Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction .

Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives ( specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], James J. Avitabile Papers, Ms2001-057, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The James J. Avitabile Papers were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 2001.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement and description of this collection commenced in October 2001 and was completed in March 2002.

Additional arrangement and description of the James J. Avitabile Papers was completed as part of the project, "Piercing the Veil: Creating Access to the Archives of American Aerospace Exploration at Virginia Tech," funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) in 2024.

Biographical Note

James J. Avitabile, an air force officer from East Haven, Connecticut, graduated from the University of Connecticut and obtained an MBA from Western New England College. He entered the United States Air Force in 1959. During his career, Lieutenant Colonel Avitabile served as an Atlas E operations launch officer and as an astronaut mission operations instructor at NASA's spacecraft simulator complex responsible for astronaut mission flight training at Cape Canaveral/Kennedy from 1965 to 1967. He also served in the Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) Program Office; as airborne test director for the E-3A Airborne Warnings and Control Systems (AWACS) Aircraft; and as activation director for the AWACS Operating Base. He was a member of the Cadre Office at NATO, responsible for the fielding of the NATO AWACS system and was a program director responsible for the acquisition of Air Force Command and Control Systems. Upon retiring from the Air Force, Lt. Col. Avitabile worked for General Electric, where he directed military and commercial space programs. Lt. Col. Avitabile and his wife Maria have three daughters and eight grandchildren.

Scope and Content

This collection contains materials related to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space exploration programs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Containing mostly technical data on spacecraft systems design and operation, the collection provides a detailed look at NASA systems engineering during the early to mid 1960s. The collection is divided among the following series:

Series I: NASA Programs, 1963-1967, n.d., contains in-house technical publications detailing spacecraft systems design and procedures and is divided among three subseries. Together, these subseries chronicle the development and evolution of spacecraft systems design and procedures which culminated in the first lunar landing.

Subseries A: Project Mercury, 1963, n.d., contains one technical report and an historical overview of the program.

Subseries B: Project Gemini, 1963-1966, n.d., is much more extensive, and includes such items as operations handbooks, systems diagrams, briefing outlines, reports and mission simulator manuals.

Subseries C: Project Apollo, 1964-1967, n.d., contains similar materials, in addition to spacecraft manuals, study guides and charts.

Series II: NASA Computer Systems, 1962-1966, n.d., includes programmer manuals for the various computer systems used by NASA during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. The majority of the materials in this series concern the DDP general computer system.

Series III: NASA Public Information, 1962-1991, n.d., consists of materials which were produced for public education, unlike the previous series. The series contains NASA Fact Sheets and NASA Educational Briefs, other general public information booklets, a symposium report and a set of astronaut photo portraits, all produced to familiarize the public with NASA's activities, personnel and facilities.

Series IV: General Materials, 1969-2001, n.d., contains materials related to space exploration but not produced by NASA. The series includes magazine articles and a "Sounds of Space" recording.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged according to subject matter in the following series:

Series I: NASA Programs, 1963-1967, n.d. This series has been further divided into the following subseries:

Subseries A: Project Mercury, 1963, n.d.

Subseries B: Project Gemini, 1963-1966, n.d.

Subseries C: Project Apollo, 1964-1967, n.d.

Series II: NASA Computer Systems, 1962-1966, n.d.

Series III: NASA Public Information, 1962-1991, n.d.

Series IV: General Materials, 1969-2001, n.d.

Separated Material

The following items were transferred to the Rare Book Collection:

Kinney, William A., Medical science and space travel (New York: F. Watts, [1959]).

Kluger, Jeffrey, The Apollo adventure: the making of the Apollo Space Program and the movie Apollo 13 (New York: Pocket Books, 1995).

Ley, Willy, et al., The complete book of satellites and outer space (New York: Maco, 1957).

Mallan, Lloyd, Secrets of space flight (Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Publications, 1956).

Mallan, Lloyd, Space satellites (Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Publications, 1958).

Mehrens, Harold E., The dawning space age (Ellington Air Force Base, Texas: Civil Air Patrol, 1963).

Space... the new frontier (Washington, D. C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1964).

Von Braun, Wernher, Conquest of the moon (New York: Viking Press, 1953).

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Archives of American Aerospace Exploration (AAAE)
• Avitabile, James J.
• Science and Technology
• United States -- National Aeronautics and Space Administration -- Officials and employees
• United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the James J. Avitabile Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).