Bright Ideas
from the National Archives for NHD 1999
Resources at the
Gerald Ford Presidential Library
The Creation of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
The Office of Science and Technology, which was disbanded during the Nixon administration, was resurrected in 1976 under legislation proposed by President Ford with the expanded title of Office of Science and Technology Policy. Materials documenting the creation and role of the Office during the mid-1970's are located in many collections, including the files of Glenn R. Schleede, Domestic Council Associate Director for Energy and Science; the papers of H. Guyford Stever, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, 1976-77; and White House Central Files (WHCF) Subject File category FG 6-33: Office of Science and Technology Policy at the Ford Library.
The Americans and Soviets Meet in Space
While the American and Russian space programs routinely cooperate on joint projects in space today, most notably on the Russian space station Mir, the first collaborative step into space occurred in 1975 with the Apollo-Soyuz space venture. The role and significance of this joint project and its impact on US-USSR relations is documented in White House Central Files (WHCF) Subject File categories OS 3: Space Flight and OS 3-1: Astronauts, and several other collections at the Ford Library.
The History of the Space Shuttle
U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Historical Office: Oral Histories and Publications. This collection at the Ford Libraryconsists of materials collected by NASA's Office of the Historian while writing its history of the Space Shuttle. Included are a chronology of selected events and oral history interviews with individual involved in moving the Space Shuttle project forward, such as John Ehrlichman, James Fletcher, Don Rice, H. Guyford Stever, and Casper Weinberger. The Ford Library has additional materials in several other collections, including information on the selection of Enterprise as the name of the first space shuttle.
Redesigning the Space Shuttle Rocket Booster
H. Guyford Stever, President Ford's science adviser, served as Director of the National Science Foundation, 1972-76, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, 1976-77. Following the Challenger disaster in 1986, Dr. Stever served on the Panel to Redesign the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster, 1986-89. Materials at the Ford Library include reports and background information on what went wrong during the Challenger launch and what changes were recommended by the panel.
H. Guyford Stever: served as science adviser to President Ford, Director of the National Science Foundation, 1972-76, and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, 1976-77. In 1989, Dr. Stever served on the National Research Council's Committee on the Human Exploration of Space, which explored all aspects of civil space policy. The Committee's recommendations were presented to President George Bush as recommendations for space program directions. Stevers' papers are available at the Ford Library.
