An Interview with Professor Don Elder: Space History

6.15.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - When I was appointed, I received a copy of the mission statement. It reads "The mission of the New Mexico Museum of Space History Commission is to provide direction, advice, and support to the Director of the Museum in the maintenance and operation of the Museum and its activities.

Michael F. Shaughnessy

Eastern New Mexico University

Portales, New Mexico

1) Professor Elder, you have recently been appointed to the New Mexico Museum of Space History Commission. What will be your specific duties?

When I was appointed, I received a copy of the mission statement. It reads "The mission of the New Mexico Museum of Space History Commission is to provide direction, advice, and support to the Director of the Museum in the maintenance and operation of the Museum and its activities.


2) In a sense, since John Glenn first went into space, we have had a long history of successful space exploration. Are there historians that specialize in this aspect of our nation's history?

The realm of space history is a small but important niche in the wider sphere of US History. The foremost historian is R. Cargill Hall, with Roger Launius a close second.


3) Certainly, Neil Armstrong walking on the moon was in fact "a giant leap for mankind". However, very little is know about the events, and the details surrounding that event. Are there books or articles in this realm?

There are a number of books that have been written on the subject. Some are human interest and some are technical. The best book is "A Man on the Moon," by Andrew Chaikin. That was the book that Tom Hanks used as the basis for his mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon." The best biography of Armstrong is "First Man," by James Hansen.


4) We now have a good deal of collaboration with other nations in terms of space exploration. Are there historians that examine this realm?

There aren't many books that cover that aspect in depth. The best is "Space Politics and Policy: An Evolutionary Perspective," by Eligar Sadeh.

5) Where exactly is the New Mexico Museum of Space History located ? And what would be found there?

• The museum is located in Alamogordo, New Mexico. It is composed of:
  
• The Museum of Space History. Contains exhibitions ranging from Robert Goddard's early rocket experiments near Roswell to a mock-up of the International Space Station.
  
• The International Space Hall of Fame. Commemorates the achievements of men and women who have furthered humanity's exploration of space.
  
• The John P. Stapp Air & Space Park. Displays larger exhibits, such as the Apollo program's Little Joe II rocket and the rocket sled that "Fastest Man Alive" Stapp rode to 632 mph.
  
• Daisy Track. Commemorates aeromedical and space related tests which were crucial in developing components for NASA's Project Mercury orbital flights and the Project Apollo moon landings.
  
• Astronaut Memorial Garden. A tribute to the Apollo 1 and Space Shuttle Challenger & Columbia astronauts.
  
• The Hubbard Space Science Research Building. Home to the Museum's new archives and library. Researchers and students will find an academic-based collection of New Mexico space history, Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range information and photos, as well as NASA publications, photos, and collections.
  
• The Museum Support Center. The facility where Museum employees and volunteers conserve and restore the many large artifacts exhibited at the Museum.

6)  Sadly, we have lost some courageous astronauts in space. Is there a section devoted to these heroes?

• The tragedies are dealt with two ways:
• First, there are sections of the Museum that deal with the accidents.
• Second, the International Space Hall of Fame section tells the story of the individuals.

7) Do you forsee historians specializing in the area of space travel and adventure?

There are already historians who are extrapolating what can been done regarding space exploration based on what has been done up to this point.


8) Are there any books that you would recommend about this topic and area in our nation's history?


I serve on a national committee that annually selects the outstanding work on space history and awards it the Eugene Emme Prize (named for NASA's first historian). I honestly believe that for the last 15 years we have selected the best books on the subject, so I'm attaching the list:

2008 – Digital Apollo – Human and Machines in Spaceflight  (The MIT Press) by David A. Mindell

2007 – Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War (Knopf) by Michael J. Neufeld

2006 – Into the Black: JPL and the American Space Program, 1976-2004 (Yale University Press) by Peter J. Westwick
Honorable Mention: Testing the Limits – Aviation Medicine and the Origins of Manned Space Flight (Texas A&M Press) by Maura Mackowski

2005 – First Man – The Life of Neil A. Armstrong (Simon & Schuster) by James R. Hansen

2004 – Right Stuff, Wrong Sex: America’s First Women in Space Program  (The Johns Hopkins University Press) by Margaret Weitekamp

2003 – Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers, and the Quest for Interpanetary Travel (Joseph Henry Press) by Robert Zimmerman

2002 – The Secret of Apollo: Systems Management in American and European Space Programs (The Johns Hopkins University Press) by Stephen B. Johnson

2001 – Moon Lander – How We Developed the Apollo Lunar Module (Smithsonian Institution Press) by Thomas J. Kelly

2000 – Challenge to Apollo – The Soviet Union and the Space Race 1945 – 1974 (NASA) by Asif A. Siddiqi

1999 – America’s Space Sentinels: DSP Satellites and National Security (University Press of Kansas) by Jeffrey T. Richelson

1998 – The New Ocean – The Story of the First Space Age (Random House) by William E. Burrows

1997 – Space and the American Imagination (Smithsonian Institution Press) by Howard E. McCurdy

1996 – Blind Watchers of the Sky – The People and Ideas that Shaped Our View of the Universe (Addison-Wesley) by Rocky Kolb

1995 – Spaceflight Revolution: NASA Langley Research Center from Sputnik to Apollo (NASA) by James R. Hansen

1994 – International Cooperation in Space: The Example of the European Space Agency (Harvard University Press) by Roger M. Bonnet and Vittorio Manno

1993 – The Sputnik Challenge: Eisenhower’s Response to the Soviet Satellite (Oxford University Press) by Robert A. Divine

1992 – Blueprint for Space: From Science Fiction to Science Fact (Smithsonian Institution Press) by Frederick I. Ordway and Randy Liebermann

1991 – Exploring the Sun: Solar Science Since Galileo (The Johns Hopkins University Press) by Karl Hufbauer

1990 – The Home Planet (Addison-Wesley) by Kevin W. Kelley

1989 – Journey Into Space: The First Thirty Years of Space Exploration by (W.W. Norton & Company) Bruce C. Murray


9) What have I neglected to ask ?


New Mexico is a perfect state for the Space History Museum. Robert H. Goddard did pioneering work on liquid-fueled rocketry here, the White Sands missile range is here, the space chimp HAM was trained here (and is buried on the grounds of the Space History Museum), and the Mercury astronauts were medically tested at the Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque. It is indeed a great location!