 66/171.
General Electric (Hermes Project) report 71378, May 1946, for U. S. Army Ordnance. Translated by Dr. A. H. Fox.
Bell Aircraft Corp report, January 1946. Translated by H. C. Skappel.
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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
Collection Citation:
Captured German Aeronautical Documents (CGD) Microfilm, Acc. XXXX.0408, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Generala Electric Co (Hermes Project) translation for U. S. Army Ordnance, April 1946. Translated by Dr. H. H. Fox.
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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
Collection Citation:
Captured German Aeronautical Documents (CGD) Microfilm, Acc. XXXX.0408, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Project Hermes Dept, General Electric Co data folder 71363, October 1945. Translated by A. H. Fox from R. Prochazka, Möonsmühl.
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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
Collection Citation:
Captured German Aeronautical Documents (CGD) Microfilm, Acc. XXXX.0408, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
United States. Army. Ordnance Department Search this
Extent:
16 Frames
Container:
Reel 14, Item 15
Type:
Archival materials
Microform
Frames
Date:
July 1946
Documents:
General Electric (Project Hermes) data folder 71385, July 1946, for Ordnance Dept, U. S. Army. Translated by Dr. A. H. Fox.
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection 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
Collection Citation:
Captured German Aeronautical Documents (CGD) Microfilm, Acc. XXXX.0408, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
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
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Container:
Drawer OV, Folder 002310-01
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents note:
Documents
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Thiokol TX-140 (The Thing, Project Hermes) Solid-Fuel Motor
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Container:
Drawer B7, Folder 820150-01
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents note:
Documents
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
Thiokol TX-140 (The Thing, Project Hermes) Solid-Fuel Motor
Collection Creator:
National Air and Space Museum. Archives Division. Search this
Container:
Drawer B7, Folder 820150-20
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents note:
Photos
Collection Restrictions:
The majority of the Archives Department's public reference requests can be answered using material in these files, which may be accessed through the Reading Room at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. More specific information can be requested by contacting the Archives Research Request.
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)
