Roger D. Launius

Roger D. Launius
Born (1954-05-15)May 15, 1954
Galesburg, Illinois
Residence U.S.
Nationality United States
Alma mater Graceland College, Louisiana State University
Occupation Historian and author
Employer NASA, National Air and Space Museum
Website https://launiusr.wordpress.com/
External video
Roger D. Launius, “How We Remember Apollo”, Philosophical Society of Washington

Roger D. Launius (born May 15, 1954) is an American historian and author of Lithuanian descent who has been the chief historian for NASA and is presently the Associate Director of Collections and Curatorial Affairs for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Launius specializes in air and space history and the history of the Latter Day Saint movement.[1]

Early life and education

Launius was born in Galesburg, Illinois, and was raised in Greenville, South Carolina.[2] He attended Graceland College and Louisiana State University.[1]

Career

From 1982 to 1990, Launius worked in a number of positions as a civilian historian with the United States Air Force.[1] Between 1990 and 2002, he was the chief historian for NASA. In 2001, he held the Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History at the Smithsonian.[3] Since 2002, Launius has held the position of Associate Director of Collections and Curatorial Affairs with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.[4]

Launius was a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board in 2003.[5][6] He is frequently asked for his opinion on space-related issues by the news media.[7][8][9]

Launius is a member of the Community of Christ.[10] He was president of the Mormon History Association in 1993–94[11] and was president of the John Whitmer Historical Association in 1991–92.[12]

Publications

Coming Home, 2011

Launius has written more than twenty books and 100 articles on the history of aerospace.[1] Recent titles include Historical analogs for the stimulation of space commerce (2014), Space shuttle legacy : how we did it and what we learned (2013), and Exploring the Solar System: The History and Science of Planetary Probes (2012). He has twice won the AIAA History Manuscript Award, forComing Home: Reentry and Recovery from Space in 2011,[13] and for Space Stations: Base Camps to the Stars in 2003.[14][15]

Launius has also published on the Latter Day Saint movement. Launius has won both the David Woolley Evans and Beatrice Evans Biography Award (1989) and the John Whitmer Historical Association Best Book Award for his work on Mormon history, Joseph Smith III: Pragmatic Prophet.[16]

Launius is interested in the history of baseball in the United States, and has published Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman with G. Michael Green.[1][17]

Additional awards and honors

Launius has been repeatedly recognized in addition to the awards noted above. Other awards include:

In addition, Launius is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2007), the American Astronomical Society (2001), and the International Academy of Astronautics (2007).[4][3] He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (2008).[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dr Roger Launius". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "Roger Launius". NASA. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Launius, Roger D. "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 Bainbridge, William Sims (2012). Leadership in science and technology : a reference handbook. Los Angeles: Sage. p. xxxiii. ISBN 9781412976886. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  5. ↑ Logsdon, John M. (2013). "Chapter 8: A Failure of National Leadership”: Why No Replacement for the Space Shuttle?". Critical Issues in the History of Spaceflight (PDF). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ISBN 978-1493716630. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Leusner, Jim (August 27, 2003). "Report Names Few But Finds Fault With Top Managers". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  7. ↑ Schulz, William (February 10, 2003). "Columbia Lost: Humans in Space". Chemical & Engineering News. 81 (6): 7. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  8. ↑ Roylance, Frank D. (October 9, 2011). "Space telescope faces setback". South Coast Today. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Campo-Flores, Arian; Hotz, Robert Lee (July 9, 2011). "One Last Spin Around the Planet". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  10. ↑ Launius, Roger D. (2006). "Is Joseph Smith Relevant to the Community of Christ?" (PDF). Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 39 (4): 58–67. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Launius, Roger D. (1995). "Presidential Address: Mormon Memory, Mormon Myth, and Mormon History". Journal of Mormon History. 21 (1). Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Past Presidents" (PDF). The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal. 34 (2): vii. 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "Are We Alone in the Universe?" (PDF). American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  14. ↑ Pursell, Carroll W., ed. (2008). A companion to American technology. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. viii–ix. ISBN 978-1405179942. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  15. ↑ "History Manuscript Award Recipients". American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  16. ↑ "Joseph Smith III Pragmatic Prophet". University of Illinois Press. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  17. ↑ Weingarden, Steve (2010). "Review: Charlie Finley". Baseball Research Journal. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  18. ↑ "AAS Annual Awards Recipients" (PDF). Space Times: The Magazine of the American Astronautical Society. 48 (5): 20. 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "Smithsonian Congress of Scholars Secretary's Research Awards, 2009". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  20. ↑ Launius, Roger D. (2010). "Federal History and National Identity: Reflections from the Trenches" (PDF). Federal History. Society for History in the Federal Government (2). Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  21. ↑ Launius, Roger D. (2006). "The Forty-ninth Harmon Memorial Lecture in Military History: National Security: Space and the Course of Recent U.S. History" (PDF). United States Air Force Academy.
  22. ↑ "Past Award Winners: Charles Thomson Prize". Society for History in the Federal Government. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
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