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Space Transportation System Recordation Oral Histories
STS Recordation Oral Histories
The NASA History Office gathers first-hand experiences through oral history interviews from a variety of individuals serving in the NASA and contractor work force, eliciting details of procedures, processes, methodologies, rationale, and background of operations.
This effort involved the collection of history from key individuals formerly associated with the agency’s Space Shuttle Program, focusing on the Orbiter and its related components. The interviews include information on a number of Space Shuttle Program aspects from concept development to retirement and focus on design, hardware evolution, and changes in response to the two Space Shuttle accidents.
Titles listed reflect the positions that the subject held while involved with the program.
| Name | Interview Dates | Positions |
|---|---|---|
| Stan M. Barauskas | 8/24/2010 | Manager and Design Engineer for Shuttle Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Downey CA |
| Anthony P. Bartolone | 7/5/2011 | Lead Project Engineer ET and SRB Processing Kennedy Space Center FL |
| Gerald A. Blackburn | 8/24/2010 | Project Manager Material and Processes Downey CA |
| James A. Carlton | 7/13/2011 | Program Manager SRB Kennedy Space Center FL |
| Joseph P. Chaput | 7/13/2011 | Manager Marine Operations Kennedy Space Center FL |
| Wendall D. Emde | 8/27/2010 | Thermal Protection System development Associate Program Manger Downey CA |
| Donald H. Emero | 8/26/2010 | Shuttle Systems Design Thermal Protection System Development; Vice President Engineering Downey CA |
| Frances A. Ferris | 8/24/2010 | Chief Project Engineer Orbiter Design & Requirements; Purge Vent & Drain/Thermal Control System Analyst and Supervisor; Downey CA |
| Otto K. Goetz | 7/20/2010 | Space Shuttle Main Engines Chief Engineer and Project Manager Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| George D. Hopson | 7/20/2010 Lessons Learned | Space Shuttle Main Engines Project Manager Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| Robert H. Kahl | 8/25/2010 | Direction of Operations Rockwell International/Boeing Space Systems Palmdale CA |
| Julie A. Kramer White | 4/26/2011 | Space Shuttle Orbiter Structural Subsystem Manager Systems Engineer Johnson Space Center Houston TX |
| Robert E. Lindstrom | 7/19/2010 | Shuttle Projects Office Manager Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| William R. Lucas | 7/21/2010 | Director Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| Alex A. McCool Jr. | 5/11/2011 | Director of the Structures and Propulsion Laboratory Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| Donald L. McCormack | 3/24/2011 | Ferry Operations Manager Johnson Space Center Houston TX |
| Royce E. Mitchell | 6/30/2010 | Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Project Manager Solid Rocket Motor Redesign after Challenger Accident Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| Thomas L. Moser | 4/9/2010 5/27/2010 | Chief Structural Design; Thermal Protection System Engineering Design Johnson Space Center Houston TX |
| James B. Odom | 7/20/2010 | External Tank Project Manager Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| Myron A. “Mike” Pessin | 6/30/2010 | External Tank Chief Engineer Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| Eric S. Ransone | 7/13/2011 | Operations Flow Manager Space Shuttle Main Enginer Kennedy Space Center FL |
| William J. Roberts | 8/25/2010 8/26/2010 4/15/2012 | Project Manager for Shuttle Retirement; Vehicle Project Manager for OV-103 (Discovery) Huntington Beach CA |
| Robert J. Schwinghamer | 7/20/2010 | Associate Director Technical; Materials Lab Director Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| Gerald D. Sheehan | 7/12/2011 | Columbia Vehicle Manager Orbiter Engineering Kennedy Space Center FL |
| Jody A. Singer | 7/21/2010 | Deputy Manager Propulsion Office; Solid Motor Rocket/Reusable Solid Motor Rocket Manager; Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| Gerald W. Smith | 5/12/2011 | Solid Rocket Booster Redesign Engineer Space Shuttle Main Engine Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| Stephanie S. Stilson | 7/14/2011 4/13/2012 | Flow Direcotr for Discovery Kennedy Space Center FL |
| Henry T. Taylor | 8/26/2011 | Flight Engineer and Aircraft Maintenance Officer Johnson Space Center Houston TX |
| John W. Thomas | 6/29/2010 | Led Solid Motor Rocket Redesign after Challenger Accident; Program Manager Advanced Solid Motor Rocket Contractor; Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville AL |
| J. R. Thompson | 5/13/2011 | Space Shuttle Main Engine Project Manager Marshall Space Flight Center AL |
| John Tribe | 7/13/2011 | Director Launch Support Services Systems Engineering Chief Engineer Orbiter Engineering Kennedy Space Center FL |
| Terrence R. White | 7/12/2011 | Project Lead Thermal Protection System Kennedy Space Center FL |
Space Transportation System Recordation
STS-135, the final Space Shuttle mission, landed at Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011, and marked the end of the 30-year-long human spaceflight program. NASA then began recordation activities to compile historical and educational information of the Space Transportation System and its components, including, the Orbiters, External Tank, Space Shuttle Main Engines, and Solid Rocket Boosters.
Learn About the Space Shuttle Recordation
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