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AAS Explorer Issue #8 lookingback: Mexico City | 15 AMERICAN ASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETY Newsletter of the AAS History Committee | www.astronautical.org | Editor: Tim Chamberlin ([email protected]) Anxiously awaiting results INSIDE from Augustine Commission he Lovin’ Spoonful probably JULY 2009 | ISSUE 8 had it right in 1966 — “Hot T town, summer in the city!” Many of us who work in the space industry are anxiously awaiting the results of the Augustine Commission (part deux). I can’t help By Michael L. Ciancone, Chair, AAS History Committee but reflect on the various commis- sions of which NASA has been the (program startups) and graduations subject over the past few decades, as (launches!) as signs of a healthy and RELIVE HISTORIC discussed in several articles circulat- vital spaceflight program. APOLLO MISSION ing in cyberspace. Reports of individual HistComm These commissions offered member activities, plans and accom- ® Web sites mark historic lunar landing 40 years ago / 2 recommendations that met with vary- plishments are provided in this ing degrees of acceptance and imple- newsletter. As you can see, we’ve ® NASA seeking ideas from public mentation. In the immortal words of been a busy and productive lot! about Wernher Yogi Berra, “It’s like déjà vu all over Although it seems like a long way von Braun again.” off yet, the AAS Annual Conference collection / 3 I’ve noticed that along with and National Meeting is just around ® On book- announcements for space-related the corner — scheduled for Dec. 2-3 shelves: Is space a ‘wild west’ or global anniversaries are a number of obitu- at the Gilruth Center at Johnson commons? / 4 aries saluting folks who left their Space Center in Houston. This will ® Review of graphic novel mark on spaceflight. Although be a new venue for the society. As ‘Laika’ / 5 anniversaries and obituaries are both usual, the History Committee will ® Call for papers / 6 inevitable indications of an aging (I convene for its annual meeting in ® Calendar / 7 think the more polite term is “matur- conjunction with the AAS conference ® AAS History Series: Volume 30 ing”) space program, I look forward – details TBD. now on sale / 10 to celebrating a few more births Stay cool! ® Member activities / 12 ® Obituaries / 16 Mankind is drawn to the heavens for the same reason we were once drawn into unknown lands and across the open sea. We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives, and lifts our national spirit. So let us continue the journey. — George W. Bush (2004) Read about Steven J. Dick, astronomer, author and NASA’s Spotlight chief historian. He has written extensively on the history of astrobiology 8 and will be retiring later this month. AMERICAN ASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETY | AMERICA’S NETWORK OF SPACE PROFESSIONALS JULY 2009 | ISSUE 8 ¢ WEB SITES OF INTEREST Visitors get to relive Apollo 11 mission Interactive experience to begin Apollo anthology 40 years to the minute after To mark the anniversary of the historic launch first moon landing, Air & Space maga- An interactive new Web site to zine has created a special Web site celebrate the 40th anniversary of with photo essays, interviews, and Apollo 11 and President Kennedy’s articles examining Apollo from a vari- involvement in the U.S. space ety of perspectives, along with a program will debut on July 16, exactly selection of readings from previous 40 years to the minute after the coverage in Air & Space. historic launch. Online visitors can download a WeChooseTheMoon.org will go copy of the magazine’s 20th anniver- live at 9:32 a.m. EST. The site, sary Apollo issue from 1989. powered by AOL, will recreate Apollo http://www.airspacemag.com 11’s lunar mission, minute by minute, with an interactive experience that lets Lunar videos in high definition visitors experience the mission as it Want to view the Lunar Module happened, using archival audio, video, descent during Apollo 11 in high defi- photos and “real time” transmissions. nition? Or Neil Armstrong’s first field Online visitors can pre-register to activities after he stepped on the receive emails and get regular “real Moon? time” updates during the four-day Footagevault.com has hundreds of mission this month. Additionally, videos such as these in its archives. users will be able to follow the event The site provides access to a wide on Twitter. range of space footage in high quality “This site represents a unique formats that can be used in documen- opportunity for viewers to ‘go back in taries. time’ and experience one of http://www.footagevault.com mankind’s most amazing achieve- ments,” said Tom Putnam, director of Why Mars? Why now? the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. “From actual IEEE, the world’s leading profes- mission audio transmissions and sional association for the advance- archival video to mission factoids and ment of technology, tries to answer news reels, visitors to the questions “Why Mars? Why WeChooseTheMoon.org will be able now?” with a new Web site full of COURTESY NASA to track every step of the Apollo 11 feature-length articles. The swing arms move away and a plume The site is divided into six parts: mission, as it happened, 40 years of flame signals the liftoff of Apollo 11 challenges, business, the voyage, later.” and astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, strategies, exploring the Red planet, “Students, historians and anyone Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. who finds space exploration fascinat- from Kennedy Space Center on July 16, and space ambition. ing are in for a treat.” 1969. http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/mars PAGE 2 WWW.ASTRONAUTICAL.ORG EXPLORER 2 NEWSLETTER OF THE AAS HISTORY COMMITTEE ¢ BRIEFS NASA seeking ideas from public stand," said Banke. lenged the nation to land a man on about Von Braun collection The program will be streamed the Moon and return him safely to live on the Web and recorded for Earth by 1970. A reading copy of NASA wants the public, acade- download as a Podcast – both avail- Kennedy's address at Rice University mia and industry to provide ideas able at www.wmmbam.com. Audience on NASA’s space effort is among the about how to analyze and catalog members from around the nation can many items on display. notes from space- call in to the program at 321-768-1240, flight pioneer and send e-mail to spacetalking Launius receives SHFG’s Wernher von Braun @aol.com, or interact via Twitter at first Roger R. Trask Award into an electronic, http://www.twitter.com/spacetalking. searchable database Roger Launius received the first or other system. Apollo 13 drama inspires Roger R. Trask Award from the Von Braun was award-winning play Society for History in the Federal the first director of Government (SHFG) for his work as COURTESY NASA NASA’s Marshall A trip to Kennedy Space Center chief historian at NASA and as cura- Wernher Space Flight Center in Florida inspired two New tor at the Smithsonian’s National Air von Braun in Huntsville, Ala., Zealanders to write and produce a and Space Museum. and a key figure in theatre production about the Apollo He was also recognized for the development of the Saturn V 13 mission. promoting the society’s overall rocket and NASA’s Apollo program. The play won accolades last year mission and as a mentor. NASA has issued a request for in its first year of production and has The award was given at the 2009 information and is looking for since been upgraded with more real- SHFG conference in March where concepts that will provide an innova- istic sets. Apollo 13: Mission Control is Launius delivered the keynote tive resource for agency engineers showing at The Meteor in Hamilton, lecture. and scientists. New Zealand, July 20-26 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the first Russian Cosmonautics museum “Space Talk” radio program Apollo lunar landing; and at the Aotea reopens its doors to the public makes on-air debut from Cape Centre, Auckland, July 31-Aug 1. The two men behind the award- Moscow’s Memorial Museum of A new one-hour weekly radio winning play were featured recently Cosmonautics reopened it doors in space program began broadcasting in in the New Zealand Herald. March after a three-year expansion June by veteran aerospace writer and and renovation, according to a recent commentator Jim Banke. Moon Shot focus of exhibit article on TIME Magazine’s Web site. Banke spent 16 years covering the at JFK Library and Museum The upgrades and new exhibits space program for Florida Today are more interactive and intended to newspaper and Space.com A special space exhibit at the inspire children to become interested Topics for discussion include John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in science and technology. NASA, military activities, commercial and Museum in Boston will stay open The museum has life-size mock- launches, space education, space until May 30, 2010. ups of a Mir space station module, tourism, space science, history and The exhibit, Moon Shot — JFK Sputnik and Vostok spacecraft, space space-related entertainment. and Space Exploration, includes presi- art and cosmonaut food. "We are going to educate, dential memos, copies of Kennedy’s Former cosmonaut Alexander inform, and share what's on our speeches and models given to Laveikin, who lived on Mir in 1987 for mind. But mostly we will have fun Kennedy during the Mercury and six months before having to leave the and talk about the space program in Gemini programs.. station for medical reasons, serves as a way that everyone can under- In 1961, President Kennedy chal- deputy director of the museum.
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