JSC
History Collection - Descriptions
The
JSC History Collection is divided into program series including
Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP),
Shuttle and Space Station. Aside from the program series, there
is a series of non-program specific documents that relate to
Center activities such as the development of space suits, management
activities, test & simulation facilities and activities,
training information, mission control and much more. There is
also an Oral History series containing interviews with a great
number of people responsible for JSC's human space flight activities
over the years. Each series of documents in the collection are
briefly described below.
| Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
Oral History Series
This series contains information ranging from the Mercury program
through the Shuttle and Space Station programs and consists
of audio and/or transcribed data covering NASA's human space
flight program. The largest part of the series consists of the
JSC Oral History
Project interviews. These general interviews cover each
interviewee's career with NASA.
The Oral
History series also contains a group of interviews pertaining
to the history of the Shuttle-Mir
Program (Phase 1 International Space Station) . Other interviews
include those conducted by historians in the process of writing
JSC publications. A small portion of the series includes radio
broadcasts, crew debriefings, air to ground data from selected
missions, interviews done by organizations other than JSC and
proceedings of anniversaries, symposia and meetings. Oral history
items are indexed on the History
database by interview, rather than by item. Each citation
will include, in the comment field, information about the different
formats available for that interview.
|
Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
Center History Series
This series chronicles the activities of the Johnson Space Center
from its inception, crosses program lines and looks at administrative
and engineering aspects of the Center. Documents range from
the mid-1950s through the early 1990s.
This series
is searchable via the Archive
database where every folder title can be accessed. Some
of the Christopher C. Kraft Reading Files are also indexed on
the History database
to the item level.
|
Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
General Reference Series
The General Reference series is a collection of quick reference
materials, journal articles, news clippings, brochures, photographs,
internal JSC management instructions, announcements and center
newspaper (The Roundup).
The material ranges from the 1960s to the 1990s. Of note in
this collection are biographical files for astronauts and upper
management. There are also a number of papers on various manned
space related subjects written by NASA or NASA affiliated personnel.
This series is searchable by folder title on the Archive
database.
|
Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
Mercury Series
Mercury was the first US manned space flight project. This series
consists of the source files used by historians to write the
Mercury chronology as well as the history This
New Ocean. It is the oldest of the history series.
The Mercury
series consists of chronological files, flight related documents,
meeting minutes, status reports, and contractor reports, familiarization
manuals, photographs and working papers. The documents in this
series range from 1952 through 1968.
This collection
is not searchable via the NASA JSC History or Archive databases,
but is currently housed in the National Archives
and Records Administration, Fort Worth Regional Archive. The
accession number is A-20-62-1. To access these documents, contact
the Fort Worth Facility.
|
Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
Gemini Series
JSC historians writing the Gemini Program chronology and history
collected the files in the Gemini series. They consist of correspondence,
meeting minutes, reports and mission related documents which
include air to ground transcripts of mission activities. The
collection contains material ranging in date from 1958-1974.
This collection
is not searchable via the NASA JSC History or Archive databases,
but is currently housed in the National Archives
and Records Administration, Fort Worth Regional Archive. The
accession number is A-20-64-3. To access these documents, contact
the Fort Worth Facility.
|
Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
Apollo Series
Documents were collected from various sources at JSC, contractors
and other NASA Centers. The historians gathered them as they
contacted individuals in the course of researching their books.
Therefore, the documents collected relate directly to the work
at hand. Items in this series include correspondence, reports,
mission transcripts, press kits, presentation charts and more.
All documents in the Apollo collection are searchable at the
item level in the History
database, making this the most accessible of the series.
In 2011, large portions of the Apollo series were scanned
into PDF files by JSC. These electronic files are available
via reference request by contacting the archivist
at UHCL or the JSC History
Office. The paper copies of these documents are now located
at the National Archives and Records Administration,
Fort Worth Regional Archives.
|
Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
Skylab Series
The Skylab series consists of correspondence, post Apollo planning
documents, requirements documents, mission plans, spacecraft
configuration documents, stowage lists, technical summaries,
management and design review data, Skylab systems information,
air to ground transcripts and mission reports, as well as Skylab
experience reports. Documents cover not only the Skylab program
but also its predecessors the Apollo Extension System (AES)
and the Apollo Applications Program (AAP).
Traditional
archival guides for the Skylab collection are searchable by
folder title in the Archive
database. The Skylab chronological files are indexed to
the item level and available in the History
database.
In 2011,
large portions of the Skylab series were scanned into
PDF files by JSC. These electronic files are available
via reference request by contacting the archivist
at UHCL or the JSC History
Office. The paper copies of these documents are now located
at the National Archives and Records Administration,
Fort Worth Regional Archives.
|
Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
ASTP Series
Historians gathered research for the ASTP history book, The
Partnership: A History of the Apollo Soyuz Test Project,
and created source files which became the ASTP series in the
JSC History collection.
ASTP was a cooperative project between the United States and
the former USSR. The collection includes information on Soviet
programs and authors, news clippings, public affairs data as
well as the chronological files from the program offices and
the working group documentation. There is also flight-related
data including flight transcripts and mission reports.
Traditional archival guides for the collection are searchable
by folder title in the Archive
database. The ASTP chronological files are indexed to the
item level and available in the History
database.
In 2011, large portions of the ASTP series were scanned
into PDF files by JSC. These electronic files are available
via reference request by contacting the archivist
at UHCL or the JSC History
Office. The paper copies of these documents are now located
at the National Archives and Records Administration,
Fort Worth Regional Archives.
|
Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
Shuttle Series
The Shuttle Program began in the late 1960s and was designed
to be a reusable spacecraft. contract to build the fleet of
orbiters for NASA. Most
of the Shuttle collection consists of copies of documents received
from various sources and covering the design and development
of the orbiter vehicles. Most of the collection was built and
organized during 1982-1986 when Rice University had a contract
to write a shuttle chronology. Many documents were received
on distribution (correspondence, weekly activity reports and
some JSC documents) while others were collected by historians
to build the source files on which the four-volume chronology
was based. A number of interviews have been moved to the Oral
History collection.
The bulk
of the collection is dated from the late 1960's through the
late 1970's. However documents from as early as the 1950's but
only as late as the late 1980's exist in the collection.
The Shuttle
series is divided into about sixty different subseries. Chronological
files consist of correspondence and reports (meeting minutes,
trip reports, etc.). The balance of the collection consists
of subseries organized either by subject (Aerodynamic Design
Data Books, Cost Documents, Flight Planning Documents, Mission
Documents, etc.) or by source (Air Force Reports, Boeing Documents,
Craig Papers, Lunney Documents, etc.).
The Shuttle
Chronological files through the end of 1979 are searchable by
item description on the History
Database. The balance of the series can be searched by folder
title in the Archive database.
|
Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
Space Station Series
The early space station files (1952-1984) were collected by
and/or given to the JSC History Office over twenty-one years
from offices overseeing specific space station studies such
as the Advance Spacecraft Technology Division or various short-lived
space station offices. Many of the documents for Space Station
Freedom were received on standard distribution.
Documents
contain information on early space station studies including
information on Space Station Freedom, predecessor to the International
Space Station. There is a small amount of information on the
International Space Station, most dated from 1994 and the mid-1990s.
This series has no item level data entry in the History
database. All of the information on the current holdings
can be found in the Archive
database.
|
Oral History | Center
History | General Reference
| Mercury | Gemini
|
| Apollo | Skylab |
ASTP | Space Shuttle
| Space Station |
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JSC
History Collection - Background
Information
regarding the JSC materials housed at the National Archives and
Records Administration
Information
on accessing the materials in the JSC History Collection
History
Search Index
History Search Index User Guide
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