Foreword by Michael Collins. This volume consists of papers presented at the First AAS History Symposium held at the National Air & Space Museum. In aerostatics, Roger Pineau treats ballooning since 1783 and Richard K. Smith covers the airship since 1904. Tom D. Crouch addresses general aviation since 1919, Robert L. Perry considers military aeronautics since 1908, and Richard P. Hallion discusses the evolution of commercial aviation. R. Cargill Hall treats the principal forces and conditions that shaped the unmanned space program since World War II, and Edward C. Ezell describes American manned flight through Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab to Apollo-Soyuz and the Shuttle. Many illustrations, tabulations. Index.

“[TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF FLIGHT IN AMERICA] . . . will become a bible because I know that of all the men in it associated with space and aviation, you probably have a greater and more accurate grasp of what has passed than any . . . .”
Senator Barry Goldwater
(letter to editor, January 17, 1978).
 

“You have done a wonderful job editing TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF FLIGHT IN AMERICA . . . .  There is a world of information in this book-lots of memories brought back by the photographs . . . all extremely well put together.”
Senator John Glenn
(letter to editor, May 4, 1982).

Volume 2, AAS History Series
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUTICAL SOCIETY:  HISTORICAL REFLECTIONS AND PROJECTIONS,
1954-1979, Edited by Eugene M. Emme, 1980, 248p.
Hard Cover $25.00 (ISBN 0-87703-117-7)
Soft Cover $15.00 (ISBN 0-87703-118-5).

Memoir papers by founders, most past AAS presidents, and editors, with commentaries by S. F. Singer, F. C. Durant, III, G. W. Hoover, R. L. Gervais, and C. Sheffield. Presents the story of founding of the American Astronautical Society from its beginnings in New York to its growth into a prestigious international society. Most contributors have been active in space technology for many years. Appended are biographics, list of AAS conferences and publications, and other reference material. Many illustrations. Index.

“The editor has managed to epitomize the history of a prestigious and important professional society in American science and technology by selecting and organizing material that covers all essential aspects of the founding, growth, and accomplishments of the organization . . . .”
Technology and Culture
(July 1981).

“May serve as a nostalgic vehicle for members but, more importantly, as a record of the history of the first phases of the Space Age . . . .”
New York Public Library
New Technical Books (1981).

Volume 3, AAS History Series
BETWEEN SPUTNIK AND THE SHUTTLE:  NEW PERSPECTIVES ON AMERICAN ASTRONAUTICS,
1957-1980, Edited by Frederick C. Durant, III, 1981, 350p.
Hard Cover $40.00 (ISBN 0-87703-145-2)
Soft Cover $30.00 (ISBN 0-87703-149-5).

Papers of the Second AAS History Symposium. Contributions to space flight of U.S. presidents from Eisenhower to Carter are presented by the series editor, Eugene M. Emme. U.S. Congress and space is discussed by Eilene Galloway. Other topics include the political economy of American astronautics (Mary Holman and Theodore Suranyi-Unger), space law (Stephen E. Doyle), space transportation (John H. Disher), the history of liquid hydrogen propulsion (John L. Sloop), and space art (Frederick C. Durant, III). Lessons of Apollo for large-scale technology are treated by Robert C. Seamans, Jr. and Frederick I. Ordway, III. Many illustrations. Index.

“The ‘new perspectives’ of BETWEEN SPUTNIK AND THE SHUTTLE are similarly not so much new as filling out details ‘for a more comprehensive view’. . . .  If any one essay speaks for all it is Mary Holman and Theodore Suranyi-Unger’s ‘The Political Economy of American Astronautics,’ in which federal support is seen as essential for progress but which began to drop after 1965 . . .  and the subsequent end of the Golden Age of American Astronautics.
Aerospace Historian
(June 1982).

Volume 4, AAS History Series
THE ENDLESS SPACE FRONTIER:  A HISTORY OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND ASTRONAUTICS,
1959-1978, By Ken Hechler, abridged and edited by Albert E. Eastman, 1982, 460p.
Hard Cover $45.00 (ISBN 0-87703-157-6)

This is a candid history of space policy and budget deliberations of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, 1959 to 1978. It details the origins and evolution of the committee during the Chairman Overton Brooks years, 1959-1961; the race for the Moon; the Chairman Miller years; science, research and development, 1963-1969; Gemini and Apollo; space science, applications, and advanced research 1963-1969; the decision for the Space Shuttle; space science and applications in the 1970’s; and the committee’s interaction with the Senate space committees and the White House. Illustrations. Index.

“The Committee, now named ‘The House Committee on Science and Technology,’ has indeed contributed a great deal of America’s history and growth . . . .   Mr. Hechler’s efforts in relaying to the nation the story behind our proud scientific and technological advancements in space will be helpful and informative to a broad spectrum of readers . . . .”
Congressman Don Fuqua, Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, letter to AAS (May 4, 1982).

Volume 5, AAS History Series
SCIENCE FICTION AND SPACE FUTURES: PAST AND PRESENT,
Edited by Eugene M. Emme, 1982, 278p.
Hard Cover $35.00 (ISBN 0-87703-172-X)
Soft Cover $25.00 (ISBN 0-87703-173-8).

This volume consists of papers from the Third AAS History Symposium, among them contributions by William S. Bainbridge, Tom D. Crouch, Ron Miller, Frederick I. Ordway, III and Jesco von Puttkamer. Delphi panel discusses “The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy” chaired by Charles Sheffield with Mark Chartrand, W.S. Bainbridge, J. Anderson Dorman, and David C. Webb. Papers span space futures from Lucien to Sputnik, space movies and art, the relation of science fact to science fiction, religion for a galactic civilization, new humanism in the space venture, and current attitudes toward science fiction. Includes a detailed account of development and filming of 2001: A Space Odyssey by its technical advisor, Fred Ordway. Numerous illustrations, index, and an “Eclectic Bibliography on the History of Space Futures” compiled by the editor that includes a bibliography of Arthur C. Clarke’s non-fiction writings, the forecasts of Krafft Ehricke’s “Anthropology of Astronautics,” and others.

“. . . the science-fiction fan is sure to enjoy this examination of the historical role and effects of speculative scientific fiction and film on real-world attitudes and achievements in space exploration.”
Air Force Magazine
(March 1983).

“. . . papers gathered in this book do show a fascinating interaction between space developments to date and the images of science fiction writers.”
Annals of Science 42
(1985).

This volume contains the proceedings of a special AAS History Coloquium held in conjunction with the AAS 1989 Annual Conference. The work considers the history of liquid rocket engine development in the United States 1955-1980. Separate papers, contributed by the original participants, address the development of the Titan liquid rocket engines, the Thor/Delta engine, the Atlas engine, the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME - the first ten years), and the RL 10 (Centaur) liquid hydrogen-oxygen Upper Stage engine which has flown as an upper stage on numerous space missions. Only history of its kind on U.S. rocket engines. Extensively illustrated. Index.

On August 12, 1960, the United States orbited the world’s first communication satellite. It quickly demonstrated the viability of the concept of using such an object to relay messages from one point on the Earth to another without requiring wires or depending on perfect atmospheric conditions. During its almost eight-year lifespan this satellite, named Echo I, also allowed scientists and technicians to conduct a number of other experiments involving an object in orbit at an altitude of 1000 miles. An unqualified success for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Echo I gave the United States a lifetime of utility and a badly needed public relations triumph.

Out from Behind the Eight-Ball: A History of Project Echo tells the story of Project Echo. It traces the concept back to the idea for an inflatable sphere to be placed in outer space, first suggested by William J. O’Sullivan, Jr., then examines how John Robinson Pierce of the Bell Laboratories connected his idea for a communication satellite with a larger version of the balloon satellite O’Sullivan had proposed. Other institutions soon became involved, and President Eisenhower approved the project in 1959. The book examines the building and launching of the 100-foot sphere, and concludes with an analysis of the significance of the venture. Utilizing numerous governmental and private archives, the author provides a vivid picture of one of the outstanding success stories in the history of the American space program. Numerous illustrations. Index.

Because of the timely nature of space policy formulation for the United States at the end of the 20th century, the History Committee of the AAS organized a session in conjunction with the 1993 AAS Annual Meeting to address the issues of formulations of space policy in earlier eras. It assembled a set of five presentations on the civil and military development of how and why space activities were organized and conducted for the period between the 1940s and the 1980s just as the Cold War was winding down. These five presentations, as well as additional perspectives added thereafter, have been included in this publication. The goal of this work is to record, in one place, the historical observations about astronautical policy-making developments offered by individuals from broad and divergent backgrounds, with differing perspectives on events.

Chapters topics include: “A Question of Antecedents: Peenemünde, JPL, and the Launching of U.S. Rocketry”; “Organizing for Space: The Popular Culture of the Cold War”; “The Eisenhower Administration and the Cold War: Framing American Astronautics to Serve National Security”; “Early U.S. Civil Space Policy, NASA, and the Aspiration of Space Exploration”; “NASA and the Challenge of Organizing for Exploration”; “Space Policy-Making in the White House: The Early Years of the National Aeronautics and Space Council”; “The United States Air Force Organizes for Space: The Operational Quest”; and “Developing a Management Structure for the Strategic Defense Initiative.” Illustrated. Index.

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