Fred Lawrence Whipple (b. November 5, 1906, d. August 30, 2004) was an eminent astronomer of the 20th century, but further, he was a pioneer in the development of the global and United States space programs. His personal writings about both astronomy and space are documented in his Collected Contributions. During the early days of the space age, he had close working relations with Wernher von Braun, Willy Ley, and other space pioneers. Thus historical material from and on Fred L. Whipple deserves a place in a space archive beside collections for von Braun, Ley, and others. During the period when global space programs were evolving, Fred Whipple was a professor of astronomy at Harvard University and the Director of the Astrophysical Observatory of the Smithsonian Institution (SAO). At this time, the Astrophysical Observatory was located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the premises of Harvard Observatory. The research and support teams that Whipple assembled and directed at SAO were major participants in many early space science and technology developments. These advances were disseminated promptly in a Special Report Series that spanned the period he was director of SAO (1955 to 1973). Particularly, the evolution of artificial satellite orbit theory and orbit determination from observations is well captured initially in the SAO Special Reports. Prompt dissemination was necessary due to the frantic pace of the early space activities. Of course these topics were later documented in archival journals and books.

Several of the scientific interests of Fred Whipple evolved from conventional astronomical subjects into important space-age topics. Notable subjects of this type were comets, meteors, meteorites, the atmosphere of the Earth, and solar system science in general.

Recognizing the relationship between Fred Whipple and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, this collection assembles historical materials both on Fred as an individual and also from SAO during his tenure as Director. However, many scientific papers and books published by SAO personnel are not included in the collection, as these can be found in traditional scientific indices.

Excerpt from Fred L. Whipple Colletion Legacy Finding Aid