Large NASA-Space Race era archive of material related to Colonel Michael J. Vaccaro, director of administration of the Marshall Space Flight Center of Huntsville, Alabama, an important figure in the pioneering of human space exploration, circa 1951 through 1971. In 1966, Vaccaro, then an aerospace design engineer, became in his words a "Human Guinea Pig" for the Lunex II program, designed to simulate a 14-21 day scientific mission to explore the surface of the Moon. The mission simulation laid essential groundwork for the 1969 Apollo 11 lunar landing and the later Space Shuttle program, testing (among other things) the effects of space travel on astronauts. This archive includes a rare and extremely detailed glimpse of NASA's design, testing, and simulation procedures of the 1960s. Included are Vaccaro's Lunex II Log Book, files of documents, and an extensive photographic archive comprised of 4 rolls of film and 1 VHS tape in case labeled "Lunex II Movies Videotape"; more than 75 original glass negatives and approximately 400 8 x 10 black and white and color photographs, plus some and additional candid snapshots of astronauts involved in various simulations and trainings, along with photos of various rocket launches. Many of the 8 x 10 photographs are stamped en verso with NASA captions and/or handwritten captions and dates ranging from 1951-1971; some are press photographs but others have never been publicly released or were taken by Vaccaro personally. Sites and subjects include the Lunex II project, the Saturn V project, NASA's Human Factors Systems research program, the 1966 Lunar Roving Vehicle Scientific Mission Simulation notes, Moon Room, Bendix Moon Buggy, training at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Branch of Astrogeology in Flagstaff, AZ, color photos of several rocket/missile launches dated from 1951 through October 1958 and the launch of Apollo 8 and Saturn V ; the MOLAB and Lunar Rover vehicles, and the Grumman Molab. Individuals pictured include Vaccaro and his Lunex II partner Haydon Y. Grubbs, Dr. Wernher Von Braun, Eugene Shoemaker, Raymond Loewy, astronauts Joe Curren and Gerry Carr, Story Musgrave (autographed photo), and Jack Lousma (autographed photo and letter). Provenance: the estate of Col. Michael J. Vaccaro, Huntsville, Alabama.

All items in as-is condition with paper items exhibited expected minor toning, a few with possible scattered tears, creases or marks. No guarantees are made as to the viability of film items.