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Samuel Herrick Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-1978-002

Scope and Contents

This collection is made up of the personal and professional papers of Samuel Herrick (1911-1974), astronomer and founder of the field of astrodynamics. It contains personal materials such as biographical and bibliographical information, correspondence, and personal subject files. This collection also contains materials that document Herrick's career in astronomy, beginning with his B.S. in Mathematics from Williams College and including his time teaching at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Among these are notes, drafts of publications, files relating to astrodynamics courses, computer printouts, manuscript calculations, and reprints of the works on others in astronomy and the space sciences. These include notable materials such as correspondence with R. H. Goddard, a development program for the utilization of celestial mechanics in the solution of space navigation problems, the founding of the Astrodynamics Colloquium at UCLA, consulting files for NASA's Project Mercury and the film "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and a comprehensive two-volume work on Astrodynamics, published by Van Nostrand in 1971-1972. Materials are largely textual, consisting of correspondence, memoranda, reports, clippings, publications, and others. This collection also includes glass plates, Fortran computer printouts, and some drawings.

Series I. Biographical Information, 1949-1973. This series is made up of materials relating to Herrick's life, such as biographical sketches of Herrick, biographical directory files, complete and partial bibliographies, and a personal reading log. These include information about his life, professional activities, honors and memeberships in societies, publications, and citations.

Series II. Academic Files, 1930-1974. This series contains materials related to Herrick's academic activities. This includes files and notes from his time as a student at Williams College, correspondence with faculty, files from his time with UCLA, course notes and materials from courses he taught, and student dissertations, theses, and comprehensive exams.

Sub-Series A. Academic Activities and Affairs, 1935-1973, includes academic affairs files (1930-1970), UCLA Astronomy Dept.; Guggenheim fellowship (1945-1951); UCLA files; Hunsaker professorship at MIT (1961-1962); reviews of others' works; Los Angeles Advisory Committee (1964-1968); and participation in "Los Angeles in Paris" trip (1967-1968).

Sub-Series B. Correspondence, 1931-1972, consists of academic correspondence, including correspondence with R. H. Goddard.

Sub-Series C. Course Materials, 1948-1974. This sub-series includes course notes, outlines, and exams for space navigation (1955) and astrodynamics courses.

Sub-Series D. S.H. Students' Dissertations, Theses, and Comprehensive Exams, 1965-1973, includes drafts and completed versions of dissertations, theses, and comprehensive exams from students Herrick taught.

Sub-Series E. Williams College, 1930-1969. This sub-series includes Williams College course notes; S.H. thesis and papers; and William College Correspondence.

Series III. Correspondence, 1930-1973. This series contains correspondence between Herrick and others ranging from 1930 to 1973.

Series IV. Consulting, 1940-1966. This series includes contracts and consultations, such as Ohio State Mapping Lab, Lockheed, North American Aviation, Army Air Force, NSF Grant G976, Western Data Processing Center, and 20th Century Fox [Consulting for "The Day the Earth Stood Still"]. It also includes materials such as monthly reports, proposals, and logs.

Series V. Presentations and Lectures, 1955-1964. This series consists of notes, outlines, slides, and other materials related to talks, presentations, and lectures given by Herrick. This includes talks and presentations given for organizations such as AIAA and IAU, covering topics such as differential correction, variation of parameters, planetary motions, and asteroids.

Series VI. Professional Societies, 1925-1973. This series includes materials related to professional societies in the space sciences, including, but not limited to: the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Academy of Mechanics, American Academy of Sciences, American Rocket Society, British Interplanetary Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. Materials include membership information, board of directors files, awards, annual meeting and conference notes, committees, reports, and journals.

Series VII. Publications, including Reprints and Drafts, 1932-1973. This series includes drafts and reprints of Herrick's many works, notably Astrodynamics, published in 1971-1972. The series also contains correspondence about Herrick's publications or his reviews of work published by others. There are also reprints of the works of others in astronomy and space sciences.

Series VIII. Manuscript Calculations, 1948-1972. This series consists of calculations used in Herrick's studies of minor planets and objects. It includes materials such as shock waves of Icarus calculations, Project 15, minor planets and objects, perturbations, geophysical constraints and correction methods, collection of formulae, and ephemeral calculations.

Series IX. Computer Printouts, 1965-1973. This series includes early SH printouts, calculations, and Fortran computer runs such as Betulia ephemeris, Icarus ephemerides, Geographos, planetary coordinates, and two-body problems. Much of the computer printouts were created by Gary R. Smith, who received his Ph.D. in astrodynamics at UCLA in 1972 from Herrick.

Series X. Card Files, n.d. This series contains 4 sets card files with names and addresses of Herrick's contacts and bibliographies for celestial mechanics and astrodynamics.

Series XI. Subject Files, 1924-1981. This series includes Herrick's files on a variety of subjects. These materials reflect his professional and personal interests, including early computers, minor planets, space exploration, and piano music. Notable materials include Aeronutronic Systems Division-Ford files, Technical Study #3, mathematics publications, Jet Propulsion Laboratory reports, files on Betulia, Icarus, Geographos, and Jupiter IX and XII, Minor Planet Center Notices, and notes on navigation.

Series XII. Drawings and Calculations, 1949, n.d. This series consists of oversize drawings and calculations, including rectilinear tables, the nonimal system, and navigational drawings.

Dates

  • 1930 - 1974

Creator

Language of Materials

Most of the materials in this collection are in English. Some materials in Series VI. Professional Societies, Series VII. Publications, and Series XI. Subject Files are in French, German, Russian, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, or Japanese.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research with the exception of Box 74, which is restricted for use. Items in Box 74 are restricted for use until 75 years after date of creation.

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.

Biographical Note

Samuel Herrick, generally recognized as the founder of the field of astrodynamics, was born in Madison County, Virginia, in 1911. He received a B. S. in Mathematics from Williams College in 1932 and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of California at Berkeley in 1936. Most of his teaching career was spent at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Herrick served as an instructor in the Astronomy Department from 1937 to 1942; as an assistant professor from 1942 to 1947; as an associate professor from 1947 to 1952; and as a professor from 1952 to 1962. He was the Hunsaker Professor of Astronomy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during 1961-1962 and was made a professor in the Astronomy and Engineering Departments at UCLA in 1962. Herrick died in 1974.

Herrick's work applied the classic disciplines of celestial mechanics and mathematics to the special problems of space trajectory research. His studies of the celestial mechanics aspects of space navigation date from 1931, when he received advice and encouragement from R. H. Goddard. As early as 1936, he formulated a development program for the utilization of celestial mechanics in the solution of space navigation problems destined to become real problems only two decades later. In 1946, Herrick instituted a course in Rocket Navigation, the world's first university course designed specifically for astronautics. In 1957, he founded the Astrodynamics Colloquium at UCLA to facilitate communication among scientists engaged in rocket research.

Herrick's publications number over two hundred items, culminating in his comprehensive two-volume work on Astrodynamics, published by Van Nostrand in 1971-1972. His principal contributions to scientific theory are in the areas of orbit determination and ephemeris integration; universal variables; perturbation theory and variation of parameters; differential correction and least squares; space navigation; and sea and air navigation. Further information on Herrick and his accomplishments can be found in the biographical files in Box 1 of the collection.

Extent

ca. 85 Cubic Feet (74 boxes, 1 oversize folder)

Abstract

Samuel Herrick was an astronomer who specialized in celestial mechanics, generally recognized as the founder of the field of astrodynamics. His papers consist of correspondence, notes, drafts of publications, files relating to students and courses, and reprints of the works of others in astronomy and space sciences. Other highlights include Herrick's consulting files for projects such as NASA's Project Mercury, the film ""The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951), and private industry. This collection is part of the Archives of American Aerospace Exploration at Virginia Tech.

Arrangement

Series have been imposed by archivists for better grouping of materials. Unless otherwise noted, the order and arrangement the materials were received in has been maintained within each series.

This collection is divided into the following series:

Series I. Biographical Information, 1949-1973

Series II. Academic Files, 1930-1974. This series has been divided into further sub-series by subject:

Sub-Series A. Academic Activities and Affairs, 1935-1973. This sub-series includes files from Herrick's time as an instructor and professor at UCLA, including budgets, public and university service, appointment and promotional committees, and the UCLA space program. This sub-series also includes papers on the faculty senate, the Guggenheim Fellowship, letters of appreciation to Herrick, patents, and complimentary reviews of Herrick's publications.

Sub-Series B. Correspondence, 1931-1972, consists of correspondence with faculty, university departments, and schools such as UCLA and Berkeley. It also includes correspondence with Robert H. Goddard, American professor, engineer, physicist, and inventor.

Sub-Series C. Course Materials, 1948-1974, is made up of materials from courses Herrick taught, such as History of Astrodynamics, Fundamental Astronomy, and short co0urses in astrodynamics. These include notes, course outlines, syllabi, exams and exercises, flash cards and practice problems, and course evaluations.

Sub-Series D. S.H. Students' Dissertations, Theses, and Comprehensive Exams, 1965-1973. This sub-series includes work by students Herrick taught. Their work includes drafts and completed dissertations, theses, and comprehensive exams.

Sub-Series E. Williams College, 1930-1969, consists of materials from Herrick's time as an undergraduate student at Williams College. This includes Herrick's course notes, papers, and outlines.

Series III. Correspondence, 1930-1973. This series is arranged alphabetically according to who Herrick was corresponding with.

Series IV. Consulting, 1940-1966

Series V. Presentations and Lectures, 1955-1964

Series VI. Professional Societies, 1925-1973. Materials in this series have been listed in alphabetical order for ease of use.

Series VII. Publications, including Reprints and Drafts, 1932-1973. This series has been divided into sub-series according to the original arrangement of materials:

Sub-Series A. "S" series of files, chiefly reprints of articles, 1939-1970, includes reprints of articles by others that were identified as "S" series by Herrick. These articles and papers are on topics such as comets, grid navigation, orbits, and advancements in the field of astrodynamics. The files are numbered sequentially, maintaining the original order, and there are a number of folders with an "S" number, but no title.

Sub-Series B. Article Reprints, 1906-1973, includes reprints of articles and technical papers by others. These files are organized alphabetically by author name and include topics such as celestial mechanics, orbits, and the space sciences.

Sub-Series C. SH Publications, 1957-1972, consists of notes, drafts, and revisions of Herrick's Astrodynamics. It also includes errata, vellums, research reports, and bibliography materials.

Sub-Series D. SH Numbered Publications (also see listing in Box 1), 1932-1972. This sub-series is made up of Herrick's publications numbers 1 through 233. They are numbered in accordance with his bibliography (located in Box 1) and include drafts and reprints of his work, as well as correspondence relating to it. Topics include orbit methods, comet observations, position determination, celestial navigation, planetary grids, ephemeris of minor planets and objects, rocket trajectories, space travel, lunar exploration, astronomical values, and advancements in astrodynamics.

Sub-Series E. Drafts of Articles and Book Chapters, 1944-1971, includes additional notes and drafts of articles and book chapters, such as Herrick's Contribution to CRC "Handbook of Tables for Mathematics," 1965-1966, Gibb's Contribution to Orbit Theory, and Herrick's review of Einstein books. It also contains correspondence related to Herrick's drafts and publications.

Series VIII. Manuscript Calculations, 1948-1973. This series largely maintains the order it was received. Materials relating to Halley's Comet and (1566) Icarus have been grouped together for ease of use.

Series IX. Computer Printouts, 1965-1973

Series X. Card Files, n.d. This series has been separated into four parts to maintain the original order and separation of materials.

Series XI. Subject Files, 1924-1981. With the exception of general subject files, this series has been further divided into the following sub-series:

Sub-Series A. Aeronutronics Systems Division (ASD), 1956-1960, includes numbered files on various technical and organization matters, proposals, and projects. They are part of Herrick's series of Aeronutronic Systems Division-Ford files. Topics include, but are not limited to, a project planning committee, orbits for Vargo-Boeing, Navy direction presentation, and geodetic position determination.

Sub-Series B. Computers and Electronic Calculations, 1947-1967, includes manuals on early computers such as EDVAC and ZEPHYR, Monroe calculator, SWAC memoranda, coding sheets, differential analyzer operation and problems, and Technical Study #3.

Sub-Series C. Mathematics, 1931-1975, consists of materials relating to mathematical techniques, including Chebyshev polynomials, Hansen's method of general perturbations, numerical analysis and integration, data smoothing, theoretical mechanics, Encke's method, astronomical and gravitational constants, and universal variables.

Sub-Series D. Minor Planets and Objects, 1929-1983, has been divided further. Materials in this sub-series and its divisions have been alphabetized.

  • The Betulia Files contain materials relating to the asteroid (1580) Betulia, named for Samuel Herrick's wife, Betulia Toro Herrick. This includes an article, calculations, correspondence, ephemerides, numerical integration, observations, elements, oppositions, and representations.
  • The Icarus Files contain materials relating to the near-Earth object (1566) Icarus, including ephemerides, residuals, correspondence, history and facts, observations, orbit graphs, and publications.
  • The Geographos Files contain materials relating to the asteroid (1620) Geographos, including early Encke orbit files, elements, ellipse graphs, ephemerides, general information, publicity, variation of parameters, and possible exploration.
  • The Jupiter IX and Jupiter XII Files contain materials relating to Jupiter IX (an irregular satellite of Jupiter now known as Sinope) and Jupiter XII (an irregular moon of Jupiter now known as Ananke). This includes Cowell integrations, ephemeris, graphs, basic calculations, history, general information, variation of constants, observations and representations, and publicity.
  • Items not included in the above files consist of materials relating to other minor planets and objects, such as Lanzia, the Swift comet, and the Wilson object. This includes graphs and calculations, articles, observations, general information, history, ephemerides, opposition graphs, formulae, and procedures. Also included are Minor Planet Center Notices 151 through 2800, and 3535 through 3602.


Sub-Series E. Space Exploration, 1924-1975. This sub-series is made up of materials relating to space exploration, including space travel and navigation. This includes foreign journal articles on orbit determination, meeting minutes of NASA Earth model (1961), notes on "fly-by" orbits, artificial satellites, space colonies, UCLA moon base study, grid navigation, navigation methods, Project Mercury, precision satellite orbit correction, and planetary position data requirements for space vehicle trajectory computations.

Series XII. Drawings and Calculations, 1949, n.d.

Physical Access

Please note: This collection is in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives for more information.

Source of Acquisition

The Samuel Herrick Papers were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 1978.

Separated Materials

The following publications have been separated to the Rare Book Collection:

Harbold, Norris B. The Log of Air Navigation. San Antonio: The Naylor Company, 1970.

Mechanics.Edited by N.C. Lind. Compiled and produced by American Academy of Mechanics, 1970.

Mechanics.Edited by N.C. Lind. Compiled and produced by American Academy of Mechanics, 1971.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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

Processing Information

Minimal description was completed prior to 1998.

Additional processing, arrangement and description of the Samuel Herrick 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.

Title
Samuel Herrick Papers, 1930-1974
Status
In Progress
Author
Kat Zinn
Date
2024 (CC0 1.0)
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Sponsor
The processing, arrangement, and description of this collection was created 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) from 2022 to 2024.

Revision Statements

  • 2020-08-04: Finding aid notes updated to new department standards. juliags
  • 2021-02-22: LM Rozema made minor updates to notes; updated inventory to group materials into some series.
  • 2024-03-18: Kat Zinn updated inventory, introduced sub-series, and completed processing.

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository

Contact:
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308