Finding Aid to the Papers of James S. Ulvestad, 1984-1999
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Location of collection: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Archives, 520 Edgemont Rd., Charlottesville, VA. Phone: 1-434-296-0203, email: archivist at nrao.edu. Title and dates of the collection: Papers of James S. Ulvestad, 1984-1999 Size of the collection: 3.5 linear feet Papers/Records created by: Ulvestad, James S. (1955- ) Short description of collection: The Archives at The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is the repository for James S. Ulvestad's papers on Advanced Radio Interferometry between Space and Earth (ARISE), VLBI Space Observatory Program (VSOP), and the Voyager Project.
Biography: James S. Ulvestad received his B.A. in astronomy from University of California at Los Angeles in 1976, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in astronomy from University of Maryland in 1978 and 1991. He held a post-doctoral fellowship at National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) from 1981-1984, and from 1984-1996 was a member of the technical staff at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where he was part of a team that combined radio telescopes on Earth with an orbiting radio telescope, and was a key member of the group that used the Very Large Array for telemetry reception from the Voyager 2 Neptune encounter in 1989. Ulvestad joined the NRAO staff again in 1996, and served as Scientific Services Division Head, VLA/VLBA Operations, from 1998-2001, as Deputy Assistant Director for VLA/VLBA Operations in 2001 before serving as Assistant Director for VLA/VLBA Operations from 2001-2007, and as Assistant Director and Head of New Initiatives Office from 2006-2010. In March 2010 he became Division Director for Astronomical Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, National Science Foundation. He has been an elected member of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Council, a member of the AAS Committee on the Status of Women, the AAS Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy, the National Research Council's Beyond Einstein Program Assessment Committee, and served as chair of the Demographics Study Group of the Astro2010 decadal survey in astronomy and astrophysics. He has been an NRAO representative to the U.S. Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Consortium, and an elected U.S. representative to the SKA Science and Engineering Committee. [Biographical note written by Ellen N. Bouton, with assistance from James S. Ulvestad.] Accession history: James S. Ulvestad donated the papers to National Radio Astronomy Observatory Archives in early 2007. Access to collection: No restrictions. The Archives are open part-time; contact the Archivist for appointment. Restrictions on use of collection: None. Publication rights: Copyright has been assigned to the NRAO/AUI Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist. Preferred citation: National Radio Astronomy Observatory/Associated Universities, Inc. Archives, Papers of James S. Ulvestad, <series/unit/subunit/box #>. After the initial citation, abbreviations may be used: NRAO/AUI Archives, Ulvestad Papers, <series/unit/subunit/box #>. Processing notes: Arrangement, description, indexing, foldering and boxing of this material by Evelyn Braintwain was begun in November 2009 and was completed in February 2010. During the processing, photocopies were made to replace newspaper clippings, fasteners were removed, and materials were removed from binders of various types. Duplicates were discarded. Most original folder titles were retained. The finding aid was created by Ellen Bouton with assistance from James S. Ulvestad. Advanced Radio Interferometry Between Space and Earth (ARISE) Series: ARISE was a proposed future space VLBI mission that would succeed the VLBI Space Observatory Program (VSOP; see separate entry). It was one of the moderate-sized projects recommended by the decadal survey in astronomy in 2000 (Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium). The primary mission goal was to orbit a radio telescope whose performance for high-frequency VLBI would be similar to a 25-meter antenna of the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). This series includes meeting presentation materials, reports, memos, ARISE publications, and journal cuts dated 1994-1999. Size: 0.5 linear feet. Click here for a listing of folders. Related materials: See also materials in the Records of National Radio Astronomy Observatory. VLBI Space Observatory Program (VSOP) Series: VSOP was the first dedicated space VLBI mission, an international collaboration led by Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). The Halca spacecraft, launched by ISAS in February 1997, was used in coordination with ground telescopes, tracking stations, correlators, and user facilities at many astronomical institutions. Halca's altitude control failed in 2003 and the mission ended in 2005. This series includes Jet Propulsion Labroatory memos, notes, photos, viewgraphs, reports, correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes, proposals, and other materials dated 1990-1999. Primary correspondents are Robert A. Preston, Joel Smith, and James S. Ulvestad. Size: 1.75 linear feet. Click here for a listing of folders. Related materials: See also materials in the Papers of Robert L. Brown and the Records of National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Voyager Project Series: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) Deep Space Network in Goldstone CA, along with the Very Large Array (VLA) of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, was used to track NASA’s Voyager 2 encounter with Neptune in August 1989. This series includes JPL interoffice memos, project planing documents, meeting minutes, correspondence, reviews, newspaper clippings, and journal cuts from 1984 through 1990. Primary correspondents are Donald W. Brown, William Brundage, Gareth Hunt, and James S. Ulvestad. Size: 0.75 linear feet. Click here for a listing of folders. Related materials: see also Voyager Project materials in the Records of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Miscellany Series: This series includes correspondence, memos, reports, meeting agendas and minutes, tables, notes, and other materials from 1985-1994. Included is material related to the first successful Space VLBI experiments using the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), meetings with Russian Space VLBI Science and Operations Personnel, the RadioAstron International Science Council (RISC), and URSI. Size: 0.5 linear feet. Click here for a listing of folders. |