In conjunction with three major professional societies, the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), History of Science Society (HSS) and the American Historical Association (AHA), NASA History funds fellowships that support a range of research and writing projects to promote a better understanding of how aerospace history has shaped our world. The deadline for applications falls at the start of April each year.

Society for the History of Technology

The NASA Fellowship in the History of Space Technology, offered by AHA funds a fellow for an academic year. The fellowship may support advanced research related to all aspects of space history, leading to publications on the history of space technology broadly considered, including cultural and intellectual history, institutional history, economic history, history of law and public policy and history of engineering and management. Applicants must possess a doctorate in history of technology or in a closely related field, or be enrolled as a student in a doctoral degree program and have completed all requirements for the Ph.D., except the dissertation, in history of technology or a related field. Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens.

History of Science Society

The History of Science Society Fellowship in the History of Space Science funds a nine-month research project, related to any aspect of the history of space science, from the earliest human interest in space to the present. The program is broadly conceived and includes the social, cultural, institutional and personal context of space-science history. Proposals of advanced research in history related to all aspects of the history of space science are eligible. Sciences of space and sciences affected by data and concepts developed in connection with space exploration include astronomy, Earth science, optics, meteorology, oceanography, and physiology. The fellowship is open to applicants who hold a doctoral degree in history or a closely related field, or students who have completed all requirements for a doctorate, except the dissertation.

American Historical Association

The AHA Fellowship in Aerospace History is offered annually to support a significant scholarly research project in aerospace history and provides the fellow with an opportunity to engage in advanced research in all aspects of the history of aerospace from the earliest human interest in flight to the present, including cultural and intellectual history, economic history, history of law and public policy, and the history of science, engineering, and management. The fellowship term is for a period of at least six months, but not more than nine months. The fellow will be expected to devote the term entirely to the proposed research project. Office space is not provided with the fellowship and residency is not required; however, fellows are encouraged to take advantage of resources at the National Archives, the National Academies of Science, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, NASA Headquarters and other collections in the Washington, DC, area.

For more information on each of these fellowships, visit the American Historical Association’s Fellowships in Aerospace History page.