Richard H. Emmons (1919-2005), astronomer, engineer, and proponent of astronomy education, taught astronomy and physics at Kent State University and later worked as
an engineer for Goodyear Aerospace Corporation. He was well-known for the planetariums he established, over 23 in all. Emmons was also the team leader for the North Canton
Moonwatch Team. Moonwatch teams were established around the world by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Moonwatch Division, 1956-1975, to track and photograph artificial
satellites. This accession consists of records created and maintained by Emmons documenting his work as an astronomer and an engineer, his participation in Moonwatch, and
his research interests. Materials include correspondence and memoranda; theories, calculations, charts, graphs, and notes; images of astronomers, equipment, facilities, and
the sky; articles written and co-written by Emmons; newspaper clippings; professional society and astronomy club newsletters; and research and reference materials such as
journal articles, manuscripts, predictions, and technical documents. Some research and reference materials pre-date the date span of this accession, but would have been collected
during this time period.
Richard H. Emmons (1919-2005), astronomer, engineer, and proponent of astronomy education, taught astronomy and physics at Kent State University and later worked as
an engineer for Goodyear Aerospace Corporation. He was well-known for the planetariums he established, over 23 in all. Emmons was also the team leader for the North Canton
Moonwatch Team. Moonwatch teams were established around the world by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Moonwatch Division, 1956-1975, to track and photograph artificial
satellites. This accession consists of records created and maintained by Emmons documenting his work as an astronomer and an engineer, his participation in Moonwatch, and
his research interests. This accession also documents the creation and dissolution of both the Moonwatch program as well as the North Canton Moonwatch Team. Materials include
correspondence, reports, clippings, articles, fact sheets, photographs, lecture notes, announcements, newsletters, calculations, notes, and related materials as well as an
autobiography of H. H. Emmons with a postscript written by his son, Richard H. Emmons.
This accession consists of records created and maintained by Simons documenting his participation on the Moonwatch Team and the local publicity he received. Materials
include a report on the Team's work, clippings, instructions for tracking satellites, tracking data, and audio recordings of satellites.
Historical Note:
Keneth A. Simons (March 10, 1913-June 14, 2004), ham radio operator and cable television and radio engineer worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories and later was a founding
employee of Jerrold Electronics Corporation. In 1957, he became involved in the Bryn Athyn Moonwatch Team as a radio engineer. Moonwatch teams were established around the
world by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Moonwatch Division, 1956-1975, to track and photograph artificial satellites. The Bryn Athyn Moonwatch Team was relatively
unique in that it combined the use of radios and telescopes to track satellites. Simons was primarily involved in Doppler tracking the Sputnik satellites.
