U. S. Geological Survey Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1, Flagstaff Field Center, 2255 North Gemini Drive, Flagstaff

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS AZ-215-A. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Astrogeology Center is significant as the first permanent headquarters for the Branch of Astrogeology, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), during the time the branch was involved in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) lu- nar missions. The Branch was instrumental in helping to train astronauts in the geological sciences, in developing cameras and instruments to photograph, mea- sure, and map the moon, and in devising a range of experiments aimed at providing a sound foundation for future lunar missions.

The building was the first headquar- ters building constructed solely for the purpose of housing the Branch of Astroge- ology and was the location where decisions on the direction of the program took place from to The Astrogeology Center is also significant for its asso- ciation with Dr. Eugene M. Shoemaker, first chief of the Branch of Astrogeology and the principal official who guided the Branch's efforts during the first 12 years of its growth and development. Shoemaker was closely involved in the planning and design of the building, and in formulating the earliest master plans for a cam- pus of related structures to accomodate the expanding work of the Branch.

The building not only represents Shoemaker's efforts in establishing astrogeology as a new scientific discipline, but also in ensuring the Branch's permanency in the USGS and the NASA lunar mission program. The Astrogeology Center was determined eligible for listing on the National Regis- ter of Histrnic Places by the Keeper of the National Register on August 3, U.S.G.S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No. AZ-215-A Part I. Historical Information (Page 2) A. Physical History On August 25, the Astrogeology Studies Group officially began its work as a division of the U.S. Geological Survey. Leading this initial team was Dr. Eugene M. Shoemaker.

Four years later the group had become a branch within the USGS and its staff had grown to over 50 geologists, scientists and support personnel located in Washington, Menlo Park, California and Flagstaff, Arizona. On August 5, ground was broken for the construction of the Center of Astrogeology on a broad, grassy mesa in north-central Flagstaff. The building was the first facility erected exclu- sively for Astrogeology, and was the first of five buildings that would be erected to serve the branch on the 17 acre site over the ensuing 12 years. As originally intended, the square foot Center of Astrogeology, commonly referred to as Building No.

1, was to be a central research, support and administrative facility primarily used for the important work the Branch of Astrogeology was conducting in support of Project Apollo. At the time of the building's construction, the astrogeology staff were occupying space in five other build- ings in the Flagstaff area, as well as substantial facilities in Menlo Park. However, as the name implied, the new Center of Astrogeology was envisioned by Shoemaker to be the focus of branch operations, and the cornerstone of a campus of buildings intended to bring all of the functions of Astrogeology in both Flagstaff and Menlo Park to a single site. Planning for Building No.

l began in the summer of less than a year after the decision was made to move part of Astrogeology' s operations and personnel to Flagstaff from Menlo Park. A site for the building was selected in the summer of 1%3 by astrogeologists Chuck H. Marshall, Don Elston and John F. "Jack" McCauley. Located on an undeveloped mesa known as McMillan Heights about a mile from downtown Flagstaff, the site was considered suitable for the building and pro- vided ample space for additional construction. The property was owned by the City of Flagstaff and an arrangement was made with the city and the USGS, through the General Services Administration (GSA), to lease the property, in parcels, as buildings were constructed.

Marshall and McCauley prepared a preliminary survey of the proposed tract in August and a final survey map in December. Because the Branch of Astrogeology had no budget for building construction, the USGS utilized the Bureau of Indian Affair's (BIA) limited contracting authority (construction costs not exceeding to coordinate design and construction of the building. As a part of the arrangement, the building would be constructed by a private developer, C.A. Fritsinger of Garden Grove, California, who would lease the facility, through GSA, to the USGS. The lease would extend for 30 years, after which ownership would revert to the City of Flagstaff, in lieu of annual rent for the land.

Working closely with Gene Shoemaker and Don Elston, the BIA' s Albuquerque office of the Branch of Plant Design and Construction, under the direction of its chief Ralph W. Mize, produced prelimi- nary designs for the building in September and October The staff designing architect for the BIA was C.A. Graham. Final construction drawings were prepared between January and March In early summer the construction contract was awarded to the Sunset Construction Company of Phoenix, Arizona. A well attended, locally publicized ground breaking ceremony was held on August 5, with Gene Shoemaker, Flagstaff mayor Rollin W. Wheeler, chief architect Ralph Mize, and the contractor's U.S.G.S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No.

AZ-215-A (Page 3) superintendent Jerry Hassett, turning the first shovels. Flagstaff's newspaper, the Coconino Sun, reported that Shoemaker told the gathering of about 100 people " ... the moment represented for him and his fellow scientists and technicians the 'realization of a dream' ". The Center of Astrogeology was completed in mid-1965, but final dedication ceremonies were not held until October. The two-day event was highlighted by formal dedication ceremonies, public tours of the building and demonstrations of lunar astrogeological techniques on the first day, and a scientific symposium - Recent Advances in Astrogeology - chaired by Shoemaker, on the second day. Speakers at the dedication were USGS Director William T.

Pecora, NASA director of the Manned Space Sciences program Willis B. Foster, and Oran W. Nicks, director of NASA's Lunar and Planetary programs. The size of Building No. 1 was dictated by the size of its construction budget (about and Shoemaker and his senior staff realized even while the building was under design, that the facility could never accommodate the rapidly growing Astrogeology staff. As a consequence the USGS solicited the BIA's Branch of Plant Design and Construction to prepare schematic master plans showing how future buildings could be constructed on the McMillan Mesa property. Between June and December the Branch of Design produced seven site studies showing four to five addi- tional buildings in various arrangements and configurations. Site Study No.

7 was tentatively selected by Shoemaker as the preferred master plan, although it was never implemented. In the General Services Administration commissioned noted Phoe- nix architects Guirey, Srnka and Arnold to prepare a revised master plan. Their November final plan, described in two drawings (one a site plan and the other a bird's eye view rendering) showed a total of seven buildings including a substantial Flight Projects building, a Library, and a prominent! y located Data Facility. Also included in the plan was a large facility for the Astrogeologic Studies Group, then primarily located in Menlo Park.

The elaborate and stylistically modern master plan remained a working" long-range plan for facilities development" up to about but like the earlier BIA site studies, was never implemented. The concepts for the types of buildings that needed to be built on the site however, would still be pursued over the next decade. Two additional buildings were planned for construction before the end of the Apollo era, but only one would be constructed. Building No. 2, a facility for photographic and cartographic laboratories, was first proposed in by acting branch chief Max Troyer. The building was needed in order to expand the small space allotted for such work in Building No.

1, and because of the unsatisfactory vibrations caused by the suspended floor system in the original building which shook the photo- graphic enlargers. The new building was constructed in In October a third building was proposed by Branch Chief Jack McCauley which was intended to house the Manned Lunar Exploration Studies group then located in offices at the Arizona Bank Building in downtown Flagstaff . This third facility had been identified on the plan as the Flight Projects building.

Construction of the building however, was not authorized until The facility was the first post-Apollo era building constructed at the site when it was completed in The remaining two buildings constructed on the campus were built in during the period when the study of other planets was becoming the focus of much of Astrogeology's work. Functions housed in Building No. 4 included topographic mapping of planets, image processing of planetary surfaces, and computer services. The USGS Regional Planetary Data Facility was also located in U.S.G.S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No. AZ-215-A (Page 4) the building. A similar data facility had been proposed on the earlier 1%6 master plan. Building No. 5 was constructed as a warehouse and storage building.

When these buildings were completed, the entire Astrogeology group in Flagstaff was finally located on the campus, 12 years after the concept of a complex of buildings on the McMillan Mesa site had first been proposed by Gene Shoemaker. In the post-Apollo years Building No. 1 continued to house offices for staff scientists working on a variety of planetary research projects, but it functioned primarily as an administrative center, or headquarters building. Except for a five year period between and the building had always been the location for the office of the Branch Chief of Astrogeology. Ownership of Building No. 1 reverted to the City of Flagstaff in after the original 30 year lease had expired .

In March the building was ordered vacated by the city for life and safety reasons related to construction deficiencies and hazardous materials. B. Historical Context Summary The history of the USGS Astrogeology program and the significance of its accomplishments is divided into two time periods. The first period of early space science and exploration, which coin- cided with the U.S. focus on lunar missions and NASA's Project Apollo, extended from 1%0 to and is known as the lunar years or Apollo era. The second period, the planetary years or post- Apollo era, extends from the termination of the Apollo program in up to the present. During this time the emphasis for Astrogeology shifted to geologic interpretation of the planets and satel- lites of the solar system and flight mission support.

Important aspects of the program include plan- etary cartography research, photogrammetry, image processing, scientific computing, and mainte- nance of a regional planetary image data facility. The significance of Building No. 1 lies in its association with the lunar years of Astrogeology, when much of the branch's work was devoted to the support of Project Apollo. During this period Astro- geology was involved in a broad range of activities including terrain and photogeologic mapping of the moon's surface, lunar mission planning, support for the Ranger, Surveyor and Lunar Orbiter projects, and landing site screening and selection. The period was also dominated by training of Apollo astronauts in geologic field techniques and simulated smface missions.

Related activities ranged from developing instruments and equipment for lunar exploration, to mapping out the lunar traverses and identifying photographic and sample locations, to working with NASA's Manned Spaceflight Center in guiding the astronauts' activities while on the moon. Significant to the overall success of the Astrogeology program during the lunar years was Eugene Merle Shoemaker. Born in Shoemaker received his graduate and post-graduate education at the California Institute of Technology and Princeton University. He joined the USGS in working on uranium-vanadium studies on the Colorado Plateau in the southwestern United States.

His early interest in the geology of the moon began at this time and led him, through his work with the USGS, to investigate the region's numerous volcanic and impact craters. Of particular interest were the chains of diatreme volcanoes of the Hopi Buttes which resembled some craters seen on the moon. In he began what has been described as his "enormously productive investigation" of Meteor Crater in northern Arizona. His study showed not only that the crater was of impact origin, but also how the cratering process works, a concept significant to an understanding of the lunar U.S.G.S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No. AZ-215-A (Page 5) smface.

Shoemaker's impact interpretations of Meteor Crater and lunar craters were first presented to the scientific community in March thus marking the beginning of his reputation as an important lunar expert at the national and international level. The study was later published in and, along with another landmark paper on stratigraphic principles of Iunar mapping, are viewed as key factors that helped make geology an important and integral part of the nation's lunar science program. Throughout most of the Shoemaker was a member of or chaired a number of committees, panels, working groups and scientific teams established by NASA to guide the direction of its space program and to plan its various missions.

As a result he was able to significantly influence planning of the lunar exploration program and how lunar science was conducted. He was instrumental in maintaining the role of astrogeology in the space program which resulted in significant contribu- tions by the agency to the success of NASA's manned spaceflight programs during the Apollo era. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration On July 29, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act. The legislation created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the nation's first federal agency devoted to space exploration and space science.

Less than two years after NASA was cre- ated, the USGS Astrogeologic Studies Group began its work with the agency, and over the ensuing decade would play an important role in support of NASA and its overall missions. While it is generally agreed that the impetus for the creation of NASA was the successful Soviet launch and orbit of Sputnik 1 in October a movement to create a federal space agency had begun a year earlier.

Developing and launching satellites for scientific purposes was being pursued with heightened interest by the scientific community in and early The idea was mani- fested through symposiums, publications and reports sponsored by the Rocket and Satellite Re- search Panel an organization established in under the auspices of the Naval Research Laboratory to advise the military in its post-war work in upper atmosphere research, rocket sound- ing and satellites. From this interest in satellite research emerged the idea that the United States should establish a permanent space agency, referred to at the time as a "National Space Establish- ment". The agency would be organized and funded by the federal government to conduct both unmanned space research and manned exploration of outer space.

When Sputnik 1 went into orbit, the intensified its efforts to establish a national space orga- nization. In early the panel, along with other interested groups such as the National Academy of Science, began lobbying members of Congress and key individuals in the administration. The military implications of space were of great interest to both the legislative and executive branches, but the exploration of space for scientific purposes weighed equally. A space program with a strong scientific component, supported by the nation's scientific community (and relying on its services) was the direction supported by most in the administration and congress. The legislation enacted set up a space program administered by a civilian agency in cooperation with the military.

Its primary purpose was to conduct a space program openly and in the pursuit of scientific advancement that would benefit the world. Another significant aspect of the act was that it did not mandate specific space programs to pursue, leaving that latitude to the agency's administrators. This permitted a broad ranging program of space science, exploration, development of technology, and practical applications of space techniques. U.S.G.S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. I HABS No. AZ-215-A (Page 6) As called for in the legislation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was to be a civilian space agency built upon the structure of the existing National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).

NACA had been created in as a national advisory and research group, working primarily with the military and industry. Using NACA as its nucleus, the early organiza- tion of NASA included three principal divisions. The Office of Aeronautical and Space Research absorbed much of the earlier NACA programs and coordinated advanced research necessary to space exploration. Management responsibilities, including budgeting, and contracting for develop- ment and operations as well as research, was another major division. The third component, the Office of Space Flight Development, was responsible for the large development projects and opera- tions required for the space program. Absent from the first official organization of NASA however, was a major office devoted to space science.

Instead, space science was placed within the Office of Space Flight Development. Many in the scientific community pushed for a more visible role of science within NASA, arguing that it was one of the major purposes of the program and the backbone upon which all space applications are founded. In early as a result of these objections, science was more specifically defined within NASA by the creation of two specific programs. The first was the Satellites and Sounding Rocket Programs. The second, Lunar and Planetary Programs, was created in March when NASA decided that lunar exploration would be one of its major efforts.

On July 28, 1960the space agency furthered its commitment to lunar exploration when it announced a new plan to orbit a three-man spacecraft around the earth and possibly the moon. NASA called it Project Apollo. As NASA's programs emerged into the early it became clear that the agency consisted of two primary elements related directly to its short term and mid range goals: space science programs and manned space flight programs. In November NASA's second administrator James E. Webb reorganized the agency, creating the Office of Space Sciences (OSS), equal in status to the other major divisions of NASA. He made Lunar and Planetary Programs one of its major divisions.

The earlier long range research division became the Office of Advanced Research and Technology, and the Space Flight Development office became the Office of Manned Space Flight (OMSF). The Manned Spaceflight Center would later be established in Houston to serve as the center of flight operations, and the Manned Space Science Division was set up within the OSS to handle science directly related to the manned program. It is from within this structure that the USGS Branch of Astrogeology worked throughout the In May President John F. Kennedy issued his historic challenge to land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth before the end of the decade. By that time lunar and planetary scientific studies had already become the focus of many of NASA's programs.

With Kennedy's challenge however, Project Apollo was made essentially a lunar mission, and NASA directed that most of its other engineering and science projects be developed for the purpose of supporting Apollo. During the thousands of individuals and institutions were required to carry out the new direc- tion of the space program. The Apollo missions, and other projects necessary for a successful manned lunar landing also required significant cooperation and coordination between NASA and other government agencies, including the U.S. Geological Survey and its Branch of Astrogeology. U.S.G.S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No. AZ-215-A (Page 7) Geology and Space Science According to former NASA director of the Office of Space Science and Applications Homer E.

Newell, ''The phrase space science came to mean the scientific research made possible or signifi- cantly aided by rockets and spacecraft." When the nations space agency was created in its administrators knew that a range of scientific disciplines would need to be involved if its programs were to be successful. Moreover, as the development of rockets, earth-based satellites and space- craft advanced, they would become significant scientific tools from which a broad range of science could be undertaken. Space science would affect, or be affected by, such disciplines as the atmo- spheric sciences, planetary astronomy, meteorology, geophysics, geology, lunar science, and the life sciences.

From this, new scientific disciplines would also eventually emerge including aeronomy, planetology and astrogeology. The geologic study of other planetary bodies, particularly the moon, had been of growing interest to a number of scientists during the post-war years. Astrophysicist Ralph B. Baldwin, chemist Harold C. Urey, and astronomer Gerard Kuiper had published important works on the subject. Engineering advancements were being made with rockets, upper atmosphere research was well under way, and in January the U.S. achieved earth orbit for the first time with Explorer 1. The concept of examining the lunar surface beyond the use of earth-bound telescopes was coming closer to reality.

USGS geologist Gene Shoemaker first proposed establishing a lunar geology studies group within the Geological Survey to director Thomas B. Nolan in Renewed interest in the idea came again in late after NASA was established (and with it a potential source of funding for scien- tific research). Shoemaker again suggested to USGS chief geologist Charles Anderson that a small USGS program of lunar investigations be developed, arguing that such investigations would be of value to NASA and that the USGS was in the best position to provide the services. A proposal to make a study of lunar geology, including tektites, was put forth by Survey geologist-geochemist Lorin R. Stieff, along with a separate proposal by Shoemaker for geologic mapping and crater investigations.

The proposals were submitted through USGS channels and then to NASA for con- sideration. In July 1%0 the USGS lunar program was approved and funded by NASA, the same month the space agency announced the beginning of Project Apollo. Shoemaker invented the term astrogeology as the name for the studies group, because in his view it more accurately depicted the basic methods of geology he envisioned would ultimately be conducted on the moon itself. Origins and Evolution of the Branch of Astrogeology, The Astrogeology Studies Group officially began its work within the USGS in August As originally conceived, the group was to undertake three general tasks under contract with NASA's Lunar and Planetary Programs division.

The first was the study of the mineralogy and chemistry of tektites and meteorites which was conducted principally in Washington, under the direction of Edward Chao, a leading expert in the field. The second area of work were studies concerning the earth's impact craters and volcanoes as they related to similar formations on the lunar surface. Geologic mapping of the moon was the third project, and one that would eventually consume a considerable amount of the group's manpower and resources. The mapping program would also prove extremely valuable to NASA and Project Apollo in the years to come. The latter two programs were conducted at the USGS regional center in Menlo Park. Led by Eu- gene Shoemaker, this initial five-man team included Robert J. Hackman, Charles H. Marshall, Ri- U.S.G.S.

Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No. AZ-215-A (Page 8) chard E. Eggleton, and Henry J. Moore IL Hackman, a photogeologist, along with geologist Cavery Mason, had earlier produced the first modern geologic map of the moon based on strati- graphic principles. By late Astrogeology had also become involved in planning the early Ranger projects, and as the work of the group increased, its staff also steadily grew. On September 18, the Astroge- ology Studies Group was elevated to branch status within the USGS, and Shoemaker was named Chief of the new Branch of Astrogeology. In shortly before ground was broken for the construction of Building No. 1 in Flagstaff, Shoemaker reorganized the Branch of Astrogeology into three groups.

This division reflected the branch's increasingly important role in Project Apollo. Unmanned Lunar Exploration Studies, geared to support the Ranger, Surveyor and Lunar Orbiter projects, was led by Jack McCauley and based primarily in Flagstaff. A division named Manned Lunar Exploration Studies was coordi- nated by Don Elston, and later by Al Chidester. Most of its activities were based in Flagstaff and dealt with astronaut training and lunar surface simulations. The Astrogeologic Studies group was to continue the branch's original tasks of lunar mapping, crater studies, and tektite-meteorite in- vestigations. It was coordinated by Hal Masursky and was based in Menlo Park. According to astrogeologist Don Wilhelms, by the time Building No.

1 was dedicated in late "the manned studies group in Flagstaff was coming into full flower and would soon be devoting all its time to detailed training and mission simulation exercises". The heightened activities of Astro- geology continued for the next four years as the first Apollo lunar landings were being planned. Shoemaker's own involvement in a range of NASA projects during this period was also extremely diverse, leaving little time for his administrative duties as branch chief. In the fall of Max Troyer was named acting branch chief and took over the management responsibilities of the agency. In the summer of USGS Chief Geologist Harold James, to whom Astrogeology reported, divided the branch into two separate entities.

The reorganization reflected the separate types of work Astrogeology had already been conducting in support of NASA's various programs. The Branch of Astrogeologic Studies (BAS) was created to deal with the more scientific studies not directly associated with the manned and unmanned lunar programs. This work included the ongo- ing tektite and meteor studies and lunar mapping and cartography. Hal Masursky was named chief of the branch which continued to conduct its work in Menlo Park, Flagstaff, and Washington The Branch of Surface Planetary Exploration (SPE), based entirely in Flagstaff, would be respon- sible for the work that the earlier Manned and Unmanned studies groups were undertaking.

This included the ongoing astronaut training efforts, site selection and screening, and planning for mis- sion-related geology that would be conducted on the lunar surface. Arnold L. Brokaw was named chief of the branch. The two branches of astrogeology continued in this arrangement through the remainder of the unmanned programs and all of the Apollo missions. Astrogeologic support of the lunar missions concluded in when Apollo 17 was flown and NASA ended the program. As a result, the Branch of Surface Planetary Exploration was dissolved and its staff and remaining activities ab- sorbed into the Branch of Astrogeologic Studies.

BAS continued with some limited training of astronauts in the early post-Apollo period, working with the last Skylab crew in and the Apollo/Soyuz astronauts in Jack McCauley continued as chief of the BAS, with offices in Flagstaff, until Operating from Menlo Park, Mike Carr became the branch chief and oper- ated the organization from Menlo Park until U.S.G.S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No. AZ-215-A Part II. Architectural Information (Page 9) The Center of Astrogeology is a one story nearly symmetrical building constructed over a generally delta-shaped plan, with concrete block masonry walls and a flat roof.

The building is designed with modest International style influences articulated primarily by its low profile, use of simple materi- als, and its series of continuous steel sash window bays which extend the length of the north wall. Primary access to the building is through an offset door at a centrally located, north-facing ell that served as the entrance lobby. The exterior masonry walls are finished with paint, the foundations are built of cast-in-place reinforced concrete, and the roof is covered with rolled asphalt de- tailed with a ten-inch deep perimeter metal facia and gravel stop. The building is situated at the north edge of the USGS Flagstaff Field Center campus and fronts north onto a paved access drive and small parking area.

The north facing windows provide for distant views of the San Francisco Peaks, framed by the grassy plain of McMillan Mesa in the foreground and the forest edge beyond. The building is set behind a series of original low fieldstone site walls which extend along the north and west sides of the site. A modest, cultivated lawn with mature evergreen trees is contained behind the stone wall along the east wing. Another lawn, also landscaped with mature trees and shrubs, slopes gently away from the west end of the building. The south walls front onto a large paved parking area separated from the building by an original concrete walkway which extends the length of both wings.

The plan of the building is designed about a north-south primary axis from which the building's east and west wings extend. Each wing is splayed slightly to the south at a 16 degree angle. The north walls of the central projecting ell are also splayed at the same angle. The building is 280 feet in overall length with each wing measuring 58 feet deep. The east wing is 134 feet in length, and the west wing is 112 feet long. In addition to the north front entrance, the building is accessed from a south entrance centered about the primary axis, and through doorways at the east and west walls of each wing. The exterior entrances originally contained paired flush steel doors with small windows. They were replaced in the late with single leaf hollow core steel doors.

The north walls of the building are dominated by a system of large steel sash windows spanning between each office bay in a continuous, symmetrical format. Each window bay consists of four, nearly five foot tall glazed panels, with a small awning sash located at the bottom of each of the outer two panels. Painted metal-clad spandrels, deep, enclose the upper wall between the top of the windows and the roof structure. The north windows of the central ell are similarly con- structed except the glazed panels are six feet tall and are detailed with a 2' -6" deep insulated asbes- tos color panel below the sash. The Center of Astrogeology also contains 11 discreetly located windows on the east, west, and south walls. Four of the windows are original aluminum sash horizontal sliding units.

One is located near the entrance at the west wall, and the remaining three are nearly evenly located along the south wall of the west wing. The seven non-original windows are aluminum units built in various combina- tions of sliding, awning and fixed sash. These windows were instalJed during the mid-1970s and when the interiors of some spaces were remodeled as offices. Four windows are located on the south wall of the east wing, two are situated on the west wall, and one is located on the east wall. Nine painted galvanized metal rectangular downspouts are evenly located along the perimeter of the south, east and west walls of both wings. Each downspout extends from the metal facia and gravel stop to the grade below.

Eighteen additional downspo~t~tare regularly spaced along the north walls U.S.G .S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No. AZ-215-A (Page 10) at each intervening interior office partition. They are used primarily as a stylistic device to articu- late the symmetry of the window bays. The structural design of the building features both exterior and interior concrete block masonry bearing walls supporting a steel bar joist roof framing system. The joists are covered with a corru- gated steel form deck with a lightweight concrete fill. Cast-in-place concrete foundation walls carry the bearing partitions and also support a similar steel bar joist floor framing system with to 3- thick concrete floors placed over a corrugated metal form deck.

The resultant crawl space below the floor joists averages two feet deep and is used as a chase for mechanical and electrical piping. The concrete block interior bearing walls are used to divide the east and west wings into three nearly evenly spaced structural bays. Non-bearing wood frame partitions generally extend perpendicular to the masonry bearing walls and are used to divide the structural bays into various rooms and offices. The interior arrangement of the building is designed about the primary north-south axis and the intersecting longitudinal axes of the two opposing wings. The corridors are built along these axes, forming an overall T-shaped circulation pattern.

The east and west corridors provide access to a series of 13 similarly configured rooms that extend along the north walls of the building. The rooms originally provided office space for the staff geologists, the chief of the branch, his reception- ist, and a branch division chief. The central ell, located at the hub of the intersecting corridors, functioned as a public lobby and display area. The east and west corridors also provided access to the rooms along the south central bays of each wing, which housed additional offices, a library, administrative offices, restrooms, and photographic laboratories.

Other original specialized spaces constructed along the southernmost bays contained an instrument shop, electronics shop, the Sur- veyor project room, a rock samples storage room, and space for the building's mechanical and air conditioning equipment. The interior masonry walls are finished with paint, and the frame partitions are clad with textured and painted gypsum wall board. The concrete floors were originally finished with vinyl asbestos tile, or left exposed with an integral color finish. Most floors are now covered with carpeting. The ceiling system consists of gypsum wall board panels suspended by metal channels and wires from the roof structure. Most ceiling heights are constructed at 8' -8" above the floor except in the corri- dors where the ceiling height is eight feet.

The ceilings in the lobby, corridors and most offices were originally detailed with panels of 12-inch square acoustic tile centrally located in each room creat- ing a one to two foot border of gypsum wall board. Most interior doors throughout the building are original solid core flush wood doors with birch veneer finished with a light oak stain and a clear varnish. Some doors feature small vertical win- dows or louvered grilles near the bottom. Almost all of the doors still remain although most original hardware has been replaced. In addition to the installation of some windows and the replacement of the exterior doors, modifica- tion to the building since construction have been fairly limited.

Three interior frame partition walls have been removed, two interior doorways have been cut into existing walls, and some partitions have been installed in the original Surveyor project room, rock sample room, and a photographic laboratory in order to accommodate additional offices. The original public lobby was also remod- eled within the last 20 years to function as a conference room. A glazed window wall with a paired door was built at the south end of the space to separate it from the corridors, and a small room was constructed along the west wall for storage of office supplies and equipment. U.S.G.S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No. AZ-215-A (Page 11) The photograph on the following page is a portrait of Eugene M. Shoemaker taken in his office in Building No. 1.

Date unknown. The photographer was Karl Zeller. The photograph is an 8" x 10" enlargement from an original x negative which is in the posses- sion of the Regional Planetary Image Facility, U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff Field Center. U.S.G.S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No. AZ-215-A (Page 12) U.S.G.S. Center of Astrogeology, Building No. 1 HABS No. AZ-215-A Part III. Sources of Information (Page 13) A. Architectural Drawings and Photographs The location of the original Bureau of Indian Affairs Branch of Plant Design and Construc- tion architectural drawings, dated are located at the U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff Field Center. The location of the photographic collection for Building No. 1 is at the Regional Planetary Image Facility, U.S.

Geological Survey, Flagstaff Field Center. B. Bibliography Beard, L. Sue. Letter to Carol D. Shull requesting formal determination of eligibility to the National Register of Histoiic Places for Building No. 1, June 16, U.S. Geological Survey, Office of the Scientist-in-Charge. The Coconino Sun, to Various Issues. Levy, David H. Shoemaker By Levy: The Man Who Made an Impact, Princeton University Press, Princeton, Newell, Homer E. Beyond the Atmosphere - Early Years of Space Science, National Aero- nautics and Space Administration, Scientific and Technical Information Branch, Washing- ton, Pope, Sarah D. Determination of Eligibility Notification, August 3, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Wilhelms, Don E.

To A Rocky Moon - A Geologists History of Lunar Exploration, The University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Part IV. Project Information A.