Records of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident
Information for Researchers:- Introduction
- Indices
- Index to the P.C. Series:
- Indices to the "C.C." Series and Audiovisual Records
- Documentary Materials
- The P.C. Series
- Transcripts
- The "C.C." Series
- Affidavits
- Videotapes
- Sound Recordings
- Contact Information
Introduction:
The Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, chaired by former Secretary of State William P. Rogers, investigated the circumstances surrounding the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger shortly after liftoff on January 28, 1986. The Commission was established in February 1986, pursuant to Executive Order 12546, and it issued its final report in June 1986. At the conclusion of its investigation, the records of the Commission were transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for permanent preservation. They have been accessioned in the Records of Temporary Committees, Commissions, and Boards (Record Group 220) [see entry 220.19, Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States (1995)], and are available to the public.
The records of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident in the custody of NARA are in several media, and custody of the records within the NARA varies accordingly. The paper and microfilm records are available from the Textual Archives Services Division, National Archives at College Park; the electronic records (i.e., the computer-readable data files) are in the custody of the Center for Electronic Records, and the video and audio tapes are in the custody of the Motion Picture, Sound and Video unit, Special Media Archives Services Division.
Researchers should note that there is considerable, but not complete, overlap between the textual records on paper or microfilm and the textual records that are stored in an electronic format. Therefore, in order to review all textual records of the Commission, a researcher should consider the paper, microfilm, and electronic records. Each of the custodial units has finding aids to supplement the following brief description; they describe the Challenger Commission records more extensively.
Index to the P.C. Series: The reports, photographs, and other materials submitted to the Commission, as well as some of the Commission's correspondence and internal memoranda, referred to as "P.C." (preliminary control) Series documents, were microfilmed and indexed by Commission staff. The index, which includes bibliographic, control, and subject matter information about the P.C. documents, was developed and maintained on a computer. It was referred to as the INQUIRE Index, and was so named because of the software system utilized by the Commission for retrieval and review from the index. Several printouts of the INQUIRE Index were produced by the Commission staff. They list all of the documents by date, by PC control number (i.e., in chronological order on the basis of the arrival of paper to the Commission), by subject term, and by document number (i.e., location on the microfilm).
The INQUIRE Index was transferred to NARA in the form of the printouts and as a software-independent electronic records file. The printouts subsequently were microfiched at NARA and copies of the index may be acquired on either paper (electrostatic copies of the printouts), microfiche, or as an electronic records file on computer readable media (9-track tape, 3480-class tape cartridge, or CD-ROM; see "Ordering Information for Electronic Records"). The microfiche of the printed index is National Archives Microfilm Publication M1501, Indexes to Records of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle "Challenger" Accident, 1986 (30 cards, microfiche). This microfilm publication may be ordered or may be viewed in the Microfilm Research Room of the National Archives at College Park.
Indices to the "C.C." Series and Audiovisual Records: The Textual Archives Services Division also has an index, on paper, to the "C.C." (correspondence of the Commission) Series. It also has a list of the interview transcripts and of the sound recordings and video tapes preserved and available from the Motion Picture, Sound, and Video unit, Special Media Archives Services Division.
The P.C. Series: reports, photographs, and other materials submitted to the Commission by NASA and its contractors to provide background information on technical aspects of the Space Shuttle program; also includes some of the Commission's correspondence and internal memorandum.
- These records are preserved in paper and are available
from the Textual Archives Services Division. There are 148 boxes of this
material.
- The P.C. Series documents also have been microfilmed as
National Archives Microfilm Publication M1496, "Challenger" Commission P.C. Numbered
Documents, 1986. (73 rolls). This microfilm publication may be
ordered or may be viewed in the Microfilm Research Room of the National
Archives at College Park.
- An electronic records file identified as a Reports Text
File, includes the text of 7 reports received by the Commission;
a copy may be acquired from the Center for Electronic Records.
- These records are preserved in paper and are available
from the Textual Archives Services Division. There are 148 boxes of this
material.
Transcripts: of the Commission's various panels which investigated a variety of technical issues; of hearings held by the full Commission; and of interviews conducted by Commission staff members with employees of NASA and its contractors. The transcripts have been published and are also preserved in electronic format, with a few exceptions.
- Transcripts of the panels (meetings): the electronic
records file has transcripts for 54 panel meetings; one of these is
not in the paper records. Transcripts for two additional panels
are in paper but are not included in the electronic records file.
-
Transcripts of hearings appear to exist identically in
published and electronic formats, but this has not been
completely verified. The electronic data file includes
transcripts of 62 hearings. In addition, there is an electronic
records file called Digests Text File which has abstracts for 48 of
the hearings conducted by the Commission. The abstracts are not
available on paper.
- Transcripts of interviews exist in both paper and
electronic formats, with a few exceptions. The electronic records
file includes transcripts for 160 interviews conducted by the
Commission; there are 12 additional interview transcripts in the
paper records.
- Transcripts of the panels (meetings): the electronic
records file has transcripts for 54 panel meetings; one of these is
not in the paper records. Transcripts for two additional panels
are in paper but are not included in the electronic records file.
- "C.C." Series: correspondence of the Commission, primarily
letters received from the public, and some from journalists and
members of Congress. They are preserved in their original paper
format.
-
Affidavits: the electronic records include a file with the text of three affidavits taken by the Commission. The paper records do not contain a segregated affidavits file, making it difficult to determine the relationship between the electronic records file and the affidavits in the paper records.
- Videotapes of the launch, press conferences, Commission
meetings, and other events. These are preserved and available
through the Motion Picture, Sound, and Video unit, Special Media
Archives Services Division (Fourth
Floor, Research Complex, National Archives at College Park).
Sound recordings of a majority of the interviews and hearings conducted by the Commission. These are also preserved and available through the Motion Picture, Sound, and Video unit, Special Media Archives Services Division.
Contact Information
Textual Archives Services Division, National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001; telephone: (301) 837-3480; e-mail: inquire@nara.gov.
Center for Electronic Records, Reference Services, National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001; telephone: (301) 837-0470; e-mail: cer@nara.gov.
Motion Picture, Sound, and Video unit, Special Media Archives Services Division, National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001; telephone: (301) 837-3420; e-mail mopix@nara.gov.
Supervisory Archivist, Reference Services
Center for Electronic Records
June 1989 (rev 2/99, tjh)
Electronic and Special Media Records Services Division Main Page
