Hill, Paul R., Collection Paul R. Hill Collection, 1936-1996 Ms.2010.068

Paul R. Hill Collection, 1936-1996 Ms.2010.068


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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech

Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu

Kimberly Staub, Graduate Assistant

Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Identification
Ms.2010.068
Title
Paul R. Hill Collection 1936-1996
Quantity
5.6 Cubic Feet, 6 boxes, 2 oversize folders
Creator
Hill, Paul R., 1909-1990
Language
THe materials in the collection are in English.
Abstract
The Paul R. Hill Collection contains material relating to the NASA career of Paul R. Hill. Materials include books, papers, newspapers, lantern slides, NASA publications and memos, overhead sheets, and notes from presentations and talks.

Administrative Information

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], Paul R. Hill Collection, Ms2010-068, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Paul R. Hill Collection was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 2010 by Julie M. Hill of Norfolk, Virginia.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Paul R. Hill Collection commenced in 2010 and was completed in January 2011. Additional description was completed in August 2021.


Biographical Note

Paul R. Hill (1909-1990) was a renowned NASA engineer and UFO enthusiast. He received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from University of California, Berkeley in 1936. After teaching at the Polytechnic College of Engineering in Oakland, California, Hill began his career with the National Advisory Committee of Aeronautics (NACA) in 1939, which became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958. He worked at NASA until 1970, where he published numerous scientific and technical reports.

Hill was also an adamant UFO enthusiast. Based on his own personal sightings in 1952, Mr. Hill tried to use his scientific and engineering knowledge to understand how UFOs worked and eventually built his own flying platform. His book on the topic, Unconventional Flying Objects: A Scientific Analysis , was published post-humously in 1995.

Mr. Hill was married to Frances Hoback Hill (d. 1999) and had one daughter, Julie M. Hill. Hill died in 1990 at the age of 81.

Scope and Content

The Paul R. Hill Collection contains material relating to the NACA/NASA/Langely career of Paul R. Hill from 1939-1970. Materials include books, papers, newspapers, lantern slides, NASA publications and memos, overhead sheets, and notes from presentations and talks.

Many photographs portray Hill's design for a personal flight device. Other drawings reflect planetary orbits or space station models. Presentation notes accompany a few slide folders.

The collection also consists of various publications and papers written by Hill and other authors. Many of these publications are declassified official NASA reports, and others are NASA publications from award ceremonies and department memorandums. Wherever possible, bibliographies at the folder-level are included in the "Contents List" below. Other publications include drafts of papers reviewed by Hill. A number of books were removed from the collection to be catalogued (see "Separated Materials" below).

Also included in this collection are personal papers of Paul R. Hill. Some of these items include his 1936 voter registration, work evaluations, and correspondence regarding his personal projects. Newspaper and magazine clippings kept by Hill are also included in the collection.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in six series. Where possible, collection materials have been kept in original groupings. Other items, such as publications and clippings, have been grouped and arranged chronologically. Undated material is arranged alphabetically, where possible.

Series I: Paul R. Hill Materials - This series contains personal materials of Paul R. Hill, including correspondence, work evaluations, and his talks and lecture notes. It also contains papers written by Paul R. Hill. Series II: Subject Files - The files in this series are in original groupings by Hill and cntain papers, notes, correspondence.

Series III: NASA Reports and Publications - This series contains official publications from NASA, memoranda, and meeting agendas from Hill's time at NACA/NASA.

Series IV: Other Papers and Publications - These files contain other publications that were part of the collection. Some of these publications were copies from other sources. The series is arranged chronologically.

Series V: Images - This series contains slides, slide negatives, drawings, photographs, and photograph negatives. Series VI: Clippings - This series contains clippings from various sources, separated by magazine or newspaper sources.

Separated Material

The following items have been removed and cataloged for the Special Collections Rare Book Collection:

A Class of Unified Explicit Methods for Steering Throttleable and Fixed-Thrust Rockets , 1964
A Course in Electrical Engineering/Vol II: Alternating Currents , 1934
A New Dimension: Wallops Island The First Fifteen Years , 1978
A Short Table of Integrals , 1956
A Superposition Principle for a System of Analytic Ordinary Differential Equations , 1963
A Trajectory Optimization Technique Based on the Theory of Second Variation , 1964
Accounting Principles , 1935
Analytical Mechanics for Engineers , 1933
Air-Age Education Series: Science of Pre-Flight Aeronautics , 1944
Airplane Dynamics , 1951
Airplane Structures, Volume I , 1938
Astronautics Magazine , September 1962
Bacteriology Illustrated , 1965
Bacteriology: Principles and Practice , 1962
Computation Curves for Compressible Fluid Problems , 1949
Design of Machine Elements , 1935
Development of Large Solid Propellant Boosters , 1962
Elementary Pile Theory , 1950
Elements of Chemistry, Volume II , 1853
Elements of the Differential and integral Calculus , 1929
Elements of Heat Power Engineering , 1915
Elements of Heat-Power Engineering, Part I: Thermodynamics and Prime Movers , 1926
Elements of Heat-Power Engineering, Part II: Steam-Generating Apparatus and Prime Movers, Fuels, Combustion, and Heat Transmission , 1933
Engineering Applications of Fluid Mechanics , 1947
Explosions and Combustion Processes in Gases , 1946
Gas Sterilants (Linde) , n.d.
Geometry of Engineering Drawing , 1926
History of Wallops Station Part III Volume 1 , 1971
History of Wallops Station Part III Volume 2 , 1971
Hydraulics: A Text on Practical Fluid Mechanics , 1937
Internal-Combustion Engines , 1933
Kinetics of Machines , 1928
Lunar Flying Unit Status Review , 1968
Magnethydrodynamics , 1957
Mathematical Theory of Rocket Flight , 1947
Mechanical Engineers' Handbook , 1941
Millipore Bibliography , 1968
Modern Operational Mathematics in Engineering , 1944
NACA Reunion II , 1982
NASA Sounding Rockets, 1958-1968: A Historical Summary , 1971
On The Two Point Boundary Value Problem, with Application to Celestial Mechanics , 1964
Pocket companion: information and tables for engineers and designers and other data pertaining to structural steel , 1934
Practical Exporting , 1949
Principles and Practices of Electrical Engineering , 1933
Progressive Plane Geometry , 1935
Resistance of Materials , 1925
Reusable Orbital Transport , 1965
Sampling Microbiological Aerosols , 1959
Scientific Results of the Viking Project , 1977
Spaceflight Revolution: NASA Langley Research Center from Sputnik to Apollo , 1995
Steam, Air, and Gas Power , 1933
Sterilization with Ethylene Oxide Gas Mixtures , 1966
The Internal Combustion Engine , 1938
Technical Aerodynamics , 1935
Techniques for Microbiological Analysis , 1967
Theory of Modern Steel Structures, Volume I: Statically Determinate Structures , 1936
Threshhold Limit Values for 1967 , 1967
Treatise on Hydraulics , 1934
Winds of Change: Expanding the Frontiers of Flight , 1992


Subjects and Indexing Terms

  • Aeronautical engineers
  • Archives of American Aerospace Exploration (AAAE)
  • Science and Technology
  • United States. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
  • United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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

Container List

Series I: Paul R. Hill Materials
1936-1995, n.d.
  • Manuscripts and Publications
    1944-1970, n.d.
    • box-folder 1 folder: 1
      The Effect of Operational Parameters of Speed, Power, and Altitude on the Range of a Heavy Bomber
      1944
    • box-folder 1 folder: 2
      Cost Optimization of Multistage Rockets
      1967
    • box-folder 1 folder: 3
      Appraisal of Studies in the Area of Design Integration
      1970
    • box-folder 1 folder: 4
      High Speed Vector Physics
      1983
    • box-folder 1 folder: 5
      A Criticism of the Special Theory of Relativity
      n.d.
    • box-folder 1 folder: 6
      The Optimization of Multistage Rockets with Respect to Cost
      n.d.
    • box-folder 1 folder: 7
      A Simulator Study of the Control of Lunar Flyers by Pilot Body Motions
      n.d.
    • box-folder 1 folder: 8
      The Time Required for Interstellar Travel
      n.d.
    • box-folder 1 folder: 9
      Vector Relativity
      n.d.
  • box-folder 1 folder: 10
    Paul R. Hill Correspondence
    1936-1992
  • box-folder 1 folder: 11
    Other Correspondence
    1955-1995
  • box-folder 1 folder: 12
    Talks and Speeches
    1962, n.d.
  • box-folder 1 folder: 13
    "Cowling and Cooling" Lecture Notes
    1942
  • box-folder 1 folder: 14
    Notification of Personnel Actions and Efficiency Ratings
    1944-1970
  • box-folder 1 folder: 15
    Authorizations for Travel
    1947-1970
  • box-folder 1 folder: 16
    Ephemera Personal Items
    1938-1964, n.d.
  • box-folder 1 folder: 17
    Ephemera Notes, Figures, and Calculations
    n.d.
Series II: Subject Files
1953-1970, n.d.
  • box-folder 2 folder: 1
    Helicopter WT Breakdown
    1953-1954
  • box-folder 2 folder: 2
    Nelson Engine Information
    1954
  • box-folder 2 folder: 3
    Spin Stabalization
    1958-1966
  • box-folder 2 folder: 4
    Partial Record MORL Technology Steering Committee
    1964
  • box-folder 2 folder: 5
    Peter Payne Materials
    1966-1968
  • box-folder 2 folder: 6
    SS History Talk and Figures
    1967-06-01
  • box-folder 2 folder: 7
    Preparations for Second Subcommittee Meeting
    1967-1968
  • box-folder 2 folder: 8
    Lunar Jet Transport
    1968
  • box-folder 2 folder: 9
    Space Station Review Group Correspondence
    1969-1970
  • box-folder 2 folder: 10
    Meteor Reentry Life Support
    n.d.
  • box-folder 2 folder: 11
    Shockwave Pattern in 3-Dimensional Nozzles
    n.d.
  • box-folder 2 folder: 12
    Space Station Information
    n.d.
  • box-folder 2 folder: 13
    Space Station Information II
    n.d.
Series III: NASA Reports and Publications
1941-1972
  • Official Publications
    1941-1970
    • box-folder 3 folder: 1
      Publications
      1941-1948Bibliography
      • The Effect of External Shape Upon the Drag of a Scoop, 1941
      • Generalized Selection Charts for Bombers with Four 2000-Horsepower Engines, 1942
      • Effect of Airplane Design Efficiency and Engine Economy on Range, 1942
      • Parameters Determining Performance of Supersonic Pilotless Airplanes Powered by Ram-Compression Power Plants, 1946
      • An Analysis of Ducted-Airfoil Ram Jets for Supersonic Aircraft, 1948
    • box-folder 3 folder: 2
      Publications
      1953-1962Bibliography
      • Equations, Tables, and Charts for Compressible Flow, 1953
      • Preliminary Experimental Investigation of the Flight of a Person Supported by a Jet Thrust Device Attached to his Feet, 1953
      • Flight Tests of Man Standing on a Platform Supported by a Teetering Rotor, 1954
      • Flight Investigation at Mach Numbers from 0.8 to 1.5 to Determine the Effects of Nose Bluntness on the Total Drag of Two Fin-Stabilized Bodies of Revolution, 1955
      • High Temperature Oxidation and Ignition of Metals, 1956
      • A Method of Computing the Transient Temperature of Thick Walls from Arbitrary Variation of Adiabatic-Wall Temperature and Heat-Transfer Coefficient, 1957
      • An Analysis of Ablation-Shield Requirements for Manned Reentry Vehicles, 1960
      • NASA Reports - A Discussion for Prospective Authors, 1962
      • Perigee Propulsion for Orbital Launch of Nuclear Rockets, 1962
    • box-folder 3 folder: 3
      Publications
      1963-1968Bibliography
      • Open House Instructions for Self-Guided Tour, 1963
      • The International System of Units, 1964
      • The Needs and Requirements for a Manned Space Station Volume I, 1966
      • A Technical Assessment of Manned Orbiting Laboratories, 1964
      • Sterilization and Decontamination Techniques for Space Vehicles, 1967
      • Planetary Quarantine, 1967
    • box-folder 3 folder: 4
      Publications
      1970Bibliography
      • AMPD Program Summary, 1970
      • A Simulator Study of the Control of Lunar Flying Platforms by Pilot Body Motions, 1970
      • Lunar Flying Platform Simulator, 1970
  • box-folder 3 folder: 5-6
    Notes on Space Technology
    1958
  • box-folder 4 folder: 1
    Air Scoop and Langley Researcher Publications
    1952-1970
  • box-folder 4 folder: 2
    Assorted Meeting Agendas
    1951-1968
  • box-folder 4 folder: 3
    Department Memorandums
    1949-1970
  • box-folder 4 folder: 4
    Other Publications
    1963-1972Bibliography
    • Echo I, 1961
    • Honor Awards Ceremony, 1963
    • Honor Awards Program, 1966
    • Honor Awards Program, 1970
    • Space Station Index, 1970
    • Honor Awards Program, 1972
    • "Tips to NASA Travelers on How to Survive When Trapped in a Multistory Building Fire", n.d.
    • The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, n.d.
  • box-folder 4 folder: 5
    Ephemera
    1950-1969, n.d.
Series IV: Other Papers and Publications
1952-1988
  • box-folder 4 folder: 6
    Papers and Publications
    1952-1963Bibliography
    • Molds and Men, 1952
    • The Origin of Life, 1954
    • Relativistic Treatment of Rocket Kinematics and Propulsion, 1958
    • Steering an Ascent Rocket for Maximum Cutoff Velocity, 1958
    • A Simple Passive Method for Predicting the Path of a Space Ship with Respect to a Planet Which Is Approaching, 1958
    • Techniques for Departure and Return in Interplanetary Flight, 1958
    • A Note on the Application of Hill's Method to Low Conductivity Materials, 1958
    • Computing Notes on Hill's Method, 1958
    • About the Final Velocity of Rockets, 1959
    • The Third Symposium on Advanced Propulsion Concepts, 1962
    • Development of a Method for Microbial Sampling of Surfaces with Special Reference to Reliability, 1963
  • box-folder 4 folder: 7
    Papers and Publications
    1964-1988Bibliography
    • The Application of Modern Dynamic Optimization Techniques to Fundamental Problems Encountered in Space Programs, 1964
    • The Black Death, 1964
    • Tangent Steering, 1965
    • Sterilizing Space Probes, 1966
    • On Finding the Optimum: A New Location Technique, 1969
    • Public Service Company of Colorado Shareholder's Quarterly, 1988
  • box-folder 5 folder: 1
    Papers and Publications
    n.d.Bibliography
    • Conventionality and Mach's Principle in Relativity, n.d.
    • A Comparison of Two Methods for Calculating Transient Temperaturs Through Thick Walls, n.d.
    • Exact Methods in the Dynamics of Structures, n.d.
    • The Fundamentals of Flight-Induced and Forced Cooling, n.d.
    • Methods and Techniques Used by the Pilotless Aircraft Research Division in Free Flight Tests, n.d.
    • Notes on Quantum Theory, n.d.
    • Notes on Vibration Theory, n.d.
    • Numerical Solution for the Temperature Distribution in Some Structural Components Heated at a Constant Rate, n.d.
    • Objectives and a Comparison of Approaches for a Manned Orbital Laboratory, n.d.
    • Optimization of Satellite Boost Trajectories, n.d.
    • Significant Contributions of OMSF Flight Programs, n.d.
  • box-folder 5 folder: 2
    Paper
    n.d.
  • box-folder 5 folder: 3
    Copies and Printouts from Other Sources
    1954-1968, n.d.
Series V: Images
1962, 1981, n.d.
  • box-folder 5 folder: 4
    Life Systems Briefing Negatives
    1962
  • box-folder 5 folder: 5
    Space Conference Negatives
    1962
  • box-folder 5 folder: 6
    Interstellar Flight Figure Originals
    n.d.
  • box-folder 5 folder: 7
    Long Term Flight Panel Negatives
    n.d.
  • box 6
    Lantern Slides
    n.d.
  • box-folder 5 folder: 8
    Slide Negatives
    n.d.
  • box-folder 5 folder: 9
    Photograph Negatives
    n.d.
  • box-folder 5 folder: 10
    Photographs
    1981, n.d.
  • box-folder 5 folder: 11
    Photographs
    n.d.
  • oversize folder: 1
    Drawings and Figures
    n.d.
Series VI: Clippings
1954-1996, n.d.
  • box-folder 5 folder: 12
    Magazine Clippings
    1954-1969, n.d.
  • oversize folder: 2
    Newspaper Clippings
    1955-1996, n.d.