UAH Archives, Special Collections, and Digital Initiatives

Browse Items (8 total)

  • http://dkdayton.net/roberts/images/r02a/pdfs/r02a05-09.pdf
  • nickerson_to_pickering.pdf

    In this letter, Nickerson thanks Gen. Pickering for his support and explains why he believes the Army is the best service branch to develop ballistic missiles. He also discusses the need for missiles in case of war with the Soviet Union. Nickerson was a staff officer at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal assigned to work on the Jupiter, the United States' first mid-range ballistic missile. He was arrested and court martialed for espionage in 1957 after releasing sensitive documents about the United States missile program to the press. At the time, Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson granted the Air Force sole authority to develop intermediate range ballistic missile systems. Nickerson disagreed with this policy, and in response, leaked documents that demonstrated the superiority of Army missiles compared to those developed by the Air Force. He eventually pled guilty to lesser charges and was suspended from the Army for one year and was fined $1,500. Dr. Wernher von Braun was among those who testified on Nickerson's behalf.
  • spc_schl_007_058a.pdf
  • spc_hinr_001_060a.pdf
  • spc_mitc_001_062B.pdf

    This issue discusses at length the competition in science, technology, and engineering between the United States and the Soviet Union, including comparisons of developments in missiles, satellites, and educational systems. This issue also includes plans for a village on the Moon. Includes the subscription card inserted in the center of the issue.
  • vbas_space_journal_055_116.pdf

    This issue includes a statement announcing Space Journal's termination of all connections with the U.S. military and with the Rocket City Astronomical Association. At the time, commander of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal Gen. John B. Medaris was concerned that the publishers and writers, all in the employ of ABMA, were using their government positions for personal gain through the magazine. Topics covered in the issue include the dangers and feasibility of space travel, designing buildings for life on the Moon, and the existence of life elsewhere in the universe.
  • vbas_space_journal_001_054.pdf
  • spc_mitc_063_113.pdf

    In this issue, articles focus heavily on the exploration of space and the particulars of human activities in space, including "the space man's food," research on how weightlessness affects the human body, and the lack of laws governing space. Also included is a profile of Roy Marquardt, "the ramjet man" and founder of Marquardt Aircraft Company. This is the final published issue of Space Journal.