James Allen Joki NASA Collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 2023-01-06

The James Allen Joki NASA Collection is a small collection consisting of visual and textual materials related to Joki's career with NASA during the Apollo program. Of most interest are two digital prints of a black-and-white photograph depicting mission control at the moment of Neil Armstrong's first step on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. One print is 11x14 inches and includes annotations by Joki as well as his signature. The second print is 13x16 inches and is unannotated and unsigned. Additionally there are photocopies of various documents explaining milestones in Joki's career, especially as related to his work with NASA, such as a resume, some correspondence, and nomination documents for the Museum of Flight's Pathfinder award. These documents range from 1972 to about 2015.

Dates

1969-2015

Creator

Joki, James Allen, 1942- (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This 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.

Extent

.05 Cubic Feet (1 letter size folder, 1 oversize folder)

Additional Description

Biographical Note: James Joki

James Joki was a NASA engineer who contributed to the development of the Apollo program Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMU) and served as a mission flight controller. He later became an obstetrician and gynecologist.

James “Jim” Allen Joki was born August 14, 1942 to Ole and Beryl Joki in Seattle, Washington. He attended Ballard High School, graduating in 1960. He then earned a degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering at the University of Washington in 1965. Upon graduation, Joki applied to NASA for a flight control position in Houston, Texas. His enthusiasm and interest in space medicine directed him towards working on the EMU space suits and life support backpacks. He designed, developed, and tested the product, assessing the EMU through experiments simulating zero gravity and deep space conditions. During the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, Joki served as the EMU flight controller, responsible for the space suit and life support system during the astronauts’ extravehicular activities. In this role he had the final “go/no go” decision before Neil Armstrong opened the lunar module hatch. He received several awards for his work on the Apollo missions.

Joki continued his studies after the completion of the Apollo 13 mission, earning a Master of Arts in Physiology in 1972 and then a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1975, both from the University of Texas Medical Branch. Realizing the similarities between telemetry monitoring of astronauts and fetal monitoring during women’s labor and delivery, Joki turned his career path to obstetrics and gynecology. He completed a four-year residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Wesley Medical Center at the University of Kansas Medical School in Wichita, Kansas. He returned to Seattle in 1979 and worked in private practice and at Northwest Hospital as an OB-GYN doctor. He was also a clinical instructor at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. In 1983 he became a Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and in 1986 he was named a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He retired in 2015.

Joki and his wife Judith “Judi” (Screws) Joki married on June 26, 1965. They had three children. Joki was an Eagle Scout and Scout Master and volunteered as a scout camp doctor. He was named a Pathfinder by the Museum of Flight in 2009. He was living in Shoreline, Washington as of 2023.

Biographical sketch derived from collection information.

Related Materials

The Museum of Flight has also recorded an oral history interview with Joki. Contact us for more information.

Separated Materials

A book, Apollo Program Flight Operations 35th Anniversary Reunion and Mission History, was separated from the collection and transferred to the Library.