History Committee Charter

The American Astronautical Society (AAS) History Committee Charter

The AAS History Committee was established to stimulate historical research in and teaching, publication, and preservation of the history of astronautics while encouraging interest and scholarship in and appreciation of the history of astronautics.

Activities of the Committee include, but are not limited to, recommending topics for and coordination of and participation in meetings addressing historical subjects; encouraging publication papers, articles, and books on topics in the history of astronautics; and providing recognition and prizes for significant historical achievements in astronautics.

In addition the Committee collaborates with other historically oriented groups and organizations, including the history groups of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Smithsonian Institution , the New Mexico Museum of Space History at Alamogordo, the Huntington Museum, and other such institutions and organizations.

Concerning publication activities, a subcommittee annually reviews new books on topics in astronautics and selects recipients of the Emme Award for Astronautical Literature, which recognizes outstanding publications that advance public understanding of the effects of astronautics on society. The Committee collaborates closely with the IAA History Study Group in the editing and publication of the proceedings of IAA Historical Symposia in the AAS History Series. In addition, the Committee coordinates the review by Committee members of books of potential interest to the AAS membership in general and the spaceflight history community in particular.

January 2009