The Scott H. Simpkinson collection, 1943-1989 contains the materials Simpkinson collected during his tenure as an engineer for NASA. Materials are largely produced by NASA, and include information about the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Viking missions, as well as the Space Shuttle program. The collection also includes materials produced by outside engineering firms and Simpkinson's personal effects. These materials consist of reports, publications, photographs, and objects. This collection provides insight into the early days of NASA, key missions, and the career of Scott Simpkinson. Scott H. Simpkinson was born on August 24, 1919, in Piqua, Ohio. Simpkinson graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1943 and was subsequently employed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), then the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), as an engineer from the 1950s until his retirement in the early 1980s. Simpkinson worked on the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Viking missions, as well as the Space Shuttle. Scott Simpkinson died on August 8, 1996.
Mercury Time Capsule was unveiled during the Mercury worker union at Launch Complex 14 in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Gordon Cooper's May 15, 1963 flight during the closing of Project Mercury. Project Mercury veterans shared their memory by writing a few inner reflections of Project Mercury and sealed them in a provided envelope which are scheduled to be opened on July 21, 2038 at noon. The contents of the envelopes cannot be viewed until that time. Collection also includes the Florida Space Coast History Project gathered artifacts all pertain to Project Mercury which are provided for display purposes once the capsule is opened.
