lookingback: Life in space | 20 AMERICAN ASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETY EXPLORER Newsletter of the AAS History Committee Editor: Tim Chamberlin | [email protected] What you’ll find FROM THE CHAIRMAN’S DESK INSIDE What to say about Sputnik? elcome to this third in our May 2007 | Issue 3 series of occasional newsletters! Just when it seems that we Report from old W don’t have a critical mass of material to NASA site No. 19 . 2 justify an entire newsletter, ideas well Google on the Moon. 3 up from a variety of sources and we Pesky Moon dust, end up with a surplus of excellent Apollo 1 topics of radio material. This issue was no exception. programs . 4 One challenge I’ve struggled with Space history symposia is what I might say about the anniver- help create important sary of Sputnik … or rather, what to say database . 5 that hasn’t already been said. In noting Michael L. Ciancone Call for papers . 6 the NASM/NASA symposium CHAIR, AAS HISTORY COMMITTEE News briefs. 7 “Remembering the Space Age” sched- to benefit from the acuity of hindsight, Book review: uled for October 21-22, I recalled a simi- as well as the fact that the political, New release offers lar event 10 years ago. Sure enough, social and technical reverberations of glimpse of Italian there on my bookshelf was the launch were not immediately scientist’s life. 8 Reconsidering Sputnik – Forty Years discernible — or even anticipated. In Upcoming meetings Since the Soviet Satellite (2000), edited the years since, the view of the event and events . 9 by Roger Launius, John Logsdon and and its effect has come into sharper Committee member Robert Smith. This book contains focus, some as a result of research into updates . 14 selected essays presented at a confer- official archives of the former Soviet Committee contact ence of the same name, as well as some Union. In addition, “new” information information. 19 additional research essays. appears in the form of memoirs of Obituary: Walter M. Much of what was published “Wally” Schirra Jr. 21 contemporary with Sputnik was unable Continued on back page, 22 ® A Q&A with De Witt Kilgore of Bloomington, Ind., >>> In the Spotlight the newest member of the History Committee 10 NEW! The latest volume in the AAS History Series is now available from Univelt, Inc. | 12 AMERICAN ASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETY | AMERICA’S NETWORK OF SPACE PROFESSIONALS EXPLORER 2 NEWSLETTER OF THE AAS HISTORY COMMITTEE ¢ IN THE NEWS Report from old NASA site No. 19 Editor’s note: The following report was filed by AAS History Committee member James Busby. Dear Friends and colleagues: Things have picked up here at Downey Landing (the Downey NASA Site or old NASA site No. 19) in Downey, Calif., where Emesco Aviation started, and the site that Vultee, North American, Rockwell and Boeing occupied from 1929 until 1999. The site now has an Apollo Command Module (Boilerplate No. 6, or BP-6), which was the first Apollo AEROSPACE LEGACY FOUNDATION NASA spacecraft ever launched and recov- The Apollo Command Module Boilerplate No. 6 (left), which was the first Apollo ered. The CM was refurbished twice spacecraft ever launched and recovered, now rests at the Downey NASA Site (right), and used in parachute tests, being in Downey, Calif. dropped out of the back of aircraft over El Centro, Calif. (BP-6A and B). Center, which will be built at the old ALF has been granted an office Stricken from Rockwell NASA site. (See more below) on the old NASA site by IRG. This International in 1975, the CM was With less than a day to save the group has shown repeatedly that it given to the AFL-CIO and stood in CM, the Industrial Reality Group cares about the site’s long history by front of the Downey offices for 30 (IRG) and Downey Landing Studio finding artifacts and bringing them to years. quickly sent a forklift and a truck for the foundation's attention. Recently, the CM was rescued pickup. The forklift driver even from the closing Automobile and Construction markers, signs and even recovered the concrete base support- Aerospace Workers Union Hall in a furniture have been recovered and combined effort between the city of ing the CM by using the forks to dig brought to our offices. IRG even Downey, the Aerospace Legacy it up from the ground. assisted in locating the original Foundation (ALF) and the Downey Downey Landing Studio is runway markers (compass roses) Landing Studio. providing space on the grounds for from the early 1920s. ALF was told that it had 24 hours the CM’s storage, outside of the ALF We are still finding hardware and to take the CM, so it informed the office. ALF wants to restore BP-6 to artifacts around the site. The first studio and the City of Downey. its original state before it flew on building on the site — a wooden The city desperately wanted the Nov. 7, 1963. To do that an Apollo horse barn — survives, and we have CM for the upcoming Columbia launch escape system and tower are Memorial Space Science Learning needed. Ideas, anyone? Continued on next page ® PAGE 2 WWW.ASTRONAUTICAL.ORG MAY 2007 | ISSUE 3 ¢ IN THE NEWS Nominated titles for Emme Google lands on the Moon Award under review Planning a vacation on the The selection process for the surface of the Moon? 2006 Emme Award for Astronautical Look no further than Google Literature is well underway. Moon — a Web site with a photo- We appreciate the enthusiastic graphic, interactive map of the lunar response of the many folks who surface that shows the locations of all kindly offered nominations. We six Apollo Lunar Module landing sites. have solicited the publishers of The Web site is an extension of nominated titles for review copies Google’s ongoing collaboration with and the response has been very NASA to organize information and positive. The selection panel will bring it to a wider audience. NASA’s review the books over the next few Ames Research Center signed an Google Moon — http://moon.google.com months in anticipation of announc- agreement with Google in December ing the recipient of the 2006 Emme to work together on overcoming data (Zooming in too close reveals a Award at the AAS national meet- management hurdles and other tech- surprise.) ing in Houston in November. nical problems. Google Moon, much like Google A glance at the list of nomi- To use Google Moon, simply Mars, does not require users to nated titles leads me to believe slide a dial on the left-hand side of download software. Google Moon is the selection panel members can the screen to zoom in and out or less detailed though and does not look forward to a summer of good double-click a point on the map to include an elevation scale nor reading!" center the image. Clicking on a land- infrared imagery. The site also lacks a — Mike Ciancone ing site icon reveals the names of the distance scale. Apollo crew and landing date. — Tim Chamberlin The site eventually will include among others. ® NASA SITE NO. 19 Continued from Page 2 the original wooden full-scale Space I would appreciate any help that Shuttle Orbiter mock-up that was my colleagues would care to high hopes that it can be utilized as a built in 1974 by Rockwell for NASA, contribute. With the number of history center. who donated it to the City of historic aviation and aerospace sites Downey. The center is scheduled to dwindling, ALF hopes to recall the Learning Center groundbreaking open in late 2008. time when the people of California ALF is preparing to do audio contributed to the age of aviation and The official groundbreaking of histories of surviving aerospace the first race to the Moon. We also the Columbia Memorial Space workers from various companies and want to prepare our upcoming gener- Science Learning Center was held wants to create a cybrary so engi- ations to be engineers, scientists and April 12, the anniversary of Yuri neers will have past resources to astronauts by keeping their eyes on Gagarin’s historic flight. The new utilize in the future. the skies. two-story building will include a In addition to Apollo spacecraft For more information, visit ALF Challenger Learning Center and will and Space Shuttle, the Downey online at www.aerospacelegacyfoun- house some exhibits that will honor NASA site was the design center of dation.org. To learn more about the Downey’s contributions to the aero- the Kinner folding wing, Mercury/ Learning Center, go to www.columbi- space industry. Little Joe and the Convair MX-774, aspacescience.org. WWW.ASTRONAUTICAL.ORG PAGE 3 EXPLORER 2 NEWSLETTER OF THE AAS HISTORY COMMITTEE ¢ IN THE NEWS Pesky Moon dust, Apollo 1 topics of radio programs National Public Radio has published a series of stories looking back at historic and tragic moments of human spaceflight, including the experiences of Apollo and Space Shuttle astronauts. Four radio features beginning in late January have covered topics such as moon dust, sleeping in space, the Apollo 1 fire and Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. The radio stories are archived on NPR’s Web site. Previews and links NASA to each program appear below. Astronaut Harrison Schmitt retrieves lunar samples during the second extravehicular activity at the Taurus-Littrow landing site during the Apollo 17 mission. The dirty — Tim Chamberlin appearance of Schmitt's space suit is a result of the cohesive nature of the lunar dust. NASA’s Big Chore: naut and Vostok 6 pilot Valentina Chaffee in an Apollo Command Dusting on the Moon Tereshkova, the first woman in space, Module during a preflight test at Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison who recently celebrated her 70th Cape Canaveral, Fla.