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], Donald K. "Deke" Slayton Collection, 1974-1979, 1995, Ms2023-058, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Donald K. "Deke" Slayton Collection was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in November 2019.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Donald K. "Deke" Slayton Collection 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.

Biographical Note

One of the first seven American astronauts, Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton was born on March 1, 1924, in Sparta, Wisconsin, to Charles Sherman and Victoria Adelia (nee Larson) Slayton. He was a senior at Sparta High School when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, which caused him to join the U. S. Army Air Forces. During World War II, he flew for the 340th Bombardment Group in Europe and the Pacific. Slayton earned a B.S. in aeronautical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1949. He then worked for Boeing before joining the United States Air Force, serving with the 36th Fighter Day Wing and as a test pilot.

In 1959, Slayton was selected for the Mercury program, NASA's first class of astronauts, but was disqualified upon discovery of a heart condition but continued to work in several positions for NASA. After a reevaluation of his medical status, he was certified for space flight, and in July 1975, Slayton was the docking module pilot for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, resulting in a joint docking and experiments with Soviet cosmonauts. Following the completion of this project, Slayton continued to work for NASA until his retirment in 1982. He later founded Space Services Inc., of Houston, to develop rockets for commercial endeavors.

Slayton married Marjorie Lunney, and they had a son, Kent Sherman, in 1957, prior to divorcing. He married Bobbie Osborn on October 8, 1983. Slayton died of brain cancer on June 13, 1993, in League City, Texas.

External Sources:

"Biographical Data" [for Deke Slayton, NASA Astronaut], Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), June 1993, https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/slayton_donald.pdf , accessed June 16, 2023.

Gray, Tara, "Donald K. 'Deke' Slayton", 40th Anniversary of the Mercury 7 (NASA), https://history.nasa.gov/40thmerc7/slayton.htm , accessed June 16, 2023.

Scope and Content

This collection contains materials belonging to American astronaut, Donald K. "Deke" Slayton. This collection contains materials about the Apollo-Soyuz Program, programs and invitations to events, photographs, a map of Moscow, and newspaper clippings. Slayton was an astronaut on the Apollo-Soyuz Progam, resulting in a joint docking and experiments with Soviet cosmonauts.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by document type.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Archives of American Aerospace Exploration (AAAE)
• Science and Technology

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Donald K. "Deke" Slayton Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).