Oct 10, 2019 - Sale 2519

Sale 2519 - Lot 94

Price Realized: $ 3,750
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000
TO JAMES WEBB DURING THE BIRTH OF HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT KENNEDY, JOHN F. Typed Letter Signed, "John Kennedy," as President, to NASA Administrator James E. Webb, expressing approval of Webb's work on the Space Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh. 1 page, 4to, White House stationery; horizontal fold; dealer's cloth presentation folder. Washington, 21 September 1962

Additional Details

"Governor Lawrence of Pennsylvania advised me of the progress of your negotiations with the University of Pittsburgh on the Space Research Center. I am glad to hear that you are working on it. He spoke highly of the members of your staff, with whom Chancellor Litchfield and his board have been working."
with--John F. Kennedy. Typed note, memorandum bearing secretarial signature, to Webb, inquiring about the accuracy of a Washington Post article mentioning how much money has been appropriated [for the Space Center], and asking about the architects and builders of the Space Center. 1/2 page, 4to, White House stationery; ink received stamp at upper right. Washington, 15 August 1962.
On April 12, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth, convincing James E. Webb and other NASA administration members of the importance to the manned spaceflight program of an independent Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), later renamed as the Johnson Space Center. In addition to his critical role in creating the MSC, which became the home of the Apollo program, Webb was involved in an ambitious program to facilitate research in engineering, geology, and other areas relating to space exploration. In 1962, together with the University of Pittsburgh, NASA established what became the Space Research and Coordinating Center in Pittsburgh. In 1963, soon after the announcement of construction of the Center, Webb delivered the Pittsburgh University commencement address, remarking: "That is your opportunity, if you grasp it, in this exciting age, you can help to write your own parts in the drama of creation."