This collection contains physicist John W. Townsend, Jr.'s personal and professional papers from 1949 until his retirement from corporate and government aerospace work in 1990. In addition to professional correspondence, memos, and subject files, there are extensive travel files from 1949-1968 and 1985-1990, congressional testimony on NASA projects from 1982-1986, and files on the history of the Upper Air Rocket Research Program at the Naval Research Laboratory from about 1956-1958. Throughout his career, Townsend also served on a number of councils, boards, and panels. The collection also includes files from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station Advisory Panel (1966-1968, the International Academy of Astronautics (c. 1981-1987), the NASA Advisory Council (1982-1987), the National Academy of Engineering (1982-1987), the National Research Council Space Applications Board (1983-1987), and the Office of Technology Assessment Advisory Board Panel on International Cooperation and Competition in Civilian Space Activities (1982-1985).  

Materials in this collection have been separated into the following series:

Series I: Reading Files, 1958-1967, contains Townsend's reading files for a variety of subjects.

Series II: Organizations and Committees, 1982-1987, n.d., consists of materials from Townsend's involvement in committees, boards, and panels, including the American Geophysical Union, the International Academy of Astronautics, the National Academy of Engineering, NASA Advisory Council, the National Resource Council Space Applications Board, and the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station Advisory Panel.

Series III: Correspondence, 1957-1990, contains professional correspondence, memos, and clippings.

Series IV: Travel, 1949-1990, includes extensive travel documentation.

Series V: Testimonies, 1981-1986, contains files from Townsend's congressional testimonies on NASA projects.

Series VI: Subject Files, 1987-1989, n.d., consists of subject files such as publications, files on the history of the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Rocket-Sonde Research Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory, and Earth observations.

Series VII: Personal Files, 1978-1989, n.d., includes files such as appointment books and performance ratings.