John D. Pearce NASA and Space Shuttle Collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 2014-10-09

Contents of the Collection

The John D. Pearce NASA and Space Shuttle Collection is comprised primarily of visual materials, including photographs, negatives, and slides, as well as assorted ephemera, such as decals, press badges, NASA publications, and clippings. Materials mainly relate to NASA and Space Shuttle events, launches, and news from 1981-1989.

The bulk of the collection is housed within three albums and contains the majority of the visual materials, although there is a small amount of loose photographic material as well. One of the albums focuses on "NASA Unmanned Rockets, 1983-1987" while the other two focus on "Space Shuttle Program Photographs, 1981-1989." Some materials have brief captions or identifying notes, such as "STS-6 Challenger Arrives @KSC [Kennedy Space Center]" or "NASA Fine Art Program." The bulk of the photographic images were taken by donor John D. Pearce, a freelance photographer.

Assorted ephemera and textual materials, such as business cards, press badges, clippings, and NASA publications are also present. Additional materials include an audiocassette "STS-5 launch original." There are also 2 phonograph albums; "The First American Manned Orbital Flight Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr." and "Man Into Space" which include audio recordings of John H. Glenn and Alan B. Shepard in space.

Dates

Creation: 1963-1989

Creator

Pearce, John D., 1953- (Photographer, Person)

Language of Materials

All materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The audiocassette and phonograph albums are not currently accessible, pending digital preservation measures. The remainder of the collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Biographical Note: John D. Pearce

John D. Pearce was born in Cleveland, Ohio on November 17, 1953. He earned a mechanical engineering degree and worked as a freelance photographer. From 1982-1989, Pearce held a NASA press badge and had access to NASA launches as part of his freelance photography career. As of 2014, Pearce was residing in Washington state.

Source:

Biography derived from donor information and collection materials.

Extent

1.2 Cubic Feet (1 2-inch letter size document box, 2 5-inch letter size document boxes, 2 oversize folders, 2 phonograph albums, 1 audiocassette)

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated by John D. Pearce in 2014.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Separated Materials

The following materials were separated from the archival component and are kept in Objects storage:

Florida license plate, F8NBTHR
Six (6) patches
Three (3) pins
Silica material block (Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System)
Name tag for John D. Pearce

Additionally, the following material was separated from the archival component and is kept in the Library:

Apollo: an eyewitness account by astronaut/explorer artist/moonwalker Alan Bean with Andrew Chaikin; introduction by John Glenn.

Processing Information

The bulk of the material arrived in plastic 3-ring binders, which have been disassembled for preservation reasons. Original order of materials within the binders has been retained.