JSC History Collection


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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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Are You in the Archives?

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

Archive Search Index
Archive Search Index User Guide


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