Finding Aid to the Mission Engineering Papers, 1962-1980Sponsor:This finding aid has been encoded by the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics as part of a collaborative project supported by a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities, an independent federal agency. Collaboration members in 1999 consisted of: American Institute of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Rice University, University of Alaska, University of Illinois, University of Iowa, and University of Texas. Publisher:American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Encoding Information:Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD v.1.0 by Clay Redding on July 18, 2000 from an existing finding aid using NoteTab Pro and C++ scripts created by James P. Tranowski (provided by Elizabeth Dow, Special Collections, University of Vermont). Any revisions made to this finding aid occurred as part of the editing and encoding process. Reviewed by Dick Kolbet, University of Iowa, on October 5, 2000 . Finding aid written in English. Description of the CollectionLocation of collection:University of Iowa Archives. Title and dates of collection:Mission Engineering Papers, 1962-1980 Papers/Records created by:University of Iowa. Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. Size of collection:11 boxes Short description of collection:These records document James A. Van Allen's mission engineering files related to his Injun, OGO, Explorer, Pioneer, and Hawkeye projects. The materials contain information created and collected by engineers, technicians, and graduate students responsible for building and testing instrumentation. Much of this collection contains highly technical material required in the construction and testing phases of placing scientific payloads into space. Languages Represented:English Selected Search TermsThese papers have been indexed in the International Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS) using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms. Access to CollectionNo restrictions. Restrictions on Use of CollectionNo restrictions. Provenance and Acquisition InformationThis collection is one of several deposits since the early 1970s -- from Dr. Van Allen and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. IntroductionThe papers of Dr. James A. Van Allen, 1914- , comprise a diverse and rich record of one of the leading scientists in the early exploration and study of the upper atmosphere, the near-Earth space environment, and the solar system using rocket propelled vehicles. The papers span fifty years and provide ample documentation of his central participation in this signal scientific achievement of the 20th century. In addition to detailing Van Allen's productive research career, these records illuminate broader themes in the evolution of science after World War II. Trained as a nuclear physicist, Van Allen spent most of his professional career at the University of Iowa as a professor of physics and Head of its Department of Physics and Astronomy (1951-1985) after working at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism (1939-1942), serving on active duty as a naval officer (1942-1946), and working at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (1942, 1946-1950). It was during his post World War II tenure at the APL that Van Allen initiated and pursued the use of rocket-based instruments to observe upper atmospheric phenomena and the primary cosmic radiation above the atmosphere. This work laid the foundation for his subsequent research at Iowa. Van Allen's career spanned a period of important changes in the conduct and organization of science in the post World War II period during which the federal government established itself as an active partner in encouraging and facilitating the work of university scientists. In the late 1940s he was one of a small number of researchers who pursued their scientific investigations through the use of V-2 rockets captured from the Germans late in the war and the use of American-built Aerobee rockets. Through the 1950s Van Allen continued research utilizing rocket technology, culminating in his historic participation in the United States' first earth-orbiting satellite, Explorer I, launched in early 1958. During the 1960s and 1980s Van Allen acted as principal investigator for a wide range of instrumentation launched aboard satellites of the Earth and many planetary/interplanetary spacecraft: Mariner 2 and Mariner 5 to Venus, Mariner 4 to Mars, and Pioneers 10 and 11 to Jupiter and Saturn. Pioneers 10 and 11 are still operative after twenty years, traveling toward the boundary of the heliosphere. Pioneer 10 is the most remote manmade object in the universe. The expense, complexity, and infrastructure necessary for the use of the new rocket and satellite technologies required federal sponsorship and helped spawn a complex set of relationships between scientists and the government, primarily with the military, until the establishment of NASA in 1958. Van Allen's career offers important insight into the new roles assumed by scientists as science came to involve politics and government bureaucracies. While research is central to the story, it is closely tied to a host of activities outside the laboratory: policy-making and advice to presidents, congress, and mission agencies; the work of a diverse array of advisory organizations; and the intricacies of the federal contract process. The use of rocket and satellite technologies was also associated with a trend toward 'big' science. Research came increasingly to be conducted by teams of scientists and engineers, each with specialized roles such as project management, design and fabrication, systems integration and testing, launch and in-flight operations, and data acquisition and reduction. There was a premium not only on scientific skill but on managerial and organizational capabilities. These specializations became increasingly formalized after the advent of space-based missions and were more characteristic of NASA projects than of earlier military projects. The changing research trends also affected pedagogy by incorporating the training of graduate students into the process of specialization associated with larger-scale investigations. In the early years, graduate students assisted with many phases of research including fabrication, testing, and data reduction often utilizing this work as the basis for theses and/or dissertations. Eventually, however, the increasingly intricate instruments came to be designed and constructed by mission engineers and technicians, often with highly specialized areas of expertise. Consequently, graduate student efforts shifted in focus from working directly with the equipment to data reduction and interpretation. This guide attempts to represent this complex organization of science, both outside the university and within the laboratory, by describing four distinct but related collections. Together they provide an integrated view of Van Allen's research, pedagogical, and professional activity; his tenure as Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy; and his leadership of an extended management structure for implementing projects. The first and largest collection, The James A. Van Allen Papers, includes material created or collected by Dr. Van Allen, excepting activity as Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The second collection, The Physics Department Papers Under James A. Van Allen (1951-1985), documents the administration and management of a department growing from a small nucleus in 1951 to an extended administrative structure in the 1970s including project managers, and a contract administrator. The third collection, Project Manager Mission Papers, and the fourth collection, Mission Engineering Papers, contain the papers of the technical team formed for each mission. These materials provide a detailed picture of how scientific objectives interacted with the engineering process and the requirements of work performed under federal contract. In arranging and processing these collections we have sought to untangle the often confusing array of documentation for the user, respecting provenance as much as possible. Toward this end, processing was organized as a team effort and included archival and historical expertise as well as the active involvement of the papers' principal creator, Dr. Van Allen. This approach proved an effective mechanism for understanding this complex of materials. Where appropriate, materials have been organized to make explicit the scientific and engineering steps taken in implementing an experiment or mission. Throughout the guide additional information is offered to make the significance and interrelationship of materials more understandable. Appraisal decisions were also made using this team approach. The collections described here are the organized accumulation of several deposits since the early 1970s--from Dr. Van Allen and the Department of Physics and Astronomy--totaling 225 linear feet. In 1986, when the processing began, a thorough survey of Dr. Van Allen's office files and relevant departmental records was undertaken to identify additional materials which should be included within these collections. This resulted in approximately 75 linear feet of additional processed material. Information on the copyright, access, and use conditions may be obtained from the staff of Special Collections, University of Iowa Archives, where the material is housed. Further materials on Van Allen's early career may be found at the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. Some of the material is still classified. As project archivist I have had the honor and pleasure of working with Dr. Van Allen and Mrs. Robison. Their unending patience and willingness to assist me untangle the often confusing web of material greatly enhanced the success of this project. I thank them for their time, patience, encouragement and sense of humor. I cannot emphasize enough how important Mrs. Robison's work has been to the success of this endeavor--thank you. I also know Mrs. Robison would like to acknowledge with gratitude the support and love of her husband William Robison in being able to accomplish her many goals. I would also like to thank the following individuals who contributed to the James A. Van Allen Papers and Related Collections project: Martin Collins, of the Smithsonian!s National Air and Space Museum, who consulted with Dr. Van Allen, myself and Earl Rogers at the beginning of this project and at important junctures throughout the processing of these papers; and for Martin's meaningful comments and input on the Guide; Earl Rogers of the University of Iowa Archives for his advice, support and assistance arranging space for these materials; and student assistants Mary Sims and particularly Marianne Toney. Marianne was largely responsible for refoldering the documents I organized. Her good work and persistence through the years are greatly appreciated and provided continuity which helped to assure the finish of a successful project. I am also grateful to Barbara Siebensuch for her funny cartoons and support; Susan Hansen and the library Copy Center staff (Barbara Canon, Kathy Gregory) and Nicole Devine and Jana Klingbeil for their work processing the photographs. I would also like to thank Francis Fang and the staff at the university printing service for their work. I have learned a great deal through my work on this project including about the history of space physics, all aspects of the archival process, computers and desk-top publishing. My deepest thanks to all who worked on this momentous project. -- Christine D. Halas, Project Archivist History of the University of Iowa Dept. of Physics and Astronomy under James A. Van AllenBeginning in 1951 and continuing until his retirement in 1985, Van Allen served continuously as a tenured professor and department head except for brief research sabbaticals in 1953 and 1982. In 1953 Van Allen took a year's leave of absence at Princeton University to work on a controlled fusion project, the B-1 Stellarator. Nearly thirty years later (1981), he took a second leave of absence to serve as a Regents Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution, where he wrote the book Origins of Magnetospheric Physics. Van Allen's return to the University of Iowa began in mid-1950 while working at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. He received a telephone call from Professor Tyndall, his former mentor at Iowa, and was informed that he had been suggested as a possible successor to Dr. Louis Turner to head the University of lowa's Physics Department. Van Allen was selected to head the physics department and become a full tenured professor at the University of Iowa. After finishing his obligations at the APL, he and his family arrived in Iowa City on January 1, 1951. During his 34-year tenure as department head, Van Allen's responsibilities evolved to include participation in numerous university and department committees, supervision of an expanded administrative and technical staff and faculty, and development of the departmental budget. Dealing with increasingly complicated contracts and administrative procedures and recruiting personnel were in addition to Van Allen's teaching and research duties. Van Allen's concern for the physics department and the university led him to be an active participant in the efforts to improve and expand the facilities within the physics department and the university. This arduous task resulted in a new Physics Research Center, a radio telescope, an optical observatory, and a particle accelerator for the department. At the university level, Van Allen and Dr. E. F. Lindquist of testing services combined forces to obtain the university's first digital computer in the early 1960s. In later years, Van Allen was also instrumental in the planning and establishment of a campus wide computer center, and he supervised the expansion of the computer facilities within the physics department. Each of these activities is documented within this collection through proposals, correspondence, and reports. Scope and Contents of CollectionMISSION ENGINEERING PAPERS, Boxes 1-11, contain material created and collected by engineers, technicians, and graduate students responsible for building and testing instrumentation. Much of this collection contains highly technical material required in the construction and testing phases of placing scientific payloads into space. This collection is somewhat limited becausse in some instances a general mission file was established by the project manager who subsumed all material including engineering papers. Consequently such material would be retained in The Project Manager's Mission Papers. Moreover, in many cases, the engineers retained their files after leaving the University of Iowa. These papers are also divided into the same ten subseries as explained in the Project Manager Papers. Missions documented in this collection include Injun II, OGO I, Explorers 33 and 35, Injun V, Pioneers 10 and 11, and the Hawkeye satellite. Other Related MaterialsThis finding aid originates from a guide that contains other collections related to James A. Van Allen (click links below for the online finding aids for these collections):
Although the guide was published as one edition, the four individual finding aids have been encoded separately. Therefore, users who find cross-references in this file should be prepared to consult the related finding aids if necessary. Materials Separated from CollectionThe following materials were removed from the James A. Van Allen Papers and the related collections.
The following is a listing of the acronyms and abbreviations contained in the James A. Van Allen Papers and related collections.
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