NASA
LYNDON B. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

In the summer of 1997, I was fortunate enough to coordinate the NASA/Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Oral History Project Summer Program in Houston. I developed the overall structure of the program and coordinated the research efforts of a staff of five summer graduate student interns, as well as coordinated with the various entities associated with the project—the oral history executive board, Signal Corporation, the library research liaison and other center historians. The summer staff began collecting an archive of research materials, completed 10 biographical profiles of interview candidates, and began the task of creating a database from which to track the interview candidates by mission, job title, and other pertinent information.

Seven interviews were conducted with astronauts, technicians, and engineers who had been involved with the space program. I interviewed astronauts John Glenn and Edgar D. Mitchell.

In addition, the summer program produced project guidebooks on research, video technology, and oral history, as well as a project scope and prospectus and a cohesive plan for conducting the NASA oral history project in the future. I feel very gratified in that the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project has gone on to add more than 1,000 interviews.