Other Research Resources

Aerospace History Research Resources

Photograph showing archival documents and the hands of Ames Senior Archivist April Gage as she works to preserve them.

NASA Archives

The NASA Archives preserves and provides access to records, materials, and knowledge relating to NASA's history and organization for the life of the agency.

Margaret W. ‘Hap’ Brennecke reviews blueprints with Ernest Bayless in the Manufacturing and Engineering Laboratory.

NASA Technical Reports Server

Search the NASA Technical Reports Server for reports and publications in the scientific and technical information (STI) repository.

Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Reports

Back issues of the annual reports of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel dating back to 1971, as well as background documents about the establishment of the independent group.

NASA astronauts, from left, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward White II and Roger Chaffee visit the Cape Kennedy launch pad.

Apollo 1 Resources

On January On January 27, 1967, tragedy struck the Apollo program when a flash fire occurred in command module 012 during a launch pad test of the Apollo/Saturn space vehicle being prepared for the first piloted flight, the AS-204 mission. Biographies, photos, and the investigation are detailed on this site.

The Apollo 11 command module floats in the Pacific Ocean after splashdown

Apollo Annotated Bibliography

Fuel your Apollo research with this extensive bibliography compiled by Roger D. Launius and J. D. Hunley.

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Apollo Flight Journal

The Apollo Flight Journal is a resource for those interested in the Apollo flights to the Moon and covers eleven human flights of the Apollo program, relating the parts of the missions not on the lunar surface.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the Moon facing a U.S. flag during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969.

Apollo Lunar Surface Journal

The Apollo Lunar Surface Journal is a record of the lunar surface operations conducted by the six pairs of astronauts who landed on the Moon from 1969 through 1972.

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

Detailed crew biographies, timelines, bibliographies, documents, and other resources about the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.

The Challenger STS-51L Accident

Get documents, reports, and other resources about the January 31, 1986 Challenger accident and its aftermath.

The Columbia STS-107 Accident

Information about the STS-107 flight and the February 1, 2003 accident are provided, along with details of the subsequent investigation by the formal Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

Two men and two women gather around a machine on a desk

Historic Personnel

Timelines and biographies for key personnel at NASA are presented here, as well as other information about the agency’s workforce.

A group of men listen to a presentation at the blockhouse of Launch Complex 34 at the Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex in Florida. Seated, from the left, are NASA Administrator James E. Webb, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Launch Operations Center Director Kurt H. Debus and President John F. Kennedy.

John F. Kennedy's Historic Meeting with James Webb in 1962

On 20 November 1962, President John F. Kennedy held a meeting with NASA Administrator James Webb, Director of the Bureau of the Budget David Bell, and several other people to discuss the human spaceflight program. Get insights and documents into this important meeting.

NASA Organizational Charts

Download NASA Headquarters organizational charts spanning 1958–present.

Front cover for NASA Leadership and America's Future in Space

The Ride Report

"NASA Leadership and America's Future in Space: A Report to the Administrator" HTML and PDF versions of the report by Dr. Sally K. Ride dated August 1987.

View of Challenger in orbit from above with its payload bay doors open.

The Rogers Report

Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, June 6th, 1986, Washington, D.C.

George H.W. Bush speaks on stage with the Apollo 11 astronauts at an event at the National Air and Space Museum.

Space Exploration Initiative (SEI)

On the 20th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission landing on the Moon, July 20, 1989, George H.W. Bush called for a new plan for American human spaceflight, the Space Exploration Initiative.

"We choose to go to the Moon", President John F. Kennedy's address at Rice University on the nation's space effort to further inform the public about his plan to land a man on the Moon before 1970. (12 Sept. 1962)

Space Policy History Documents

From the birth of NASA with the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 through recent Presidential Space Directives, review this collection of key documents directing U.S. space policy.

Space Shuttle

In this collection of historical resources, discover the story of how the Space Shuttle program came to be, its setbacks and lasting achievements over the decades.

Sputnik, Vanguard, and Explorer

Get brief histories, biographies, bibliographies, documents and more surrounding the Sputnik, Vanguard, and Explorer events in 1957 and 1958.

Technical Diagrams

This series of diagrams should be especially interesting and useful for modelers and other space enthusiasts who want to see "blueprints" of various U.S. piloted spacecraft.

Two Native Americans pose for photograph with NASA engineer.

Telemedicine

"A Brief History of NASA's Contributions to Telemedicine": An article by Andrew T. Simpson with contributions from Charles R. Doarn, and Stephen J. Garber

President George W. Bush speaks at a podium at NASA Headquarters

Vision for Space Exploration

Resources relating to President George W. Bush's Vision for Space Exploration: his plan for returning the Shuttle to flight after the Columbia disaster, completing the construction of the International Space Station, and charting a path forward for humans to return to the Moon and go to Mars.

Wakeup Call Chronology

Since the Gemini missions, there has been a tradition of using music to wake up astronauts in space. Download retired NASA archivist Colin Fries' chronology of the songs used for wakeup calls since 1965.

For students

National History Day Research Help

The NASA History and Archives Offices are strong supporters of National History Day, and have made a ton of material available. Check out our list of resources that will help you with your research.

Kick-start Your Research