A Guide to the Samuel Herrick Papers, 1930-1974
A Collection in
Special Collections
Collection Number
Ms1978-002
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Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
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USA
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Processed by: Special Collections Staff
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from Samuel Herrick Papers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Samuel Herrick Papers, Ms1978-002, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.
Acquisition Information
The Samuel Herrick Papers were donated to Special Collections in 1978.
Processing Information
The Samuel Herrick Papers are unprocessed. A non-inclusive, box-level inventory was created prior to 1993. That inventory was used in the creation of this finding aid.
Biographical Note
Samuel Herrick, generally recognized as the found of the field of astrodymanics, 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.
Scope and Content
The papers consist of approximately 60 cubic feet of manuscript and printed materials. It includes 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 NASA's Project Mercury, the film ""The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951), and private industry.
Arrangement
The collection is currently unprocessed. A box-level inventory is available in the "Contents List" below, but please note that descriptions of boxes are general and non-inclusive. A printed list of numbered publications from Boxes 27-33 is available in Box 1, as well as the electronic version below.
Please note: Box 66 is not inventoried.
Index Terms
- Astrodymanics
- Astronomy
- Archives of American Aerospace Exploration (AAAE)
- Science and Technology
Subjects:
Local Subjects:
Contents List
Biographical sketches of SH; biographical directory files; complete and partial bibliographies.
Williams College course notes; SH thesis; first Gaussian and LaPlacian papers (c.1933); correspondence with Robert H. Goddard (1931-1933); consulting files for "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951): Williams College correspondence re: honorary degree; Los Angeles Aerospace Advisory Committee (1964-1968); participation in "Los Angeles in Paris" trip (1967-1968).
Academic affairs files (1930-1970); UCLA Astronomy Dept.; Gugeghaim fellowship (1945-1951); UCLA Library History of Science Collection (1944-1952); UCLA astrodymanics field; Hunsaker professorship at MIT (1961-1962).
Junkins; Keesey (prospectus); Smith; Dallas; Newman; Ondrasik; Moyer; Anderson; Kopke; Wong; Hanavan; Jacoby; Lochry.
Dissertations: Murphy; Glassman; Kyser; Stroop; copmrehensive exams; MS in astrodynamics candidates.
"BIPS" series of files (academic activities, reviews of others' works, compliments and criticisms), chiefly 1954-1959.
Course notes; outline for space navigation course (1955); astrodynamics courses.
Aeronutronics Systems Division (ASD)--Ford series of files, including Project Mercury; Space Trajectory symposium, chiefly 1959-1960.
A-L (c.1930-1973); Ageton; Aitken; Alfven; Anderson; Archibald; Argentina correspondence; Arias de Greiff; Arlington National Cemetery; Army draft; Army map servie; Berkely Dept; Bisplinghoff; Blanco; Bower; Brouwer; Brower; Bran; Buchanan; California Institute of Technology; Cesco; Chapin; Chebotarev; Chichester; Clemence; Chernykh; Churms; Cole; Comrie; Crawford; Danby; Deprit; Dommanget; Drapers; Duboshin; Duncombe; Durant; Encyclopedia Americana; Feast; French; Fritsch; Gehrels; Harvard University; Herget; Herget, et al re: satellite ephemerides; Hilton; Hirst; IAU circulars; Itzigsohn and Iaunini; Institute of Theoretical Astronomy, USSR; Jet Propulsion Lab; Junkins; King-Hele; Klare; Kepczynski; Koelle; Kopal; Kovalesky; Kuroda; Lanzano; La Paz; Lowden; Libby; Link Foundation; Lochry; Louvens; Lovell; Lyon.
Correspondence M-Z (c. 1930-1973); Makover; Marchal; Marsden; Martin Company; Mayall; McMullen; McVittie; Meeus; Melbourne; Milet; Milwaukee Astronomical Society; Mintz; Moe; Murchie; Musen; Naef; Naval Weapons Lab; Neill; Nicholson; Nishikawa; Oesterwinter; O'Keefe; Paige; Palomar Observatory; Pergammon Press; Perkins; Pilcher; Porter, Cole; Porter, J.G.; Radke; Rasmusen; Reaves; Richey; Roemer; Ross; Roy; Rubenstein; Sadler; Sandorff; Schwartzschild Observatory; Selby; Sellery; Shapiro; Shields; Siry; Sky and Telescope; Soulie; Storms; Stumpff; Summerfield; Szebehely; Takenouchi; Television; Thomas; Todd; Torres; Van Biesbroeck; Vasilevskis; Vincente; Vlasceanu Weems; Wild; Wrigley; Zadunaisky.
Contracts and consultations, including Army Air Force (1940-1944); NSF Grant G-976 (1954-1960); Western Data Processing Center (1954-1958).
Contracts and consultations, including Ohio State Mapping Lab (1959); Lockheed (1962-1963); North American Aviation (1964-1966).
Presentation and lectures (1955-1964); Professional societies, including American Academy of Mechanics, American Academy of Sciences, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; American Rocket Society.
Including American Rocket Society, British Interplanetary Society; History of Science Society; International Academy of Astronautics.
Professional societies, including Institute of Navigation and Pacific Rocket Society.
Reprints S-Z: Sadler; Sandorff; Schneider; Shubart; Sehnal; Shapiro; Sjorgren; Sochilina; Spencer-Jones; Spivak; Sterne; Stumpff; Sundman; Sugai; Taylor; Vaisola; van Flandern; Veis; Vinti; von Zeipel; Votila; Watson; Wetherill; Whipple; Whittaker; Wilkins; Williams; Wolaver; Wong; Yaplee; Yeomans; Zinner.
Reprints A-D: Aksnes; Alfven; Anderle; Anderson; Arend; Arnold; Baker; Birge; Brouwer; Brown; Burdet; Caputo; Chapin; Charlier; Chebotarev; Clemence; Cohen; Cole; Columbo; Comrie; Crawford; Daney; De Prit.
Reprints D-K: de Sitter; Dubochier; Duncombe; Echert; Ehrlich; Eichorn; Eisenhart; Escobal; Fischer; Francis; French; Fricke; Garfinkel; Gehrels; Giacaglia; Gibbs; Gilvarry; Godal; Goodyear; Guggenheim; Hamid; Herget; Hilton; HIrst; Hunt; Izsak; Jacchia; Jeffreys; Kaula; Kevorkian; King-Hele; Kirkwood; Kisselli.
Reprints K-R: Kopal; Kovalvesky; Kozai; Krause; Krogh; Kustaanheim; Kyner; Lambech; Lancaster; La Paz; La Place; Likins; Liu; Long; Lundquist; Makemson; Marand; Markowitz; Meeus; Melchior; Merson; Message; Mikhailov; Milankovitch; Milham; Milne; Moulton; Mulholland; Musen; Nicholson; O'Keefe; Olmstead; Pierce; Pitken; Prince; Rabe; Rademacher; Rasmusen; Reigber.
Manuscript drafts and notes for Astrodynamics, including chapters 2-3, 6-11, 14, 16-17.
Manuscript drafts for Astrodynamics, appendicies I-IV.
Astrodynamics, miscellaneous drafts, proofs, and revisions.
Astrodynamics errata, V1-ER1, V1-ER2, V1-ER3, V2-ER1; meetings at Republic Aviation re: book chapters; Astrodynamical Reports 1-9, 13-15, 17.
Astrodynamical Reports 2, 5, 7, 15-17; Appendix A to Astrodynamical Report A.
Drafts, arranged chronologically:
1. Coding for INA, "SH Contributions to INA," 1949.
2. "The Nonimal System," c.1949, with correspondence re: co-development of system with E. F. Moore.
3. Navigation, v. 3, no. 1-2, 9/12/1951 containing SH article "Inter-planetary Navigation."
4. Drafts and revisions for SH paper "An Appraisal and Modification of Gibbs Orbit Method," 1953.
Subject files:
Minor planets, comets, and satellites, including asteriods (genereal information, calcuations); 1963 RH; variant orbits for Karus (1967-1968); Soviet ephemerides of minor planets (1976-1983); comet list and nots on orbits; comet 1880V.
1. Chapter 15, Celestial Mechanics Problems, undated but likely c. 1961.
2. Chapter 104, DROEA 1, Differential Representation in Observational Error Analyses and Differential Correction of Orbits in Space Guidance and Space Geodesy, 3/12/1964.
3. Astrodynamics: Part II, More Detailed Analysis, Lockheed LAC/421912, 5/1964.
4. SH paper, "Astronomical and Astrodynamical Values of Constants and Ephemeral Data," 1965.
5. Correspondence re: SH contribution to CRC Handbook of Tables for Mathematics, 1965-1966.
6. "Gravitational Constants and Selection of Units," 1966.
7. "Astrodynamics Constants Analysis," 1/1966.
8. Drafts and manuscripts of "The Foundations of Astrodynamics," 1969, and subsequent correspondence.
9. Working papers and final manuscript for "Accuracy of Ageton's Method" (for determining position at sea/air).
10. Two draft chapters of EU Condon Handbook of Physics.
11. Correspondence with Chemical Rubber Co. re: Critical Reviews Journal.
12. Notes re: reviews of Einstein books "Theory of Relativity" and "The Principle of Relativity."
13. Working papers and final manuscript, "The Determination of Position from a Photographic Plate."
14. Reprint, "The Step by Step Integration of x=f(x, y, z, t) without a 'Corrector.'"
15. Folder of worksheets for "Dr. Herrick Problem #1, Elliptic" and instruction sheet for Naval Observatory on "Herrick's Table."
16. Drafts and outlines re: perturbations, two-centers, fly-by, centers of attraction, and combination of orbits.
Computers and electronic calculations, including differential analyzer operation and problems (c. 1947); manuals on early computers, including EDVAC and ZEPHYR (1947-1949); Monroe Calculator; SWAC memoranda, coding sheets; Tezak inventory of tapes (1964).
Mathematical techniques, including manuscript on polynominal expansions; Hansen's method of general perturbations; data smoothing; numberical methods; quasilinerization; Fisher ellipsoid; new origin; Jeff projects; propogation of gravity; abberations; bulge perturbations; Hamiltonian-Goldreich rectilinear perturbation problem; general perturbations; combination of orbits; center of attraction; two stationary centers.
Mathematical techniques, including units and constants; smoothing; universal variables.
Minor planets, comets, and satellites, including Minor Planet Center (MPC) notices 151-2800 (1944-1967); USSR publication on the ephemerides of minor planets (1950-1967).
Minor planets, comets, and satellites, including Betulia (numerical integrations, plate reductions, indirect perturbation terms); Gary Smith predictions of orbits for Toro, Icarus, Betulia, and Geographos (1973); Geographos (early Enke orbit, ephemerides, ellipse graphs, plate measures) (c.1967-1970); Icarus (c. 1969-1971).
Minor planets, comets, and satellites, including minor planet Lanzia; JIX adn JXII ephmerides (1949-1971); 1953 EA emphemerides calculations; photos of Betulia and Icarus (1961); 1957 MK Trojan orbits of N7-C13; (1580) Betulia; Observations unrepresented (1946-1948); notes and calculations on orbvits and minor planets; correspondence and reprints re: Toro, Icarus, Geographos (1972); 1968 calculations and MPC's on Betulia.
Minor planets, comets, and satellites, including MPS 68 and 72 series of folders on Icarus, Betulia, Toro, 1957MK, 1953EA, 1950DA, Alpha I 1959, 1948EA, Hoffmeister object HAC 1495, 1963 RH.
Ellips graphs 1566. 1580, 1620; calculations ephemeris 1948 EA; 1968 ephemeris of 1568 Icarus; projects--potential; minor planet criteria; Trojans; Tauri; Uranus V=Miranda; 1235 Shorria; Armida (514); planetary coordinates; Halley's comet.
Shock waves of Icarus calculations; geophysical constants and correction methods; Project 15; ephemeral calculations A=1, A=5, and A=25; ephemeral calcuations OSP16; Prob 1--elliptic; Icarus calculations, including Mercury perturbations.
Ephemeral calculations unknown object, labelled "Project 2"; ephemeral calculations "Project 3--General Perturbations"; ephemeral calcuations Spec. Pert. Rocket to Venus, RV; Sperm 1 calculations and collection of formulae (Elster and Mace).
Early SH printouts; rectilinear calculations; "Herrick's Fable"; coordinates of Venus and Jupiter; first and second differences Sun's and four inner planets' attraction to Jupiter; sin x and cos x with first and second differences to 15 decimal places; 1966 fly-by of 1948EA.
Computer runs on Betulia (1969); computer runs testing Gauss integration versus four cycle R-K 1.73.
Gary R. Smith, two-body problems and Betulia ephemeris, runs 255, 257, 260,, 266, 272, 273, 331, 334, 369-372, 375, 377, 380-382, two unnumbered; Mercury-related ephemeris of Icarus 1968, June 1968.
Gary R. Smith, 7/68-9/73 Betulia ephemeris.
Printout and coding sheets: Kepler cubic convergence, Betulia, Geographos, Toro, Icarus ephemerides with earth perturbations, 8/71-4-72.
Printout and coding sheets: G. R. Smith, 4/72-4/73; Herrick direct rendezvous and miscellaneous minor planets.
Icarus, 1966-1968.
Geographos 1970 (G. R. Smith); R-K ohr e 0.1, 0.5, 0.9; 1963 RH Bullock; 1965 BA Bullock; Icarus 1965 II; Icarus 1968 encounter.
G. R. Smith computer runs (3/73); 10/70-1/71 computer runs MER 545 RBR SVD MAT.
Two-body rendezvous (9/71); hard copy of URSA HELP (12/72); miscellaneous runs (1972-1973).
Planetary coordinates (1968); Icarus calculations (six-day trial, 1967); Betulia ephemeris (8/72); Geographos (4/73).
G. R. Smith computer listings and runs 200-231 ("200" labelled "12n=-1.00 to 0.48 1/2n=.0," 3/73).
G. R. Smith computer listings and runs 330, 344, 374-378 two-body 180 degree rendezvous, GEOTAP (4/73-3/71); G. R. Smith runs, all labelled "Herrick inversal method, 133 cases."
G. R. Smith computer listings and runs labelled "290" through "345" (4/73), including "Geo. close approach: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune" and "180 degree rendezvous--Herrick Dir. Method: Force Orbit Plane."
R. G. Totten programs (Icarus two-day ephemeris); 1965 Icarus two-day ephemeris (Ford); 1965 Geographos two-day ephemeris (Ford); 1965 Toro (1948OA) two-day ephemeris (Ford); series of runs by G. R. Smith (1971-1974).
Miscellaneous computer card decks and runs.
Space exploration, including space colonies; simplified version of a rocket; UCLA moon base study; outline on space technology for use in articles, etc.; space navigation (instruments. PLG patent, Apollo navigation); "Some chapters for Rocket Navigation"; Astronautical engineering handbook; proposals for interplanetary trajectory study; high-precision orbit determination; Project Mercury; interplanetary navigation.
Space exploration, including reprints, notes, and correspondence on artficial satellites.