Manuscripts
Arranged alphabetically by subject or format, the series contains correspondence, brochures, employee newsletters, oral histories, reports, press releases, scrapbooks, lithographs, clippings and publications related to Hibbs' work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). As JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), some materials relate specifically to these institutions. The largest subseries contains materials related to the Solar System Exploration Programs and consists primarily of brochures, press releases, photographs, lithographs and clippings meant for public consumption; documentation of the internal technical processes and decisions made during the design and development stages of the programs are lacking. Several subseries pertain to individuals, including Eleanor Helin, astronomer and discoverer of comets and asteroids; Raymond Lyttleton, colleague of Hibbs in comet research and investigator in the mass of Mercury; and William H. Pickering, director of JPL from 1954 to 1976. Correspondence, primarily outgoing, is arranged chronologically and by subject and was likely maintained by an assistant to Hibbs. A small number of separate files for incoming correspondence have been combined with the chronological series to avoid duplication and facilitate research. Topics include the Planetary Grand Tour and formation of a Data Section within the Space Science Division, as well as miscellaneous daily activities, inter-office communications, institution-wide memorandums and correspondence regarding Hibbs' numerous speaking and writing engagements.
mssHibbs
