Skylab Collection
Scope and Content
Researchers studying the Skylab Collection can gain insight into aerospace technology, particularly information pertaining to the life sciences and space exploration. The collection is arranged into six series:
Series I, Dr. Shiro Furukawa's Resume, Biography, Correspondence, and Publications, contains much of the material in the collection related to Dr. Furukawa. Most of the series is comprised of copies of his voluminous work "Life Sciences considerations for Long-Duration Manned Space Flights," which was published in 1990.
Series II, Apollo, Skylab, Space Station, and Space Shuttle Publications, contains various publications and reports related to the different space exploration ventures undertaken by NASA.
Series III, Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Publications, contains published reports and literature on the subject of engineering life support systems in closed environments like space or biospheres.
Series IV, Moon/Mars Colony Publications, contains published reports and literature on the subject of colonizing or building a base on the moon and Mars.
Series V, Space Life Sciences Publications, contains published reports and literature on different aspects of the life sciences in space such as the effects of weightlessness on the human body.
Series VI, Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Clippings, contains various excerpts from scholarly and mainstream publications related to Dr. Furukawa's research. It also contains miscellaneous tables and figures that Dr. Furukawa used as reference material in his research.
Dates
- Creation: 1960-1990
Creator
- Furukawa, Shiro (Person)
Restrictions on Access
There are no restrictions on accessing materials in this collection.
Restrictions on Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Biography of Dr. Shiro Furukawa
Dr. Shiro Furukawa was born on September 22, 1922, in Tosu City, Japan. He graduated from the Japanese Naval Academy in 1942 and served as a Naval Aviation Radar instructor at Yokosuka Naval Air Force Base. He received his M.D. degree in 1950 from the School of Medicine at Kumamoto University. He completed his postgraduate residency in pathology at the University of Tennessee in 1965 and joined the Advanced Technology Research Laboratory at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where he conducted space life sciences experiments. After joining the Space Division of the General Electric Company, Dr. Furukawa served as a Skylab flight surgeon to organize crew health data processing for "go" or "no go" decisions. He received the NASA Group Achievement Award as a Skylab Medical team member in 1974. In 1979, Dr. Furukawa joined McDonnell Douglas Technical Services Company at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) where he was involved with Medical/Life Sciences payloads processing and operational planning that paved the way for KSC Life Sciences and Medical Operation Planning Support.
Dr. Furukawa passed away on April 11, 1990. He was married and had three children.
Extent
11 linear feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Skylab Collection comes from the library of Dr. Shiro Furukawa, who was a NASA scientist that worked under the supervision of Skylab physician Dr. Paul Buchanan. Dr. Furukawa was a flight surgeon on the Skylab Medical Team and later investigated space station era life sciences, medicine programs, manned operations, as well as automated/robotic space construction operations at Kennedy Space Center. This collection houses publications, reference material, NASA reports, journal, magazine, and newspaper clippings related to the research he conducted throughout his career.
Statement of Arrangement
The Skylab Collection is arranged into 6 series:
- Series I: Dr. Shiro Furukawa's Resume, Biography, Correspondence, and Publications
- Series II: Apollo, Skylab, Space Station, and Space Shuttle Publications
- Series III: Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Publications
- Series IV: Moon/Mars Colony Publications
- Series V: Space Life Sciences Publications
- Series VI: Journal/Magazine/Newspaper Clippings
Acquisition Information
Wright State University Special Collections and Archives accessioned the Skylab Collection in January 2006.
Separated Material
Books were removed from the collection, cataloged and available in the reading room of Special Collections and Archives.
Subject
- United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Organization)
- Aerospace Medical Association (Organization)
- John F. Kennedy Space Center (Organization)
- Project Apollo (U.S.) (Organization)
- Space Station Program (U.S.) (Organization)
- Skylab Program (Organization)
- Space Shuttle Program (U.S.) (Organization)
- Buchanan, Paul, Dr. (Person)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the Skylab Collection (MS-451)
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Jeremy Katz, Spring 2012
- Date
- 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository
Wright State University Libraries
Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435-0001 USA
937-775-2092
library-archives@wright.edu
