![[back]](../../images/back.gif){kind=small}
Back to Government Information Sources in
Science and Technology main pageBack to Guides and Special ListsBack to Government Information main page
Astronauts & Cosmonauts: Biographical & Statistical DataY 4.Sci 2:103/I. 1994. Includes photographs; revised occasionally.
Astronomical Almanac D 213.8:. Annual. Library keeps latest 5 years. Includes information on movements of sun, moon, planets and stars.
Exploring the Unknown NAS 1.21:4407. 1995. This 6-volume set includes, as its subtitle indicates, "Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civilian Space Program." Not all of the pieces included are official or even connected with NASA; there are reprints of magazine articles, fiction and other materials considered influential in shaping American attitudes towards space exploration. A truly remarkable reference, the set includes individual biographical appendices and indexes in each volume. Volumes are available online from the NASA website, in PDF form: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, Volume 5, Volume 6.
Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. I 19.3:2129. 1995. Information about all the names for topographic and albedo features on planets and satellites (and some planetary ring systems) that have been approved by the International Astrononmical Union through 1994. The primary listing in the Gazeteer is by planet, satellite and feature type. There is also an alphabetical list and appendices providing additional information, such as sources of the names, discoverers, etc. Information given for each feature includes precise location and size, map coordinates, date and status of adoption, and details of the name's source (continent, ethnic group, definition or explanation, and authoritative reference).
Space Shuttle Challenger Accident: Report of the President's Special Review Board. PR 40.8:SP 1/R 29/V.1-5. 1987. The Board's mandate was to review the accident in detail to establish the probable cause or causes for it, and to develop recommendations for corrective action based upon this review. The first volume contains this review and the recommendations, and the first four of 15 supporting appendices. Volumes two and three contain the remainder of the appendices, and volumes four and five contain transcripts of the hearings held by the Board in February and May, 1986.
Star Catalog SI 1.2:St 2. 1966. Gives positions and proper motion for over 250,000 stars.
The Wind and Beyond: A documentary journey into the history of aerodynamics in America. NAS 1.21:4409. A proposed 6-volume set which examines the importance of aerodynamic development in the evolution of the airplane.
NASA Special Publications NAS 1.21:. 1966- . Some numbers are missing; some are received on microfiche. Many of these monographs contain excellent photographs and report results of space explorations. For historical information, particularly check numbers 4000 and higher, which are in a special NASA history subseries. A particularly interesting set is Exploring the Unknown, #4407 (see above).
Other NASA Series:
FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation. This site is designed to "provide the public with information regarding the Commercial Space Industry and its regulation." It offers online access to many reports and other publications, regulations and licensing information.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Technical Reports Server. Searchable database of citations, abstracts and full-text online reports from 1992. Reports are in PDF format.
Map-A-Planet. This interactive site provided by the U.S. Geololgical Survey can produce customized maps of the surfaces of several planets and moons.
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA). The major space-related agency in the
government, NASA's presence on the Web is voluminous. (In fact, there is so much information on a wide variety of subjects, that regular visitors to the site may want to take advantage of their "My NASA" feature, which allows customization and bookmarking.) From their main page
you can see recent news items and link to pages customized for different types of users (Kids, Educators, Researchers, etc.)
Each of these subsidiary pages contains news items and links to related resources for each audience. Another way to approach the NASA site is by choosing one of the following broad areas: Life on Earth, Humans in Space and Exploring the Universe. The search engine offered on the main page searches
all of NASA's many web sites.
A particularly interesting subsidiary site is Science@NASA, which offers articles and news items on scientific and technical fields related to the agency's mission.
To connect to the websites of any of NASA's subsidiary labs and centers (e.g., the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Kennedy Space Center, etc.), look under "About NASA," then "NASA Sites."
Planetary Image Atlas. A centralized site with links to images and other data from 10 planetary missions, both recent and from decades past. Missions covered include Galileo (Jupiter), Magellan (Venus), Clementine (Moon) and various Mars missions.
USGS Astrogeology Research Program. This program, in the Geological Survey of the Dept. of the Interior, supports efforts to explore, map, and understand our solar system. Their website includes databases, general and technical information, photo galleries, etc., concerned with our planetary neighbors.
U.S. Naval Observatory. One of the oldest scientific agencies in the country, the Observatory is an important authority on time-keeping and astronomical measurements connected with navigation. A list of their services can be found under "Products" at the website. The Naval Observatory FAQ is also a useful index of Information on astronomy, time, calendar questions and celestial navigation. The Observatory maintains several catalogs of technical information
House Committee on Science
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
There is some variation among Congressional Committee Web sites as to content. But all of them will have at least some information on legislation they are currently considering. So for information of this kind, these are good sites to consult. Some Committees, however, will have more historical information available than others.
A selection of links to government databases in the sciences and technology can be found on our Government Databases in Scientific and Technical Fields page.
Back to Government Information Sources in
Science and Technology main page
Back to Guides and Special Lists
Back to Government Information main page