NASA History Office
Established in 1959 (a year after NASA itself was formed) the NASA History Office has continuously documented and preserved the Agency’s remarkable history for nearly 65 years.
publications
200+ titles
chief historian
Brian C. Odom
Oral History Interviews
More than 1,500
Established
1959
The NASA History Office serves two key functions: fulfilling the mandate of the 1958 “Space Act” calling for NASA to disseminate aerospace information as widely as possible, and helping NASA managers understand and thus benefit from the study of past accomplishments and difficulties. In addition to serving NASA leadership, the NASA History Program also engages with scholars, journalists, and students, and strives to engage with the public about NASA’s past and how it relates to current projects.
As part of this mandate, archivists work to preserve and provide access to materials relating to NASA’s history, organization, and institutional knowledge to promote understanding and exploration of NASA’s mission across time and space. They manage archival collections holding a variety of textual records, photographic prints, oral histories, and more.
The NASA History Office publishes a quarterly newsletter, as well as an array of books (in both print and digital formats), conducts oral history interviews, provides internships and fellowships, and assists the public in finding information on aeronautical and space history. In addition, the staff coordinates the production of the Aeronautics and Space Report of the President, an annual report that includes a “comprehensive description of the programmed activities and the accomplishments of all agencies of the United States in the field of aeronautics and space activities” during the preceding year.
Subscribe to Our Mailing List
To get NASA History news and announcements in your inbox, subscribe to our mailing list by sending an email to history-join@lists.hq.nasa.gov. No need to add anything to the subject line or body of the email.
Contact Us
The NASA History Office staff assists the public, media, researchers, NASA employees, and Congressional staff to find resources within and outside our Historical Reference Collection. Send us an email at history@mail.nasa.gov or call 202-358-0384.
Looking for Historical Photos, Audio, or Video Footage?
NASA’s Image and Video Library is home to thousands of historical NASA images, videos, and audio files from collections across the agency. For imagery, animations, and videos from solar system exploration missions, visit the Photojournal. Additional images from NASA’s history are available from NASA’s Flickr accounts. For further assistance, contact NASA’s media team at hq-media@mail.nasa.gov.
Student Internships
Join the History Team as an Intern
Student interns assist the History Office by undertaking original historical research; performing archival tasks including processing, digitization, and archival description; and other support duties across both functions. In this paid position, interns have the opportunity to perform meaningful work with our NASA History professionals in support of agency goals.
Aerospace History Fellowships
Support for Research and Writing Projects
In conjunction with three major professional societies, the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), History of Science Society (HSS) and the American Historical Association (AHA), NASA History funds fellowships that support a range of research and writing projects to promote a better understanding of how aerospace history has shaped our world. The deadline for applications falls at the start of April each year.
