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], Robert Burton Collection of Apollo Mission Reports, 1965-1973, Ms2023-054, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Robert Burton Collection of Apollo Mission Reports was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in August 2019.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Robert Burton Collection of Apollo Mission Reports was completed in June 2023.

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.

Administrative History

Running from 1961 through 1972, the Apollo Program was the NASA program that put American astronauts on the Moon. The program consisted of eleven spaceflights from Apollo 7 in 1968 through Apollo 17 in 1972. The first four of these spaceflights - Apollo 7 through Apollo 10 - were meant to test the equipment used for the program, with Apollo 8 being the first to orbit the Moon.

The final seven flights - Apollo 11 through Apollo 17 - were meant to land on the moon. Six of these seven missions successfully landed on the moon. Apollo 11 was the first mission to land on the Moon in 1969. Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon and Buzz Aldrin the second. Michael Collins remained on the command module as the pilot in lunar orbit. The seventh mission intended to land on the Moon, Apollo 13 in 1970 had abort part of their mission due to an accident, but all astronauts returned safely to Earth.

AS-204 in 1967 was the first crewed mission of the Apollo program. During a launch test of the mission, a fire broke out in the cabin, and all astronauts died: Gus Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee. At the request of their families, NASA renamed AS-204 as Apollo 1.

External Sources:

Hitt, David, "What Was the Apollo Program?", NASA Knows! (Grades 5-8) series , NASA Educational Technology Services, https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-was-apollo-program-58.html , accessed June 20, 2023.

Apollo-1 (204), NASA History Division, https://history.nasa.gov/Apollo204/ , accessed June 20, 2023.

Scope and Content

The Robert Burton Collection of Apollo Mission Reports contains twelve reports relating to NASA's Apollo programs that were published between 1965 and 1973. This collection contains mission reports for Apollo 12, 13, 14, 15, and 17. This collection also contains several other reports that were published by the Apollo Program.

Arrangement

The materials in the collection are arranged chronologically.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Archives of American Aerospace Exploration (AAAE)
• Project Apollo (U.S.)
• Science and Technology
• United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Robert Burton Collection of Apollo Mission Reports by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).