Collection Guide
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Guide to the NACA Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory and NASA Langley Research Center Records at NARA Philadelphia,
1918-1996
RG 255
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Description
The records of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its precursor, the National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics (NACA), comprise Record Group 255 of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The bulk of
the records pertaining to Langley are held at the Philadelphia facility of NARA. Records pertaining to the Scout satellite
launch vehicle system are held at the Georgia facility of NARA. Both sets are described in this guide. The collection contains
records pertaining to all aspects of Langley's administration and aerospace research and development activities, including
design and testing; accident investigations; reporting; correspondence, memoranda, and other communications; operations; and
collaboration with other government agencies and private industry.
Background
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the precursor organization to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA), was created by an act of Congress on March 3, 1915 "to supervise and direct the scientific study of the problems of
flight with a view to their practical solution, and to determine the problems which should be experimentally attacked, and
to discuss their solution and their application to practical questions" (Public Law 271, 1915). The principal activities of
the Committee were the scientific study of flight and aeronautical research and experimentation. Committee membership included
the Chairman of the Research and Development Board of the Department of Defense and representatives from the Departments of
the Air Force and Navy, the Civil Aeronautics Authority, the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Weather Bureau, and the National
Bureau of Standards.
Extent
Number of containers: 1,687
Volume: Approximately 716 linear feet
Volume: Approximately 716 linear feet
Restrictions
Copyright does not apply to United States government records. For non-government
material, researcher must contact the original creator.
Availability
Collection is open for research. All queries for records described in this guide should originate with NARA at Philadelphia.
Access to some records may be restricted due to their national security classification status.