Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

Robert C. Seamans, Jr. (1918– ), had been involved in aerospace issues since he completed his Sc.D. degree
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951. He was on the faculty at MIT’s department of aeronautical
engineering from 1949 to 1955, when he joined the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) as manager of the
Airborne Systems Laboratory. In 1958, he became the chief engineer of the Missile Electronics and Control
Division and joined NASA in 1960 as associate administrator. In December 1965, he became NASA’s deputy
administrator. He left NASA in 1968, and in 1969, he became secretary of the Air Force, serving until 1973.
Seamans was president of the National Academy of Engineering from May 1973 to December 1974, when he
became the first administrator of the new Energy Research and Development Administration. He returned to
MIT in 1977, becoming dean of its School of Engineering in 1978. In 1981, he was elected chair of the board of
trustees of Aerospace Corporation. See “Seamans, Robert C., Jr.,” biographical file, NASA Historical Reference
Collection; Robert C. Seamans, Jr., Aiming at Targets: The Autobiography of Robert C. Seamans, Jr. (Washington, DC:
NASA SP-4106, 1996).
Willis H. Shapley (1917– ), the son of famous Harvard astronomer Harlow Shapley, earned a bachelor of arts
degree from the University of Chicago in 1938. From that point until 1942, he did graduate work and performed
research in political science and related fields at the University of Chicago. He joined the Bureau of the Budget
in 1942 and became a principal examiner in 1948. From 1956 to 1961, he was assistant chief (Air Force) in the
bureau’s military division, becoming progressively deputy chief for programming (1961–1965) and deputy chief
(1965) in that division. He also served as special assistant to the director for space program coordination. In
1965, he moved to NASA as associate deputy administrator, with his duties including supervision of the public
affairs, congressional affairs, Department of Defense and interagency affairs, and international affairs offices. He
retired in 1975 but rejoined NASA in 1987 to help it recover from the Challenger disaster. He served as associate
deputy administrator (policy) until 1988, when he again retired but continued to serve as a consultant to the
administrator. See “Shapley, W.H.,” biographical file, NASA Historical Reference Collection.
George P. Shultz (1920– ) served as director of the Office of Management and Budget after 1970, during the
Nixon administration. Before that time, he had been Nixon’s secretary of labor. During the Reagan administration
(1981–1989), Shultz served as secretary of State. See “Shultz, George P.,” 1988 Current Biography Yearbook,
pp. 525–30.
Eugene Skolnikoff served on the staff of the White House science advisor from 1958 to 1963. Afterward, he went
to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he served as a political science professor specializing in science,
technology, and foreign policy issues. See “Skolnikoff, Eugene,” biographical file, NASA Historical
Reference Collection.
Jacob E. Smart rose to the rank of general in the U.S. Army, serving as deputy commander of the U.S. European
Command. He joined NASA in 1966 as special assistant to the administrator. He then became the acting assistant
administrator for administration, the assistant administrator for policy analysis, and the assistant administrator
for the Department of Defense and interagency affairs. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at
West Point in 1931. See “Smart, Jacob,” biographical file, NASA Historical Reference Collection.
Cyrus R. Smith (1899–1990) worked in banking until he became manager of Texas Air Transport, a subsidiary
of the Texas-Louisiana Power Company. In 1934, this company reorganized, becoming American Airlines. He
was chief executive until he became secretary of commerce in 1968, a position he held for one year. He retired
in 1969. See “Smith, C.R. (Cyrus Rowlett),” in Bowman, The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography.
T
Robert A. Taft (1889–1953) (R–OH), the son of President William Taft, served as a senator from January 3, 1939,
until July 31, 1953. See Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–1996.
588