Saturn History Project

Collection

Identifier: MC-6

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Working papers, drafts, interviews.

Dates

Creation: 1989-01-01

Creator

Bilstein, Roger E. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research in the Archives & Special Collections reading room. Handling guidelines and use restrictions will be communicated and enforced by archives staff members.

Conditions Governing Use

This material may be protected under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research. Though the University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special Collections has physical ownership of the material in its collections, in some cases we may not own the copyright to the material. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in our collections.

Biographical Info

The Saturn History Project began in 1968, when NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center contracted the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s Research Institute to write an official NASA history of the development of the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo program. [1] The project was enacted with help from the Research Institute’s Director, Dr. Rudolph Hermann. [2] Hermann gave the project to university professors and historians Barton C. Hacker and John S. Beltz to write the biography. [3] These historians prepared “working papers” and conducted interviews with NASA scientists in Huntsville to research the history of the Saturn rockets’ development. [2]

The Saturn History Project faced several personnel changes in the ensuing years, but in 1970, history professor Dr. Roger E. Bilstein was brought on to serve as the Primary Investigator for the project at Marshall. [4] He worked on the project with UAH until 1974, when he moved to Houston to work as a professor for the University of Houston – Clear Lake. This University then assumed the responsibility of the project from UAH, and Dr. Bilstein continued to work as the principal author. [1]

Dr. Bilstein finished a first draft of the project in April of 1976, and the final product was published in 1980 as Stages to Saturn: A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles. [1]

Sources

[1] “University of Houston Clear Lake University Archives Inventory #2002-0003”, UAH Archives Saturn History Project Collection, Folder “Bilstein Stages to Saturn Inventory, Univ. of Houston Clear Lake”

[2] “Stages to Saturn”, by Roger E. Bilstein

[3] "Science Historians Join with Research Institute"

[4] “Bilstein (Roger E.) Personal Papers Background”

Extent

2 Linear feet (4 boxes.)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Roger E. Bilstein, 1989.

Processing Information

Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, and competing priorities. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections as they are acquired and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.