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Author
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Topic: Closure of Johnson Space Center History Project
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Michael Cassutt
Member Posts: 358
From: Studio City CA USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 04-05-2016 10:14 AM
   
In a classic case of institutional myopia, NASA Johnson Space Center closed its history project on March 31. Historian Jennifer Ross-Nazzal is leaving; support for the Oral History site and other immensely valuable activities is ceasing. I don't know a single writer on human spaceflight who hasn't found this project to be uniquely useful. I don't know what, if anything, can be done about this, but surely JSC leadership ought to know that some of us think this is a terrible decision. — Michael Cassutt, co-author of DEKE!, WE HAVE CAPTURE and author of the forthcoming ASTRONAUT MAKER |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-05-2016 11:07 AM
This is a tremendous loss.Even if the oral history website is maintained as a static resource, the lack of new interviews and other projects to capture and document NASA's history here in Houston ensures that some of that history will be lost in the decades to come. There hasn't been a single oral history from which I haven't learned something new when reading for the first time. And they have been invaluable when researching for articles. I'm going to send off an email to NASA Headquarters, though having gone through this with the media resource lab, I am not optimistic much can be done to reverse this decision. |
Jurg Bolli
Member Posts: 977
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 04-05-2016 11:28 AM
I agree, this is a great loss. All of the interviews were very interesting and helpful. |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 04-05-2016 01:23 PM
This seems terribly short sighted on their part. It is an invaluable resource and NASA's history is not over. |
onesmallstep
Member Posts: 1310
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 04-05-2016 02:49 PM
Sad to hear this. I know of many interviews I have read in books, magazines and official NASA publications that relied on the project. Perhaps, if this is merely a cost-cutting measure (like the move to no more photo lithos and hard copies of mission press kits, etc.) the Library of Congress or the Smithsonian can take over, even if done by volunteers or graduate student interns? It would be a shame to lose the first-hand accounts of space explorers and workers now active, retired or soon to be. |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-05-2016 07:26 PM
If its for budgetary reasons, particularly short sighted given that lessons learned captured during the project have undoubtedly been leveraged to save lives and reduce engineering and programmatic cost/risk for subsequent efforts. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-06-2016 08:33 PM
Thankfully, it seems the JSC History Project is not closed, but rather transitioning employment contracts. MORI Associates is currently accepting resumes and applications to fill positions for the NASA Communications, Outreach, Multimedia and Information Technology (COMIT) Contract in support of the Johnson Space Center. The COMIT contract extends from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2021. Among the open positions is the need for a Historian: Serves as primary point of contact and coordination for history related matters. Provides coordination and oversight for the Oral History program, including reviewing and recommending interview candidates, and integrating the activities of History Intern researchers with Oral History production activities. Provides coordination and operational support for the JSC/UHCL History Archive partnership. Supports community outreach activities for the JSC History Program. Supports the identification and development of new historical materials. Provides inputs to planning and budgeting activities. May lead and direct the work of others. |
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