The NASA History Program was first established in 1959 (a year after NASA itself was formed) and has continued to document and preserve the Agency’s remarkable history through a variety of products. The NASA History Division serves two key functions: 1) fulfilling the mandate of the 1958 “National Aeronautics and Space Act” calling for NASA to disseminate aerospace information as widely as possible, and 2) helping NASA managers understand and thus benefit from the study of past accomplishment and difficulties. In addition to serving internal NASA customers, the NASA History Program is of great interest to a variety of people who follow aerospace activities, including scholars, journalists, and students. While most NASA History Division products are scholarly in nature, they are also largely accessible to interested audiences.
The NASA History Division publishes new books on aerospace history every year, as well as several monographs. A number of publications are available online, especially
out-of-print books, in addition to a variety of other special Web exhibits and information sources. The division publishes a quarterly newsletter and an annual review of activities, also available online.
The American Historical Association annually awards one fellowship for research in aerospace history sponsored by the History Division. The History Division also sponsors the NASA Fellowship in the History of Space Technology, through the Society of the History of Technology, as well as the History of Science Society Fellowship in the History of Space Science. More information is available at the division Web site and the Web sites of these professional societies
The division also sponsors internships for undergraduate students.
In addition to its own very extensive Web site, the History Division also hosts the encyclopedic Apollo Lunar Surface Journal and the Centennial of Flight Web site.
For further information, please go straight to our main Web site or contact Dr. Steven J. Dick, (steven.j.dick@nasa.gov), NASA Chief Historian
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