Collections Overview

The NASA Headquarters Archives is located at the Mary W. Jackson Headquarters building in Washington, D.C. The collection consists of materials including textual documents, still and moving imagery, and audio materials. These archival holdings are arranged into collections and series across a variety of creators and topics relating to NASA and including administration, budget, personnel, centers and facilities, federal and international partners, history working and source files, as well as subject and biographical files.

Research Appointments

Scheduling Appointments at the Headquarters Archives

The NASA Headquarters Archival Collection is open to researchers by APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please follow the guidelines below to start your in-person research with us.

U.S. Citizens

At least two weeks before your intended visit contact the HQ archives at history@mail.nasa.gov to make an appointment. Please provide the following information:

• Your full name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Research topic and list of materials you are interested in seeing
• Prospective dates of your visit
• Confirmation of U.S. citizenship
• If you will require internet access during your visit

Please make sure to confirm your appointment prior to your planned arrival day. Please see the Arriving at Headquarters section for further instructions.

Foreign Nationals

At least 30 days in advance before your intended visit please contact the HQ archives at history@mail.nasa.gov to make an appointment. Please provide the following information to begin the mandatory security screening process:

• Your full name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Research topic and list of materials you are interested in seeing
• Prospective dates of your visit
• If you will require internet access during your visit

Visitors who have not been cleared by security will not be admitted, regardless of whether they have an appointment. HQ Archivists will begin the security process through IDMAX. Please look for
correspondence from NASA regarding completing your profile and submitting your documents into this system.

Please make sure to confirm your appointment prior to your planned arrival day. See Arriving at Headquarters section for further instructions.

Arriving at Headquarters

All visitors must enter through the visitor’s entrance which is located on the West side of the NASA Headquarters building. You will obtain a visitor’s badge, then complete a security inspection of your bags and walk through a magnetometer.
Please be prepared to present:

• A valid form of government-issued identification.

• The name and phone number of the archivist you made the appointment with.

Security will call down to the Archives to inform the archivist of your arrival. After going through the security procedures, you will be escorted down to the Archives for the duration of your visit.

Research Room Rules

Adapted from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Research Room Rules

Research Room Access

• Researchers must complete the registration portion of the Research Room Rules of Conduct
• The following items are prohibited in the Research Room: food, gum, lotion, and liquids of any kind. Spill-proof water bottles with water are allowed.
• No records may be removed from Research Rooms.
• Researchers are not allowed in the stacks, records holding areas, or other staff-only locations.
• All personal property and items being taken out of the reading room are subject to inspection by NASA staff (including opening laptop computers, checking stacks of loose paper notes, etc.). All personal property, including personal vehicle, is subject to inspection by security guards when entering or leaving NASA facilities.
• Archivists have the right to limit or modify access to records for researchers who are not following protocol.

Records Handling Procedures

• Researchers may only use one cart at a time, one box at a time, one folder at a time, and one file at a time to prevent misplacement of records within containers.
• Researchers should keep hands clean and free from any substance that could stain or damage records or their containers. This includes food, ink, tobacco, saliva, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, and Tacky Finger fingertip moistener or similar products.
• Researchers should handle all records carefully. Volumes should not be forced open, and books should be properly supported when being handled. Researchers may not back-roll, back-fold, or “pop” creases in records in attempts to open and flatten them.
• Researchers are not allowed to write on records or their containers, or on paper that is placed on top of records.
• Records should not be placed on the researcher’s lap, on a chair, or on the floor. Records should not be handled or read in mid-air. Records must be laid flat and viewed on top of a Research Room table.
• Researchers must never allow documents and/or boxes to hang over the edge of the table, be placed on the floor, or be stacked on top of other boxes.
• When placing records back in folders or containers, researchers must carefully align records on top of one another in a folder so that documents are fully supported and no edges of documents extend beyond the folder. Researchers should not tap or jog documents on end to align them.
• Researchers should not rest, lean, or otherwise exert pressure on records or their containers. Researchers should avoid having hanging identification badges and/or dangling jewelry or clothing (i.e. scarves) come into contact with records.
• Pencils, reading glasses, or other non-record materials should not be placed on top of records. Electronic device cords should not rest on or drape over records.
• Researchers may not attach any fasteners (paperclips, rubber bands, staples, etc.) to the records.
• Records attached with any type of fastener, seals, and/or sewn with historic lacings and ribbons may only be separated, pulled apart, or backfolded by staff.
• Researchers must wear gloves on both hands when handling photographic materials (unless they are housed in protective sleeves), Photostats, reproduction slides, glass slides, and film. Gloves are available in the research room.
• Researchers are responsible for returning records to the appropriate container and must use a placeholder when removing files/folders from containers to keep records in order. Researchers should remove any placeholders when they are finished. Placeholders are available in the research room.
• Researchers must always keep records in their original order and never attempt to rearrange or correct records. Researchers should notify a staff member if they find a misplaced document or file. 
• Researchers may not pass or share documents from the same box to or with another researcher.
• Researchers must return all records to boxes at least five minutes prior to closing.

 

Record Reproduction Procedures

• Researchers are prohibited from scanning or photographing records. If digital copies are requested, a list must be made and turned into the archivist. The archivist will scan documents and submit them for review before release. If the request is more than 50 pages, your request will be completed as time allows.

Failure to follow rules or repeated violations will result in being asked to leave the premises.