John M. Logsdon
Contributor
BIOGRAPHY
John M. Logsdon is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He was a member of the NASA Advisory Council from 2005 to 2009 and remains a member of the Council’s Exploration Committee. His research interests focus on the policy and historical aspects of U.S. and international space activities.
He is the author and editor of numerous works, including The Decision to Go to the Moon: Project Apollo and the National Interest (1976); John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon (2010); Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil Space Program (1996); and After Apollo?: Richard Nixon and the American Space Program (2015).
Primary Contributions (33)
Space exploration, investigation, by means of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft, of the reaches of the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere and the use of the information so gained to increase knowledge of the cosmos and benefit humanity. A complete list of all crewed spaceflights, with details on each…
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Publications (4)
After Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American Space Program (April 2015)
Once the United States landed on the moon in July 1969, it was up to President Nixon to decide what to do in space after Apollo. This book chronicles the decisions he made, including ending space exploration and approving the space shuttle. Those decisions determined the character of the US human space flight program for the next forty years.
John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon (May 2013)
While there are many biographies of JFK and accounts of the early years of US space efforts, this book uses primary source material and interviews with key participants to provide a comprehensive account of how the actions taken by JFK's administration have shaped the course of the US space program over the last 45 years.
Managing the Moon Program Lessons Learned From Project Apollo: Proceedings of an Oral History Workshop (May 2012)
There have been many detailed historical studies of the process of deciding on and executing the Apollo lunar landing during the 1960's and early 1970's. From the announcement of President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1061, of his decision to land an American on the Moon by the end of the decade, through the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969, on to the last of six successful Moon landings with Apollo 17 in December 1972, NASA carried out Project Apollo with enthusiasm and aplomb. The NASA History...
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Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil Space Program, Volume VII Human Spaceflight, Projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo (2008)
This volume contains over 100 key documents, many of which are published for the first time. Each is introduced by a headnote providing context, bibliographical details, and background information necessary to understand the document. These are organized into two chapters, each beginning with an essay that keys the documents to major events in the history