Finding Aid to the William R. Pogue Papers, 1939-2011

Home , Gerald Carr (astronaut), William Pogue

FINDING AID TO THE WILLIAM R. POGUE PAPERS, 1939-2011

Purdue University Libraries Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center 504 West State Street West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2058 (765) 494-2839

http://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol

Creator Information Pogue, William R., 1930-2014

Title William R. Pogue papers

Collection Identifier MSP 208

Date Span 1939-2011; predominant, 1963-1994

Abstract Papers documenting aspects of William (Bill) R. Pogue’s career as an astronaut. There are a few items related to nuclear energy, including a copy of a signed letter from Albert Einstein to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in regards to research on the atomic bomb, dated August 2, 1939.

Extent 0.30 cubic feet (1 mss box and 1 folder)

Finding Aid Author Mary A. Sego, 2016

Languages English

Repository Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries

Administrative Information

Location Information: ASC-R

Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Donated by William R. Pogue, September 27, 2013. Information:

Accession Number: 20130927; 20140516

Preferred Citation: MSP 208, William R. Pogue papers, Karnes Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries

Related Materials William Pogue official website: Information: http://www.williampogue.com/

The Manhattan Project: an interactive history, U.S. Department of Energy – Office of History and Heritage Resources:

9/27/2016 2 https://www.osti.gov/opennet/manhattan-project- history/Events/1939-1942/einstein_letter.htm

9/27/2016 3 Subjects and Genres

Persons Pogue, William R., 1930-2014

Organizations NASA United States Air Force Flights Archives at Purdue University

Topics Astronauts Skylab Program Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Form and Genre Types Autobiography Correspondence DVDs Trading cards

Occupations Astronaut

9/27/2016 4 Biography of William R. Pogue

William Reid Pogue was born in Okemah, Oklahoma. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1951, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and saw combat duty during the Korean conflict before spending two years as an aerobatic pilot with the United States Air Force’s precision flying team, the Thunderbirds.

Pogue earned a master’s degree in mathematics from Oklahoma State University in 1960, and subsequently taught this subject for three years as an assistant professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Under the USAF/RAF Exchange Program, he went to England, graduated from the Empire Test Pilot’s School in Farnborough and then spent two years as a test pilot with the British Ministry of Aviation.

He returned to the United States with the rank of Air Force Colonel and became an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School, located at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In April of 1966, he was among 19 new astronauts selected by NASA.

Had the Apollo Program not been cancelled, Pogue would have flown to the Moon as Command Module Pilot of Apollo 19. He served on the support crews for Apollo 7, 11, and 14 but missed out on his own lunar excursion when all the Apollo missions after Apollo 17 were cancelled. Instead he and fellow Apollo 19 designee Gerald P. Carr were assigned to fly to Skylab, also known as Apollo Applications Program, America’s first space station, consisting of a modified S-IVB rocket stage.

Pogue was selected as the pilot for Skylab 4, the third and final crewed mission, along with Gerald Carr (commander) and Edward G. Gibson (science-pilot). Launched on November 16, 1973, by a Saturn IB rocket, the three men went on to conduct the longest manned flight up to that point, a total of just over 84 days, before returning to Earth on February 8, 1974. Pogue and his colleagues carried out some 56 experiments plus a number of other science demonstrations and student investigations during their 1,214 orbits of our planet. They also extensively observed the sun using the Apollo Telescope Mount, and collected data using the station’s Earth resources camera and sensor array. Pogue was personally involved in two spacewalks outside of Skylab, during which he logged 13 hours 31 minutes of EVA time; one of these, with Carr, lasted seven hours, setting a record at that time.

On September 1, 1975, Pogue retired from NASA. He also retired from the United States Air Force that same year, having logged 7,200 hours in flight, including 4,200 hours flying jet aircraft. After NASA he became self-employed as an aerospace consultant, an independent technical contractor for several aerospace and energy firms, producer of videos on space flight and an author.

9/27/2016 5 In addition to consulting for the Department of Energy and the Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Pogue served as an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas and conducted technical work for Martin Marietta Corp. (now Lockheed Martin) in support of the space systems division of Air Force Systems Command. From 1984 to 1998, Pogue furnished technical support to Boeing, helping to develop Space Station Freedom, which in 1992 evolved into the International Space Station. In this role, he evaluated mock-ups, familiarized workers with the effects of microgravity on crews and equipment, and served as a liaison with NASA Johnson Space Center for spacewalks to assemble the space station.

Pogue wrote five books, including his autobiography, "But for the Grace of God," 2011, "How Do You Go to the Bathroom in Space," 2011, "Astronaut Primer" in 1985 and "Space Trivia" in 2003. Together with science fiction author Ben Bova, Pogue wrote "The Trikon Deception," his only novel, in 1992.

Pogue was awarded NASA and Air Force service medals, among other honors. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame in 1980 and in October 1997 he was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame.

William Reid Pogue died on March 3, 2014 at his home in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Source(s):

Space.com, Skylab Astronaut William Pogue Dies at 84, by Robert Z. Pearlman, March 5, 2014, retrieved September 19, 2016: http://www.space.com/24929-skylab- astronaut-william-pogue-dies-at-84.html

NASA biographical data, retrieved September 19, 2016: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/pogue-wr.html

9/27/2016 6 Collection Description

Scope

The William R. Pogue papers (1939-2011; 0.30 cubic feet) document aspects of William (Bill) R. Pogue’s career as an astronaut. The papers include Pogue’s autobiography, a DVD by Pogue; “We're go for launch to zero-g: a DVD video all about: living in space.” The DVD features astronauts from 1961 to 1994, as they live, work, and cope in the zero gravity of space flight.

Also included is a copy of a signed letter from Albert Einstein to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in regards to research on the atomic bomb. The letter is dated August 2, 1939. Other items include two copies of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, one with an Albert Einstein, first day of issue postage stamp, dated March 14, 1966; two copies of the “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies,” one is stamped with a Kennedy Space Center postmark (September 29, 1967) and includes a first day of issue stamp; and lastly, a program from the Skylab Honor Awards Ceremony, April 19, 1974.

Types of materials include: an autobiography, copies of treaties, correspondence, a DVD, first day covers (philately), a program and Pogue’s astronaut trading cards.

Descriptive Rules Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Processing Information All materials have been housed in acid-free folders, and acid-free boxes. The signed letter from Albert Einstein to Franklin D. Roosevelt has been sleeved. Oversized items have been separated out for preservation purposes and are in an acid-free folder.

9/27/2016 7 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

1 Box DVD, Trading Cards, and Autobiography, 1994-2011

Folder 1. DVD, “We're go for launch to zero-g: a DVD video all about: living in space,” by William R. Pogue (narrator and host). (1994). Bella Vista, AR: BeeJay Productions. (includes 2 sets of wrapped Pogue astronaut trading cards, DVD signed by Pogue) 2. “But for the grace of God: An autobiography of an aviator and astronaut,” by William R. (Bill) Pogue. (2011). Rogers, AR: Soar with Eagles. (signed and inscribed by Pogue)

OS Folder Einstein Letter, Copies of Treaties and Program, 1939-1974

Item 1. Copy of a signed letter from Albert Einstein to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in regards to research on the atomic bomb, dated August 2, 1939. (includes a first day cover Einstein stamp from 1966) 2. Two copies of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, one with an Albert Einstein, first day of issue postage stamp, March 14, 1966 3. Two copies of the “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies,” one is stamped with a Kennedy Space Center postmark, September 29, 1967 and includes a first day of issue stamp 4. Program, Skylab Honor Awards Ceremony, April 19, 1974

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