Roger D. Launius

Last updated
Roger D. Launius
Roger D. Launius 2019.jpg
Born (1954-05-15) May 15, 1954 (age 70)
Galesburg, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Graceland College, Louisiana State University
Occupation(s)Historian and author
Employer(s) NASA, National Air and Space Museum
Website https://launiusr.wordpress.com/
External videos
Apollo 15 Rover, Irwin.jpg
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Roger D. Launius, “How We Remember Apollo”, Philosophical Society of Washington

Roger D. Launius (born May 15, 1954) is an American historian and author of Lithuanian descent, a former chief historian of NASA. He retired in 2016 as Associate Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. [1] Launius is a consulting historian in air and space history. He has written many books on space flight, and also published on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Launius was born in Galesburg, Illinois, and was raised in Greenville, South Carolina. [3] He graduated from Graceland College in 1976 and received a PhD in history in 1982 from Louisiana State University. [2]

Career

From 1982 to 1990, Launius held several positions as a civilian historian with the United States Air Force. [2] Between 1990 and 2002, he was the chief historian for NASA. In 2001, he held the Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History at the Smithsonian. [4] From 2002-2006 he was Chair of the Division of Space History at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. From 2006-2013 he was Senior Curator, and from 2013-2016 Launius was Associate Director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs at the same institution. [5]

Launius contributed space policy analysis in the wake of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board 2003 report. [6] [7] He has been a regular commentator on space-related issues for the news media. [8] [9] [10]

[11] He was president of the Mormon History Association in 1993–94 [12] and was president of the John Whitmer Historical Association in 1991–92. [13]

Publications

Coming Home, 2011 Coming Home.pdf
Coming Home, 2011

Launius has written more than twenty books and 100 articles on the history of aerospace. [2] Some titles include Historical analogs for the stimulation of space commerce (2014), Space shuttle legacy : how we did it and what we learned (2013), and Exploring the Solar System: The History and Science of Planetary Probes (2012). He has twice won the AIAA History Manuscript Award, forComing Home: Reentry and Recovery from Space in 2011, [14] and for Space Stations: Base Camps to the Stars in 2003. [15] [16]

Launius has published on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. He won both the David Woolley Evans and Beatrice Evans Biography Award (1989) and the John Whitmer Historical Association Best Book Award for his work on Mormon history, Joseph Smith III: Pragmatic Prophet. [17]

Launius studies the history of baseball in the United States, and published Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman with G. Michael Green. [2] [18]

Awards and honors

Launius other awards include:

Launius is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2007), the American Astronomical Society (2001), and the International Academy of Astronautics (2007). [5] [4] He is also a Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (2021). [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Engle</span> American astronaut (1932–2024)

Joe Henry Engle was an American pilot, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut. He was the commander of two Space Shuttle missions including STS-2 in 1981, the program's second orbital flight. He also flew two flights in the Shuttle program's 1977 Approach and Landing Tests. Engle was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics</span> Professional society for the field of aerospace engineering

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences. In 2015, it had more than 30,000 members among aerospace professionals worldwide.

As a federal agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) receives its funding from the annual federal budget passed by the United States Congress. The following charts detail the amount of federal funding allotted to NASA each year over its history to pursue programs in aeronautics research, robotic spaceflight, technology development, and human space exploration programs.

Paul D. Spudis (1952–2018) was an American geologist and lunar scientist. His specialty was the study of volcanism and impact processes on the planets, including Mercury and Mars.

Dwayne Allen Day is an American space historian and policy analyst and served as an investigator for the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.

Asif Azam Siddiqi is a Bangladeshi American space historian and a Guggenheim Fellowship winner. He is a professor of history at Fordham University. He specializes in the history of science and technology and modern Russian history. He has written several books on the history of space exploration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John D. Anderson</span> American curator (born 1937)

John D. Anderson Jr. is the Curator of Aerodynamics at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., Professor Emeritus in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard P. Hallion</span>

Richard P. Hallion is Senior Adviser for Air and Space Issues, Directorate for Security, Counterintelligence and Special Programs Oversight, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He is responsible for analysis and insight regarding the conceptualization, evolution and utilization of sensitive national technological programs and related subject areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerospace engineering</span> Branch of engineering

Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is similar, but deals with the electronics side of aerospace engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics</span>

The Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics is Purdue University's school of aerospace engineering contained within the Purdue University College of Engineering. The school offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering. It also provides distance graduate education, including an online M.S. in Engineering with concentration in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a distance Ph.D. Its main office and some of its labs are located in the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering. As of 2010, the School has awarded an estimated 6% of BS degrees and 7% of PhDs in aerospace engineering in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert D. Braun</span> American engineer and academic

Robert David Braun is an American aerospace engineer and academic. He has served as the dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, the David and Andrew Lewis Professor of Space Technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the NASA Chief Technologist. Currently, Dr. Braun is the Space Sector Head at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark J. Lewis</span> American scientist (born 1962)

Ulfila Mark J. Lewis is a senior American aerospace and defense executive with special expertise in hypersonics. He is currently the Executive Director of the National Defense Industrial Association's Emerging Technologies Institute, following his role in the second half of 2020 as the acting US Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and before that the Director of Defense Research and Engineering for Modernization. He was the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. from 2004 to 2008 and was the longest-serving Chief Scientist in Air Force history. He served as chief scientific adviser to the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force, and provided assessments on a wide range of scientific and technical issues affecting the Air Force mission. In this role he identified and analyzed technical issues and brought them to attention of Air Force leaders, and interacted with other Air Staff principals, operational commanders, combatant commands, acquisition, and science & technology communities to address cross-organizational technical issues and solutions. His primary areas of focus included energy, sustainment, long-range strike technologies, advanced propulsion systems, and workforce development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael I. Yarymovych</span> American businessman

Michael Ihor Yarymovych is President of Sarasota Space Associates, an aerospace consultant providing services to the aerospace industry and government. He is Senior Fellow of the United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and has served on numerous SAB and Defense Science Board studies.

The Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History, also known as the Lindbergh Chair, is a one-year senior fellowship hosted by the U.S. National Air and Space Museum (NASM), to assist a scholar in the research and composition of a book about aerospace history. Named for the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, the position is competitive: one experienced scholar is selected each year from multiple applicants worldwide. Up to $100,000 is granted to the winner.

Tom Day Crouch is an American aeronautics historian and curator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Whitmer Historical Association</span>

The John Whitmer Historical Association (JWHA) is an independent, nonprofit organization promoting study, research, and publishing about the history and culture of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is especially focused on the Community of Christ, other midwestern Restoration traditions, and early Mormonism. The Community of Christ's approach to its own history was influenced, in part, by historical problems raised and explored through JWHA publications and conferences, and those of its sister organization, the Mormon History Association. JWHA membership numbers around 400 and is open to all, fostering cooperation with LDS and non-Mormon scholars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank H. Winter</span> American historian and writer

Frank H. Winter is an American historian and writer. He is the retired Curator of Rocketry of the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, D.C. Winter is also an internationally recognized historian of rocketry and spaceflight and the author of several landmark books besides numerous articles and papers on these topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Majdalani</span> Lebanese-American professor

Joseph Majdalani is a Lebanese-American professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He began his career at Marquette University, before serving as both the Jack D. Whitfield Professor of High Speed Flows and Arnold Chair of Excellence at the University of Tennessee Space Institute. He then served as the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council Endowed Professor and Chair, and is currently the Hugh and Loeda Francis Chair of Excellence in Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Gruntman</span> American physicist

Mike Gruntman is a Russian-American physicist, space engineer, and author. He is professor of astronautics and aerospace engineering at the Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California (USC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Balaram</span> American electronic engineer at NASA

J. "Bob" Balaram is an Indian-American scientist and engineer currently working for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He is the chief engineer and designer of Ingenuity, the first extraterrestrial aircraft, that was attached underside of car-sized Perseverance rover that successfully landed on the Mars in February 2021.

References

  1. ↑ Curriculum vitae Retrieved April 7, 2018
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dr Roger Launius". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "Roger Launius". NASA. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Launius, Roger D. "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 Bainbridge, William Sims (2012). Leadership in science and technology : a reference handbook. Los Angeles: Sage. p. xxxiii. ISBN   9781412976886 . Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Logsdon, John M. (2013). "Chapter 8: A Failure of National Leadership": Why No Replacement for the Space Shuttle?" (PDF). Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ISBN   978-1493716630 . Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  7. ↑ Leusner, Jim (August 27, 2003). "Report Names Few But Finds Fault With Top Managers". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  8. ↑ Schulz, William (February 10, 2003). "Columbia Lost: Humans in Space". Chemical & Engineering News. 81 (6): 7. doi:10.1021/cen-v081n006.p007 . Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Roylance, Frank D. (October 9, 2011). "Space telescope faces setback". South Coast Today . Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  10. ↑ Campo-Flores, Arian; Hotz, Robert Lee (July 9, 2011). "One Last Spin Around the Planet". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Launius, Roger D. (2006). "Is Joseph Smith Relevant to the Community of Christ?" (PDF). Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 39 (4): 58–67. doi:10.2307/45227214. JSTOR   45227214. S2CID   254402921 . Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  12. ↑ Launius, Roger D. (1995). "Presidential Address: Mormon Memory, Mormon Myth, and Mormon History". Journal of Mormon History. 21 (1). Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "Past Presidents" (PDF). The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal. 34 (2): vii. 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Are We Alone in the Universe?" (PDF). American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  15. ↑ Pursell, Carroll W., ed. (2008). A companion to American technology. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. viii–ix. ISBN   978-1405179942 . Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  16. ↑ "History Manuscript Award Recipients". American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  17. ↑ "Joseph Smith III Pragmatic Prophet". University of Illinois Press. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  18. ↑ Weingarden, Steve (2010). "Review: Charlie Finley". Baseball Research Journal. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  19. ↑ "AAS Annual Awards Recipients" (PDF). Space Times: The Magazine of the American Astronautical Society. 48 (5): 20. 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  20. ↑ "Smithsonian Congress of Scholars Secretary's Research Awards, 2009". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  21. ↑ Launius, Roger D. (2010). "Federal History and National Identity: Reflections from the Trenches" (PDF). Federal History (2). Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  22. ↑ Launius, Roger D. (2006). "The Forty-ninth Harmon Memorial Lecture in Military History: National Security: Space and the Course of Recent U.S. History" (PDF). United States Air Force Academy.
  23. ↑ "Past Award Winners: Charles Thomson Prize". Society for History in the Federal Government. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  24. ↑ Launius, Roger. "Fellows List" (PDF). AIAA Fellows Listing. AIAA. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.