When the United States Congress created NASA, part of its charge was to disseminate to the public the product of its research and exploration. NASA began almost immediately to do so and its publications have continued to this day. Although there are a variety of NASA publications, the ones of most interest to collectors are the Special Publications (SPs), Educational Publications (EPs), Conference Publications (CPs), Reference Publications (RPs) and Technical Memoranda (TMs).

By the spring of 1966, the number of SPs was large enough to warrant the printing of a small (35 page) booklet listing each of them with a short summary of its content. By 1983, it took a 127 page Special Publication (#470) simply to list the titles. This essay is meant to provide some modest information on the NASA Special Publications to those who seek to collect them.

The NASA SPs fall into the following areas:

General Publications (SP- <1000)

The first six SPs published do not carry an SP number and were printed before the series was given a name in mid 1962. The very first of these was a 123-page book entitled “NASA-Industry Program Plans Conference” published in September of 1960. This was soon followed with other conference reports. Of these early reports, the most desirable and scarce for collectors are “Proceedings of a Conference on Results of the First U.S. Manned Suborbital Space Flight”(July 1961) and of the Second U.S. Manned Suborbital Space Flight, July 21, 1961” (September 1961). The prior of course was a report on Alan Shepard’s flights, emphasizing the medical aspects, while the latter reported the flight of Gus Grissom. This report set the pace for later “Results of…” volumes featuring individual chapters on a variety of topics, including medical aspects, the pilot’s report, and a transcript of flight communications.

It was not until January 1964 that the “Results of the Project Mercury Ballistic and Orbital Chimpanzee Flights” (SP-39) was published. This rare document provided an account of the suborbital flight of “Ham” and the orbital flight of “Enos”. Rarely seen outside of libraries that are government depositories, this is one of the most sought after SPs.

Other SPs are not nearly as interesting to most collectors. “Advanced Bearing Technology” (SP-38), “Effect of Ionizing Radiation on a Series of Saturated Polyesters” (SP-58, November 1964), “IEEE-NASA Symposium on the Definition and Measurement of Short-Term Frequency Stability” (SP-80, November 1965) are examples, despite their important contribution to expanding knowledge in their respective fields.

Often, the early NASA SPs yield some wonderful text and photos for the avid fan of NASA’s early manned space flight program. The multiple National Conferences on the Peaceful Uses of Space are one example. Photos of early Apollo design projections, and specific aspects of Project Gemini or Mercury generally not found elsewhere are common.

By 1983, there were almost 500 publications in the general series (SP-<1000), published under the auspices of the Scientific and Technical Branch. On the occasion of its 25^th anniversary, NASA published SP-470 “Records of Achievement; NASA Special Publications” listing all of the SPs to date. Of further interest was the sales record of the various SPs. Perhaps predictably, the “coffee table” Earth imagery books were the biggest sellers.

                Other best sellers included “Mission to Earth: Landsat views the World” (SP-360), the Skylab series (SP-399-402), “The Martian Landscape” (SP-425), “Voyage to Jupiter” (SP-439), and “Voyages to Saturn” (SP-451). These press runs are in stark contrast to the under 5,000 or even 1,500 runs for volumes in the NASA History Series (SP-4000 series).

                Of even more contrast are the current prices of many of these volumes compared to the original Government Printing Office (GPO) price tag. It’s not unusual to find one of these stamped with a GPO price of 75 cents and a current price of $50 or more. The “Results of the Project Mercury Ballistic and Orbital Chimpanzee Flights” (SP-39) was originally priced at 45 cents. In 1998 it sold at auction for over $300.  “X-15 Research Results, With a Selected Bibliography” (SP-60) sold originally for 55 cents. Today, if it can be found, it typically goes for $400 or more.

The NASA History Series Reference Works (SP-40XX series)

                These are most typically seen in softbound editions, but most were also released in hardbound, but in very low press runs. In more recent years, the NASA History Office has published more in hardback.

                Beginning in the year 2000, the NASA History Office has begun adding the year of publication to the SP number.

                The SP-40XX series is designed to provide researchers with basic reference material on the activities of NASA.  Most of the volumes in this series are not narratives, but are chronologies (short descriptions of events by date) and data books (tables and charts providing basic facts without interpretation). "Space Medicine in Project Mercury" (SP-4003) is a notable exception. Written by Mae Mills Link of the Office of Manned Space Flight, this 198-page volume is a basic historical narrative of medical concerns surrounding the Project Mercury flights. The scarce publication includes a short review of aerospace medicine, Mercury chimpanzee flights and the manned Mercury flights. Its very presence as one of the earlier NASA Special Publications seems to reflect the high priority given in the early 1960s to space medicine.

                Only the manned space flights were apparently worthy of chronologies. The first such chronology and indeed the first SP-4000 volume was on Project Mercury (SP-4001). James M. Grimwood of the Historical Branch of the Manned Space Craft Center in Houston compiled this 238 page book also numbered as MSC Publication HR-1. Grimwood went back to 1944 in identifying major events leading to Project Mercury and by 1958 moves into almost a day by day accounting of the program. The last entry, June 12, 1963 recounts James Webb’s testimony before the Senate Space Committee, stating, “there will be no further Mercury shots.” Ten appendices include data, launch site, and budget summaries, contractors, and launch vehicle deliveries to the Cape. A very convenient index allows researchers to locate specific information. The book includes, as do the other manned space flight chronologies, many black and white illustrations and diagrams. The Mercury chronology is an excellent resource for information about Project Mercury. Where else could one read about “Gentle Bess”, the pig McDonnell used to test the Mercury spacecraft landing impact. By the way, McDonnell discovered that pigs tend not to survive for long periods of time on their backs even when not dropped in a spacecraft!

                Project Gemini had its turn when in 1969 NASA published its chronology (SP-4002) compiled by Grimwood, Barton C. Hacker and Peter J. Vorzimmer. It is a similar, but slightly longer (308pp) publication. It's possible by reading this volume to trace the development and later rejection of the paraglider allowing for a ground landing. Also of interest are early proposals and designs for a lunar lander to be used with the Gemini spacecraft.

                It took NASA four volumes to complete a chronology of the Apollo Spacecraft (SP-4209). This set is quite comprehensive and difficult to obtain. Volume 1 (269pp), compiled by Ivan D. Ertel and Mary Louise Morse is the most common, covering to November 7, 1962. Volume 2 (277pp) by Morse and Jean Kernahan Bays, takes us to September 30, 1964. Volume 3 (286pp) compiled by Courtney G. Brooks and Ertel continues to January 20, 1966, while Volume 4 (463pp) by Ertel, Roland W. Newkirk and Brooks completes the set, ending in anticipation of the fifth anniversary of Apollo 11 on July 13, 1974.

                Of these four books, Volume 4 is typically the most sought after because it includes the Apollo 204 fire and all of the manned flights. All volumes contain excellent illustrations and interesting details of the flights. For example, these are a particularly good resource for those trying to track the use of Apollo boilerplate spacecraft used in tests.

                The Skylab chronology (SP-4011) is the last of the manned volumes. Newkirk, Ertel and Brooks compiled this 458-page book that treats the four Skylab flights as well as development. To this date, no chronology per se has been published for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project or for the Space Shuttle in this series. "A Chronology of Space Shuttle Flights, 1981-2000" as been published by NASA as HHR-70, October , 2000.

                The Astronautics and Aeronautics series are a basic reference to major events of this type for the year. They contain a great deal of information, are indexed, but typically include no illustrations. These are useful in examining the chronological context in which events occurred or decisions were made. They are not for the casual reader! In the 1960s, a book was published for each calendar year. More recently, a single volume has covered five years in the same number of pages.

The NASA History Series Management Series (SP-41XX series) 

                The SP-41XX series is composed of histories on the management aspects of NASA, including works on specific persons as well as more general works. The first in this series is “An Administrative History of NASA, 1958-1963” (SP-4101) written by Dr. Robert L. Rosholt under a contract to the University of Minnesota and published in 1966. Rosholt’s purpose, according to the preface to the book, was to “focus on NASA administrative matters, not on the specific content of NASA’s programs and policies.” Rosholt provides a chronological rather than topical approach to this history, providing a brief history of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) then moving to Sputnik and the creation of NASA. Later chapters include the organizational changes surrounding the Huntsville transfer, the Goddard Institute, and NASA Headquarters. A significant portion of the book deals with management under James Webb and preparation for the manned lunar program. In the foreword, NASA Administer James Webb pays tribute to Rosholt’s work, and then proceeds to differ with his findings on NASA in the years since 1961 and offers some alternate explanations!

                It was 16 years until the second volume in this series was published, “Managing NASA in the Apollo Era” (SP-4102) by Arnold S. Levine. Perhaps historians feared to some extent NASA administrators’ review powers. Again, James Webb, now retired, wrote the foreword and provided a rebuttal to some of Levine’s writing. Levine’s effort was to examine the management, both formal and informal, during the years when NASA grew in size almost exponentially, facing the demands of John F. Kennedy’s goal of placing a “man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.” Levine analyzes the headquarters organization, the acquisition process, manpower policy, program planning, budget, as well as long range planning. An included quotation from Werhner von Braun reflects the challenges of management, “we can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.”

                “Model Research; The National Advisory Committee 1915-1958” (SP-4103) was written by Alex Roland. Volume one traces the history of the NACA from its inception to its recreation as NASA. It is comprehensive and detailed covering the aviation work of the NACA. Volume two is composed of appendices that include pertinent legislation, committees, budget, personnel, facilities, etc.

                The fourth volume in this series is “ NASA Engineers and the Age of Apollo” (SP-4104) written by Sylvia Doughty Fries. Fries was NASA’s Chief Historian from 1983 to 1990. For this 216-page volume, she interviewed 51 NASA engineers who worked on the Apollo program. The book is essentially Fries’ narrative rewrite of the interviews with little analysis of patterns. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see the variety of backgrounds of NASA engineers and what brought them to the program.

                The last two books to date in this series are autobiographical in nature: “The Birth of NASA; The Diary of T. Keith Glennan” (SP-4105) and “Aiming at Targets; The Autobiography of Robert C. Seamans, Jr.” (SP-4106). Glennan of course was the first Administrator of NASA and his diary provides us with an excellent day-by-day reckoning of the uncertainty and excitement of those early years.

                In his role as Deputy Administrator, Robert Seamans was in a unique position to tell the story of the Apollo program. As a result, the book is filled with material from the insider’s perspective, including his handling of the Apollo 204 fire.

                For the casual person interested in the adventurous side of space exploration, the management histories probably seem dull in comparison to the more popular books on manned spaceflight. But for those persons seriously interested in the history of NASA, they hold great promise.

The NASA History Series Project Histories (SP-42XX series)

                The SP-42XX series is composed of histories of various NASA projects and is perhaps the series of most interest to readers and collectors as it offers the official NASA histories of Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo among others. The series was inaugurated in 1966 with “This New Ocean; A History of Project Mercury” (NASA SP-4201), written by Loyd Swenson, Jr., James Grimwood and Charles Alexander. Grimwood was Johnson Space Center historian at the time. The title of the book came from President John F. Kennedy’s address at Rice University in Houston where he spoke about sailing “on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained…”. “This New Ocean” is a strong, comprehensive work including a 100 page section on the lure of space, examining space literature, aeronautics, rocket research and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Parts two and three of the book speak to the development of Project Mercury and operations. Seven appendices contain information on  functional organization, workflow, organizational flow charts, flight data, personnel growth costs, and the Project Mercury tracking net.  The book is well illustrated with 50 or more B&W photos of all aspects of Project Mercury.

            It was four years until the next volume in this series was published, “Vanguard—A History” (NASA SP-4202) by Constance McLaughlin Green and Milton Lomask. Interestingly, Charles Lindbergh wrote the foreword to this volume, giving tribute to Robert Goddard. The volume is an excellent history of the Vanguard project, the U.S.’ s second satellite in space, including onboard experiments, instrumentation, tracking systems and test firings.

            Another seven years elapsed until the publication of SP-4203, “On the Shoulders of Titans; A History of Project Gemini” by Barton Hacker and James Grimwood. The oft overlooked intermediate step to the moon between Mercury and Apollo received excellent treatment. Of particular interest to enthusiasts are the lesser known aspects and programs related to Gemini, the Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory, Dyna-Soar, the paraglider and various lunar orbiting and lander concepts. The book is well illustrated with both B&W photos and a number of color plates.

            After “Titans”, the publishing pace accelerated. “Moonport; A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations (NASA SP-4204) by Charles Benson and William Faherty was published in 1978. “Moonport” was the first of six volumes in this series specifically on Project Apollo. This is perhaps the scarcest of the NASA history publications and extremely difficult to find in hardback. Fortunately, it has been republished by the University Press of Florida in two volumes, “Gateway to the Moon” and “Moon Launch!” “Moonport” is physically notable for its publication in a beige cover rather than the traditional Navy blue of the other early manned spaceflight histories. It provides excellent coverage of the development of Kennedy Space Center facilities for the Saturn V and Project Apollo. This was a huge undertaking in some ways equivalent in difficulty to the more obvious moon flights. The authors also effectively examined the operational challenges of Project Apollo at the Cape, including the Apollo 204 fire. This section includes the story of Thomas Baron, a North American employee, who expressed severe concerns about the Apollo Command Module before the fire. All in all, it’s a great volume with Appendices covering launches of the Saturn I and IB, launch complex 39, the Apollo 9 & 14 countdowns and the Apollo 11 LC-39 processing.

            The fifth book of the NASA Project Histories is “Chariots for Apollo; A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft” (NASA SP-4205) by Courtney Brooks, James Grimwood and Loyd Swenson, Jr. Unfortunately, this volume is often confused with the book “Chariots for Apollo: The Untold Story Behind the Race to the Moon” by Charles Pellegrino and Joshua Stoff which while though filled with entertaining anecdotes, is not nearly the academic work that this book is. “Chariots” covers the development and operation of the command, service and lunar modules through the Apollo 11 flight. The authors contributed one of the strongest volumes in the NASA history series. Well illustrated with over 50 B&W photos. Our only regret is that it does not include the later lunar flights with the lunar rover.

            “Stages to Saturn; A Technological History of the Apollo/Saturn Launch Vehicles” (NASA SP-4206) was written by Roger Bilstein and published in 1980.  The emphasis of course is on the Saturn series of launch vehicles. Bilstein compiled a top notch treatise on the development of the H-1, F-1, RL-10 and J-2 engines as well as the broader launch vehicle. Also covered are the trials of design and testing. Appendices include a schematic of the Saturn V, the prelaunch-launch sequence, Saturn flight history and contractors. Over 50 B&W photos complete the volume.

            The NASA History Office, for reasons unknown to us, did not publish a NASA SP-4207. This number was no doubt reserved for a title, which was never delivered.

            Beginning with NASA SP-4208, “Living and Working in Space; A History of Skylab”, the History Office moved away from the conservative deep blue cover with gold titling to a more contemporary look.  Authored by W. David Compton and Charles Benson, “Living and Working” examines the rich Apollo Applications program which yielded the United States’ first space station. The book is thorough, examining other space station proposals beginning in 1962 and through the deorbit and breakup of Skylab.

            “The Partnership; A History of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project” (NASA SP-4209) by Edward Ezell and Linda Neuman Ezell is interesting because the Ezells began note taking for this volume while ASTP was under way. In the preface they note that much of the research is based upon oral “histories” because they sat in on so many meetings and read many participants mail! What emerges from the effort is a nice volume on a space effort that was as much political as technological. ASTP is covered well from the Cold War spirit of the 1950s through splashdown.

            R. Cargill Hall’s “Lunar Impact; A History of Project Ranger” (NASA SP-4210) was published in 1977. Project Ranger was, of course, an important step toward eventual manned flight to the moon. It followed a troubled path that included Congressional investigations into failed probes. Hall managed to tell not only the technological history, but also a story of working relationships. This is an excellent volume sometimes overlooked unfortunately in favor of the books on manned spaceflight.

            In 1980, NASA defined the project history as being broader than a single program. “Beyond the Atmosphere; Early Years of Space Science” (NASA SP-4211) was the result. Authored by Homer Newell, the book covers the gamut of space science from upper atmosphere research to satellite geodesy, but Newell also managed to explore administrative issues at NASA, the question of whether the Jet Propulsion Laboratory was an insider or outsider and international ties in the area of space science. There is something here for everyone.

            "On Mars; Exploration of the Red Planet 1958-1978" (SP-4212) is a fine history of Mars probes during these years by Edward and Linda Ezell. The Mariner, Voyager, Viking Orbiter and Viking Lander programs are covered from both political and scientific perspectives to afford a cohesive view of Mars research rather than the usual narrow study of one program. The Ezells cover well the controversy of the possibility life on Mars and the book is well illustrated with numerous B&W photographs.

            An early concern in the U.S. manned space program was the health and safety of the astronauts in an relatively unknown environment--the weightlessness of space. Accordingly, NASA physicians were extremely cautious about the risks to astronauts and biomedical research was (and still is) and important area of research. In "The Human Factor; Biomedicine in the Manned Space Program to 1980" (SP-4213), author John Pitts traces the efforts in this direction from Project Mercury through Apollo and Skylab. In doing so, he takes time to examine the "biopolitics" of manned spaceflight as well

             The Project Histories had previously included studies of the Saturn launch vehicle ("Stages to Saturn") and the Apollo Command and Lunar Modules ("Chariots for Apollo") and in 1989, the NASA History Office published William Compton's fine book "Where No Man Has Gone Before; A History of Lunar Exploration Missions" (SP-4214). With a tip of the hat to Star Trek fans and a frontispiece illustration of Alan Bean's painting "The Hammer and Feather", Compton examines the actual lunar explorations. Compton begins his study in 1957 inevitably with some overlap with other works, but provides a strong presentation from the perspective of lunar exploration, including the controversy of handling lunar samples and the scientific aspects of the flights. Appendices include lunar exploration planning, crew training and simulations and a brief essay on Apollo 13.

            An often overlooked volume in the Project History series is "First Among Equals; The Selection of NASA Space Science Experiments" (SP-4215). John Naugle, in a fascinating volume, describes the origins and early traditions of experiment selection beginning with the International Geophysical Year in 1957,  Vanguard and the transformation of the NACA into NASA and the creation of the Space Science Board. Naugle also covers the tension between Homer Newell and Goddard and JPL, as well as the impact of James Webb's leadership.

             In more recent years under the leadership of Roger Launius (former Chief Historian of NASA), the Project History series has blossomed. These include a volume devoted to the Boeing 737 Flying Laboratory (SP-4216) and  "Beyond the Ionosphere; Fifty Years of Satellite Communication" (SP-4217). Andrew Butrica's "To See the Unseen; A History of Planetary Radar Astronomy" (SP-4218) is a significant, detailed work in this field, covering both the development of radar astronomy and the discoveries of Jodrell Bank and others.

            Pamela Mack served as editor of one of the most interesting and diverse NASA Histories, "From Engineering Science to Big Science; The NACA and NASA Collier Trophy Research Project Winners" (SP-4219). The unassuming title hides a volume of 16 essays on Research and Development projects which won the Collier. These include thermal de-icing, research in breaking the sound barrier, the X-15 hypersonic flight program, managing America to the moon, Skylab, LANDSAT, Voyager, the space shuttle's first flight and others. A wonderfully insightful book.

            If you remember the opening of the Six Million Dollar Man TV series, you'll also remember the crash of the M2-F2, covered extensively in R. Dale Reed's "Wingless Flight; The Lifting Body Story" (SP-4220) cowritten with Darlene Lister. Reed is well versed to write a book on the 8 lifting bodies research at the NASA Flight Research Center at Edwards as he began working at Dryden in 1953. A personal story with enough technical data for the interested layperson or engineer.

            Noted historian and writer T.A. Heppenheimer wrote "The Space Shuttle Decision; NASA's Search for a Reusable Space Vehicle" (SP-4221).  Heppenheimer begins with a look back at winged spacecraft, springing from the Collier's series in the early 1950s through the work of Sanger, the X-15, Dyna-Soar and on to long involved work of pitching a shuttle to the Nixon administration.

            The fun continues with J.D. Hunley's "Toward Mach 2: The Douglas D-558 Program" (SP-4222). Much of this volume is actually a transcription of a symposium with Richard Hallion. Robert Champine, Scott Crossfield and others on the D-558, but it also includes 48 previously confidential documents (mostly memos) on the aircraft. A fascinating book.

            Former Johnson Space Center historian Glen Swanson edited together a series of oral interviews with notable NASA figures to give us "Before this Decade is Out...; Personal Reflections on the Apollo Program" (SP-4223). This is an invaluable collection of statements from James Webb, Thomas Paine, Wernher von Braun, Robert Gilruth, Eugene Kranz, Glynn Lunney, Charles Duke, Harrison Schmitt, Maxime Faget and others. A virtual feast for the Apollo enthusiast.

            Other volumes in the Project History Series examine the use of computers in digital fly by wire, a history NASA's Icing Research Tunnel and a history of the Deep Space Network.