AMERICAN ASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETY Michael L. Ciancone ISSUE 10 Chairman MARCH AAS History Committee 2010 Olympics, Constellation and a new book award The 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, have LOOKING EXPLORER ended, but as always, the Olympics provided many memorable moments. Perhaps the BACK most notable moment, from a spaceflight PAGE 18 Newsletter of the perspective, was the appearance of astronaut Julie Payette during the opening ceremonies AAS History Committee as one of eight prominent Canadians who astronautical.org/committees/history carried the Olympic flag into the stadium. AAS History Timothy M. Chamberlin, editor The big news in the human spaceflight Committee [email protected] community is of course the budget proposal Michael L. Ciancone, of President Obama that would end the Chair Constellation Program. Although I have no Matthew Bille idea where this will lead, I suspect that James Busby we’re in for an “exciting” ride! Timothy M. Chamberlin Finally, let me draw your attention to a Inside Stephen E. Doyle new AAS book award that will be jointly administered by the History Committee and Dr. Donald C. Elder the Education Committee. The Emme Award Steve Garber for Astronautical Literature (Youth R. Cargill Hall Category), affectionately dubbed the Emme Robert Jacobs Junior, will recognize efforts to inspire and Dr. Stephen B. educate today’s students (and tomorrow’s Johnson leaders) through publications aimed at K-12 Joan Johnson-Freese students that effectively communicate the Dr. De Witt Douglas concept and possibilities of astronautics. Kilgore Publications can include but are not limited James R. Kirkpatrick to popular books, graphic novels, and text- Letter to “A Top Scientist” books. Entries will be judged on the basis of Dr. Roger D. Launius A fascinating case study in originality (format, style, and subject), abili- Dr. Otfrid Liepack 3 the power of the Internet ty to inspire, educational content, accuracy Gideon Marcus of material, and effectiveness in reaching Robert Pearlman intended audience. Let me know if you have Dr. Asif Siddiqi a title that you believe should be considered Dr. Trevor C. Sorensen for this new award! Katherine Scott Space films relaunched “The [TV] program has been cancelled … but the Sturdevant Vintage movies find adventure is just beginning. Dr. Rick W. Sturdevant 6 new life online — Tagline from the movie Galaxy Quest (1999) Frank H. Winter AMERICA’S NETWORK OF SPACE PROFESSIONALS EXPLORER NEWS BRIEFS Timothy M. Chamberlin ®®® NEWSLETTER Editor A panel discussion between Apollo 13 INDEX X astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Ken Explorer newsletter Mattingly and former NASA mission Feature stories / 3 I controller Gene Kranz will be held Emme Award / 9 S S Thursday, April 15, at the Smithsonian’s Quest / 9 U National Air and Space Museum in Encyclopedia / 10 E 3 years later, Washington, D.C. The three Apollo 13 astronauts and Kranz also will appear at Call for papers / 10 1 the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space On Radio / 10 0 Explorer has Center on April 17 at a fundraising dinner Calendar / 11 M for the museum in Hutchinson, Kansas. Centers A a new design ®®®A collection of space industry adver- & museums / 11 R tisements from the 1950s and ’60s C compiled by historian Megan Prelinger in Astronautical H A little more than three years ago the the new book “Another Science Fiction: publications / 12 2 AAS History Committee began publishing Advertising the Space Race 1957-1962” will Spotlight / 16 0 Explorer. In that time, interest in Explorer be published by Blast Books on May 25. 1 Looking Back / 18 has grown as has its content. This is our Ads are included from magazines such as 0 10th issue and by far the most detailed Aviation Week, Missiles and Rockets, and History Series / 19 newsletter we have published. Probably Aviation Week and Space Technology. Obituaries / 20 the most recognizable change up to this ®®®After a hiatus of more than two point is the new format and design. years, the New Mexico Museum of Space Charter / 21 At the AAS annual meeting in December History has released Issue 11 of its maga- Notes / 21 in Houston, many speakers urged those in zine, The New Mexico Space Journal. The attendance to “dare to be different,” to new 50-page issue profiles military think of new ways of doing business, and mishaps in the Tularosa Basin from 1954 to to tell more engaging stories about space 1959 and includes the first of a five-part exploration. I hope you agree that Explorer series on the early history of astronomy. satisfies these criteria with a larger vari- To dowload a copy, click here. ®®®NASA ety of photographs, additional information sound clips are now available to download and more interactive text. If you read the from the agency’s Web site. The NASA newsletter from your computer, you can Audio File page has sound clips with NASA click on any highlighted link and your scientists, astronauts, and officials talking browser should open a Web page or start about discoveries in space and climate playing a movie. This includes clicking the change on Earth. The archives go back to images from Anton Kutter’s 23-minute film 2005. To access the NASA Audio File page, “Weltraumschiff I Startet” (“Spaceship I is click here. ®®®In February the Baikonur Launched”) discussed on Page 6. Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan marked its CONTACT US I must thank Kerrie Dougherty for her 55th anniversary. ®®®The crew of STS- article “Letter to A Top Scientist” on Pages 130 in February delivered to the ISS lunar EMAIL 3-5. Kerrie reminds us how the Internet rocks collected by Neil Armstrong from the can unlock the secrets of the past and Sea of Tranquility. The rocks, along with a Michael L. bring back much of the excitement from plaque, are on display in the ISS’s new Ciancone, Chair the early days of space travel. I also would Tranquility module. ®®®In January, michael.l. like to thank Robert Enichen for his article California’s State Historical Resources ciancone@ on the Able IV space engine and the Commission agreed to add the Apollo 11 nasa.gov pioneering efforts of Space Technologies landing site hardware to its register of Laboratories on Pages 7-8. historical resources. The commission, Timothy M. Don’t hesitate to contact me or anybody along with groups in Florida, Alabama, Chamberlin, Editor on the History Committee about the New Mexico and Texas want Tranquility timothy.m. newsletter. We appreciate your thoughts Base to be named a national historic land- chamberlin@ and comments! mark and U.N. World Heritage Site. gmail.com P A GE 2 NEWSLETTER OF THE AAS HISTORY COMMITTEE EXPLORER ABOUT Letter to ‘A Top Scientist’ THE AUTHOR X An example of how the power of the Web can be harnessed Kerrie Dougherty is I to aid historical research Curator of Space S Technology at The S U Powerhouse E Museum located in Darling Harbour, 1 Sydney. She devel- 0 oped Australia’s first M major museum A space display, the R Space-Beyond this C World exhibition H (1988-2007), which 2 was the first exhibi- 0 tion anywhere in the 1 world to bring 0 together examples of the space technol- ogy of the Cold War superpowers. Her areas of interest cover the history of astronautics and spaceflight, space education and public Courtesy of National Archives of Australia The envelope containing Denis Cox’s letter to “A Top Scientist at Woomera awareness, and Rocket Range.” social and cultural responses to space. BY KERRIE DOUGHERTY state of Victoria, whose letter to the WRE came to unexpected prominence in 2009, Readers of Explorer probably will when it was featured as the May entry in the be familiar with “Dear NASA, Please Send me “Find of the Month” online resource from the a Rocket” (edited by Tait Trussel Paul in National Archives of Australia. Hencke, with a foreword by Wernher von www.naa.gov.au/whats-on/online/find-of- Braun, Dutton, NY, 1964), a delightful collec- the-month/past-years/2009/may.aspx tion of children’s letters to NASA and What followed the posting of his letter President Kennedy that clearly demonstrat- from the WRE archives is a fascinating case ed the enthusiasm of American youngsters study in the power of the Internet and the for the space program in the early years of way it can be harnessed to assist research the Space Race. into aspects of space history. The files of Australia’s Weapons Research Uncovered by the NAA’s archivists was a Establishment (which managed the Anglo- delightful example of a boy’s enthusiasm for Australian Woomera Rocket Range and was spaceflight at the dawn of the Space Age. In the nearest equivalent that Australia had at late October 1957, Denis sent a letter, the time to NASA) contain similar examples marked “urgent” in his own handwriting, of missives from young people excited about addressed to “A Top Scientist at Woomera the Space Race and wanting to make their Rocket Range.” contribution to it. One such enthusiast was 12-year-old Denis Cox from the Australian CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ® NEWSLETTER OF THE AAS HISTORY COMMITTEE P A GE 3 EXPLORER ® CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE X I S S U E 1 0 M A R C H 2 0 1 0 Courtesy of National Archives of Australia Denis Cox’s letter was originally filed away by Australia’s Weapons Research Establishment under “Anonymous and Eccentric Letters” in 1957. This post contained his drawing of the Boing.” This author initially was alerted to design for an Australian rocket ship, the story by an email from Mike Ciancone sketched in blue ballpoint pen on pages (AAS History Committee chairman), after he taken from an exercise book.