The Descriptive Finding Guide for the Wilbur T. Wakely Personal Papers SDASM.SC.10218
San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives
2018
Contributing Institution:
San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives
Title: Wilbur T. Wakely Personal Papers
Identifier/Call Number: SDASM.SC.10218
Physical Description:
.3 Cubic Feet
Content notes: The collection consists entirely of folders and books containing photocopies of images of and from the Hubble
Space Telescope, including descriptions of images and results of experiments.
Description: The collection consists of one gray archival box, 12-12 x 10-1/2 x 16 inches.
Date (bulk): bulk
Abstract: The collection consists entirely of folders and books containing photocopies of images of and from the Hubble Space Telescope,
including descriptions of images and results of experiments.
Physical Description: Description: The collection consists of one gray archival box, 12-12 x 10-1/2 x 16 inches.
Content notes: The collection consists entirely of folders and books containing photocopies of images of and from the Hubble
Space Telescope, including descriptions of images and results of experiments.
Wilbur T. (Wil) Wakely was born on May 1, 1931. He lives in San Diego, CA, and previously lived in Traverse City, Michigan.
Wil is a retired ceramic engineer. His interests include computer programming, glass blowing, and playing chess. He is also
a golf duffer and a Quantum physics dabbler. Wil is a past-president of Seniors Computer Group, an International Association
of Technology and Computer Users group. Wil also describes himself as a UFO nut. One of his major interests was collecting
information about the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation.
Although not the first space telescope, Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile and is well known as both a vital
research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy.
With a 7.9 foot mirror, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared spectra.
Hubble's orbit outside the distortion of Earth's atmosphere allows it to take extremely high-resolution images, with substantially
lower background light than ground-based telescopes. Hubble has recorded some of the most detailed visible light images ever,
allowing a deep view into space and time. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in astrophysics, such as accurately
determining the rate of expansion of the universe.
The HST was built by the United States space agency NASA, with contributions from the European Space Agency. The Space Telescope
Science Institute selects Hubble's targets and processes the resulting data, while the Goddard Space Flight Center controls
the spacecraft.
Space telescopes were proposed as early as 1923. Hubble was funded in the 1970s, with a proposed launch in 1983, but the project
was beset by technical delays, budget problems, and the Challenger disaster (1986). When finally launched in 1990, Hubble's
main mirror was found to have been ground incorrectly, compromising the telescope's capabilities. The optics were corrected
to their intended quality by a servicing mission in 1993.
Hubble is the only telescope designed to be serviced in space by astronauts. After launch by Space Shuttle Discovery in 1990,
five subsequent Space Shuttle missions repaired, upgraded, and replaced systems on the telescope. The telescope is operating
as of 2018, and could last until 2030–2040. Its scientific successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is scheduled
for launch in March 2021.
The collection is open to research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The materials in this collection were donated to the San Diego Air & Space Museum. The collection has been processed and
is open for research with no restrictions.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Hubble Space Telescope
Wakely , Wilbur T.
Box 1 of 1 Series I: Documents
Physical Description: 1. Hubble Space Telescope, Pre-1995, Navy blue bound book
2. Hubble Space Telescope Images, 1995, Navy blue bound book
3. Hubble Space Telescope Images, 1996, Navy blue bound book
4. Hubble Space Telescope Images, 1997, Navy blue bound book
5. Hubble Space Telescope Images, 1998, Vol. 1, black & gray softbound book
6. Hubble Space Telescope Images, 1998, Vol. 2, black & gray softbound book
7. Hubble Space Telescope Images, 1998, Vol. 3, black & gray softbound book
8. Hubble Space Telescope, 1998, Vol. 4, black & gray softbound book
9. Sky & Telescope’s Weekly News Bulletins, January – June, 1997, Navy blue bound book
10. Sky & Telescope’s Weekly News Bulletins, August - December, 1997, Navy blue bound book
11. NASA Observation of the Week Archive, 1997, Navy blue bound book
12. NASA’s Observation of the Week, 1998, black & gray softbound book
13. NASA’s Observation of the Week, 1998, Vol. 2, black & gray softbound book
14. Space & Technology Weekly News Bulletins, Vol. 1, black & gray softbound book
15. Space & Technology Weekly News Bulletins, Vol. 2, black & gray softbound book
16. Space & Technology Weekly News Bulletins, Vol. 3, black & gray softbound book
17. Folder, Space Telescope Science Institute
18. Folder, Hubble Site
(articles from miscellaneous websites about the Hubble Space Telescope)
19. Folder, Press Releases re: Hubble Space Telescope
20. Folder, Miscellaneous Extra Astronomic Images