NASA History Listserv Readers:

 

Please join us on January 27, 2021 at 12pm ET for our virtual History Brown Bag as historian Dr. Christopher J. Gainor discusses his new book from the NASA History Office, Not Yet Imagined: A Study of Hubble Space Telescope Operations. Dr. Gainor’s book is now available as an free eBook: https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/not-yet-imagined.html Hardcopies will be available soon.

 

Unlike our past virtual Brown Bag events, this talk will be hosted via Webex. A link will be posted in our reminder email coming early next week. Feel free to reach out with any questions regarding access.

 

*See attachment for more information on Not Yet Imagined.

 

Abstract: Not Yet Imagined documents the history of HST from its launch through its first 30 years of operation in space. It focuses on the interactions among the general public, astronomers, engineers, government officials, and members of Congress during that time. The decision-making behind the changes in Hubble’s instrument packages on servicing missions that made HST a model of supranational cooperation amongst scientists is chronicled, along with HST’s contributions to our knowledge about our solar system, our galaxy, and our universe. This book also covers the impact of HST and the images it produces on the public’s appreciation for the universe, and how HST has changed the ways astronomy is done.

 

Dr. Christopher J. Gainor is the editor of Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly. His books include The Bomb and America’s Missile Age (2018), To a Distant Day: The Rocket Pioneers (2008), and Arrows to the Moon: Avro’s Engineers and the Space Race (2001). His research interests include aircraft, missile, and space programs in the years following World War II. He has served as President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, and he has a doctoral degree in the history of technology from the University of Alberta, a master of science degree in space studies from the University of North Dakota, and a bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of British Columbia.

 

Best,
Brian