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Collection Summary | |
Creator: | Sonett, Charles P. |
Collection Name: | Charles P. Sonett papers, |
Inclusive Dates: | 1958-2010 |
Bulk Dates: | (bulk 1973-1997) |
Physical Description: | 4 Linear Feet |
Abstract: | The Charles Sonett papers is comprised of the personal and professional papers of nuclear physicist Charles P. Sonett. The bulk of the material relates to his career as an astronomical researcher and administrator at the Department of Planetary Sciences and the Lunar Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona. Photographs of lunar instuments inlcuding the lunar surface magnetometer and lunar surface photos from Apollo 11,12, and 17. |
Collection Number: | MS 520 |
Language: | Materials in English |
Repository: |
University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections University of Arizona PO Box 210055 Tucson, AZ 85721-0055 Phone: 520-621-6423 Fax: 520-621-9733 URL: http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/ E-Mail: LBRY-askspcoll@email.arizona.edu |
Charles P. Sonett was born on January 15, 1924 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, of Hungarian parents. When he was a young boy his family moved to Trona California, forty miles southwest of Death Valley. He attended Los Angeles High School and became a member of the LA Amateur Astronomical Society. Following high school, Sonett attended UCLA and majored in physics. After 2 years of college and the bombing of Pearl Harbor he enlisted in the Army where he was assigned to the 103rd Infantry Division. On March 13, 1945 Sonett stepped on a German mine while on patrol in France, his injuries led to the battlefield amputation of his left leg. He returned to UCLA in 1946 to continue his undergraduate degree in physics. Sonett ultimately transferred to UC Berkley where he graduated in 1948. In June of that same year he married Virginia Louise Hooten, also a graduate of UC Berkley. His first job was with the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory at Hunters Point in San Francisco working on satellite planning. After only one year he returned to UCLA and received his masters of arts in 1951 and his doctorate in Nuclear Physics in 1954. From 1954 through 1960 Dr. Sonett was employed by Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation in the Space Technology Laboratories. He was subsequently employed at NASA Headquarters, as Chief of Sciences, in the Lunar and Planetary Programs from 1960-1962. In 1962 Sonett was chosen as the head of the Space Sciences Division at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. Dr. Sonett remained at Ames Research Center for 11 years. Where he was a pioneer in space exploration and involved in the Pioneer Program, 1958-1969; Explorer Program, 1959-1976; Apollo Program, 1969-1972. In 1969 he was awarded the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal for significant scientific contribution toward achievement of aeronautical or space exploration goals. Dr. Sonett was personally selected by Dr. Gerard P. Kuiper to replace him in 1973, as the director of the Lunar Planetary Laboratory (LPL) and the head of the Department of Planetary Science. During his tenure as director, 1973-1977, Sonett built and expanded an internationally recognized research and education program in solar system sciences at the University of Arizona. Following his resignation as director, Sonett continued to be active in both research and teaching at the Lunar Planetary Laboratory and the Department of Planetary Sciences. In 1990 Dr. Sonett was involved in the Ulysses Program, a joint venture between The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. This mission was the first survey of the Sun's environment in space from its equator to the poles and over a wide range of solar activity conditions. In 1992 the University of Arizona named Dr. Sonett a Regents' Professor, the top title for university professors in the state. In 2003 he retired from teaching and research at the university as a Regents' Professor Emeritus. On April 30, 2004 the University of Arizona dedicated the Dr. Charles P. Sonett Space Science Building at 1541 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ. The building now houses approximately 45 scientists and support staff. Charles P. Sonett died on September 30, 2011 at the age of 87.
This collection consists of the personal and some professional papers of Charles P. Sonett. The bulk of the material consists of his correspondence with other noted astronomers and scientists, during his time at the Lunar Planetary Laboratory and the Department of Planetary Sciences. Other items in the collection are research files, publications/presentation, and subject files and photographs. Photograph collection includes pictures of instumentation and equipment and lunar landing photos from Apollo 11, 12 and 17 along with Surveyor and Mariner space missions and others.
There are no restrictions on this collection.
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for the University of Arizona, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.
Charles P. Sonett papers (MS 520). Special Collections, University of Arizona Libraries.
Series I: Personal files, 1971-2010 | |||||||||||
box | folder | ||||||||||
1 | 1 | Personal, |
Series II: Correspondence, 1962-1996 | |||||||||||
Arrangement | |||||||||||
Organized alphabetically by correspondent, includes both incoming and outgoing mail. | |||||||||||
box | folder | ||||||||||
1 | 2 | A, 1969-1993 | |||||||||
1 | 3 | American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), )1972-1982 | |||||||||
1 | 4 | American Geophysical Union (AGU), 1980-1992 | |||||||||
1 | 5 | B, 1969-1996 | |||||||||
1 | 6 | C, 1969-1985 | |||||||||
1 | 7 | D, 1970-1979 | |||||||||
1 | 8 | E, 1969-1984 | |||||||||
1 | 9 | F, 1969-1994 | |||||||||
1 | 10 | G, 1971-1987 | |||||||||
1 | 11 | Gault, Donald E., 1972-1980 | |||||||||
1 | 12 | H, 1969-1984 | |||||||||
1 | 13 | I, 1983 | |||||||||
1 | 14 | J, 1973-1979 | |||||||||
1 | 15 | K, 1969-1992 | |||||||||
1 | 16 | L, 1971-1994 | |||||||||
1 | 17 | M, 1972-1994 | |||||||||
1 | 18 | Michaelis, Anthony, 1975-1994 | |||||||||
1 | 19 | N, 1970-1991 | |||||||||
1 | 20 | NASA, 1962-1988 | |||||||||
1 | 21 | O, 1973 | |||||||||
1 | 22 | P, 1971-1983 | |||||||||
1 | 23 | R, 1972-1989 | |||||||||
1 | 24 | Runcorn, S.K., 1972-1980 | |||||||||
1 | 25 | S, 1965-1994 | |||||||||
1 | 26 | Sagan, Carl, 1975 | |||||||||
1 | 27 | Schubert, G., 1969-1975 | |||||||||
1 | 28 | Suess, Hans E., 1981-1989 | |||||||||
1 | 29 | T, 1969-1988 | |||||||||
1 | 30 | U, 1968-1985 | |||||||||
1 | 31 | V, 1971-1989 | |||||||||
1 | 32 | Vanyan, L.L., 1981-1982 | |||||||||
1 | 33 | W, 1967-1997 | |||||||||
1 | 34 | Unknown, 1978-1993 |
Series III: Research Files, 1962-1996 | |||||||||||
Arrangement | |||||||||||
Arranged alphabetically by title | |||||||||||
box | folder | ||||||||||
2 | 1 | Explorer 33 - 35 (notes, figures, programs), circa 1962-1972 | |||||||||
2 | 2 | Explorer 33/35, 4-Way, Ames/Goddard (Project Close Encounters), 1979 | |||||||||
2 | 3 | Explorer (Old Spectral Analyses), circa 1966 | |||||||||
2 | 4 | Explorer Tape Programs – note on changes, undated | |||||||||
2 | 5 | Houston original Plots "Velumes", undated | |||||||||
2 | 6 | Impact photographs/frames, undated | |||||||||
2 | 7 | Impact Experiment notebook (Nova camera), 1980-1982 | |||||||||
2 | 8 | Impact Experiment photographs, undated | |||||||||
2 | 9 | Pioneer B-Vector sphere plots, 1981 | |||||||||
2 | 10 | Powers/Sigmas, circa 1971, 1981 | |||||||||
2 | 11 | Tree-Ring research, 1976-1978 | |||||||||
2 | 12 | Tree-Ring research, circa 1982-1987 | |||||||||
2 | 13 | Varve Mean Cycles notes, undated | |||||||||
2 | 14 | Weeli Wooli Scans / Notes, 1984-1985 | |||||||||
2 | 15 | Miscellaneous (charts, figures, graphs, etc.), 1969-1996 | |||||||||
2 | 16 | The Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP), Lunar Operations Report, 1971 | |||||||||
2 | 17 | Lunar Operations Report, 1972 | |||||||||
2 | 18 | Lunar Operations Report, 1973 | |||||||||
2 | 19 | Lunar Operations Report, 1974 | |||||||||
2 | 20 | Status Reports, 1971 | |||||||||
2 | 21 | Status Reports, 1972 | |||||||||
2 | 22 | Status Reports, 1972 | |||||||||
2 | 23 | Performance Summary Report, 1973 | |||||||||
2 | 24 | Performance Summary Report, 1973 | |||||||||
box | folder | ||||||||||
3 | 1 | Performance Summary Report, 1974 | |||||||||
3 | 2 | Performance Summary Report, 1974 | |||||||||
box | folder | ||||||||||
2 | 25 | Plasma Theory, 1966 |
Series IV: Publications/Presentations, 1955-1997 | |||||||||||
box | folder | ||||||||||
3 | 3 | Sonett's Publication list, 1955-1997 | |||||||||
3 | 4 | Articles/presentations by Sonett, 1963-1994 | |||||||||
3 | 5 | Reprint Requests, 1975-1982 | |||||||||
3 | 6 | Letter to Science Letter Editor C.D Sonnet, etal., 1979 | |||||||||
3 | 7 | Transparancies for Spring 1980 American Geological Union Meeting, 1980 | |||||||||
3 | 8 | Transparencies for the Spring AGU meeting, 1980 | |||||||||
3 | 9 | Elatina (figures, photographs, transparencies), circa 1980's | |||||||||
3 | 10 | Figures not needed for Planetary Meeting presentation, circa 1980's | |||||||||
3 | 11 | Sunspots Time Series, 1982 | |||||||||
3 | 12 | Laboratory Simulation of Pelagic Asteroidal Impact: Atmospheric injection, Benthic Topography, and the Surface Wave Radiation Field, 1982 | |||||||||
3 | 13 | Electromagnetic Induction to the Monn, correspondence, 1982 | |||||||||
3 | 14 | TTau stars and the early heating of protoplanets, December 2, 1991 | |||||||||
3 | 15 | Ulysses mission plasma data transparencies, circa1990's | |||||||||
3 | 16 | US-USSR Symposium on the influence of solar activity on climate, November 16-20, 1987 | |||||||||
3 | 18 | Outline for a Lunar Physics book, undated | |||||||||
3 | 17 | Lunar Plumes, undated |
Series V: Subject Files, 1969-2000 | |||||||||||
box | folder | ||||||||||
3 | 19 | Two Proposals with Sonett's involvement, 1972, 1998 | |||||||||
3 | 20 | Manuscripts reviewed by Charles Sonett, 1975-2000 | |||||||||
3 | 21 | Bibliography?, 1977-1980 | |||||||||
3 | 22 | Miscellaneous NASA Photographs, 1974-1978 | |||||||||
3 | 22a | Nomination Documents for Sonett for Regents Professorship, 1983-1997 | |||||||||
3 | 22b | Apollo 12 Press Kit, 1969 | |||||||||
3 | 23 | Photographs of Varves, undated | |||||||||
3 | 24 | Unknown rock, undated |
Series VI: Photographs, 1958-1978 | |||||||||||
Scope and Contents | |||||||||||
Photographs of instrumentation and equipment including geomagnetic storm model, lunar surface magnetometer, cryogenic magnetometer, ion charger and scintillation counter. Photographs of equipment used and of lunar landing from space programs including Mariner, Pioneer and Apollo. | |||||||||||
box | folder | ||||||||||
4 | 1 | Scintillation Counter photographs, 1958-1959 | |||||||||
4 | 2 | Magnetometer photographs, 1958-1960 | |||||||||
4 | 3 | Ion Charger photographs, 1958-1970 | |||||||||
4 | 4 | Pioneer photographs and artist renderings, 1958-1978 | |||||||||
4 | 5 | Explorer VI, X, XXXIII photographs, 1959-1966 | |||||||||
4 | 6 | Instrumentation and equipment photographs, undated | |||||||||
4 | 7 | Photos: Equipment, launch, instrumentation, 1959-1971 | |||||||||
4 | 8 | Magnetic test equipments, 1960 | |||||||||
4 | 9 | Shock model, Geomagnetic storm model photographs and negatives, 1962 | |||||||||
4 | 10 | Mariner space program photographs , 1962-1973 | |||||||||
4 | 11 | NASA Surveyor I, III, VII photographs and correspondence , 1966-1968 | |||||||||
4 | 12 | Cryogenic magnetometer, lunar surface magentometer, 1966-1970 | |||||||||
4 | 13 | Russian Spacecraft photographs , 1966-1971 | |||||||||
4 | 14 | Apollo 11 Photograpghs, 1969 | |||||||||
4 | 15 | Apollo 12 Photographs, 1969 | |||||||||
4 | 16 | Apollo 17 Photographs , 1972 |