The papers chronicle Van Allen's professional career in upper atmosphere research, space physics research, and academia; and document how the shifting research trends affected his career. The papers encompass a multitude of topics from early upper atmospheric research in the 1950s, using balloons, to spacecraft missions to the outer planets in the 1970s; from the unofficial post-World War II V-2 Panel in the mid 1940s to the creation of NASA in 1958; and from his advice to both students and presidents. In addition Van Allen's membership on numerous planning and advisory committees, documented in this collection, complement the technical record contained in the extensive mission files. Series I (1932-1990) includes correspondence and Van Allen's undergraduate and graduate academic material including classwork, research papers, and dissertation work papers. Series II (1939-1942) briefly documents Van Allen's position first as a research fellow and then as a physicist at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. Most of his research was classified; what remains in this series is unclassified correspondence, manuscripts, and a sampling of Van Allen's notebooks and holograph notes. Series III (1942, 1946-1961) chronicles his tenure as a physicist at Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory; major research topics include proximity fuzes (1942), high altitude experimentation (1940s), and postwar research into measurements of cosmic radiation and atmospheric ozone; there is also material on the program of to use V-2 and Aerobee rockets for scientific research. Series IV (1951-1990), University of Iowa, is divided into 13 subseries: general correspondence, research papers, reference and subject files, advisory and professional activities, conference files, trip files, professorial materials, journals and diaries, calendars, telephone logbooks, field notebooks, holograph notes, and speeches and congressional testimony. The materials document Van Allen's professional activities while at the University including the development of an upper atmosphere and magnetospheric research program, teaching, research, advising presidents and Congress on national policy issues, participating in professional organizations, and serving on committees and panels; correspondents include Wernher Von Braun, Hannes Alfven, and Arthur Compton. Series V (1940-1986) contains Van Allen's manuscripts and publications, books, and miscellaneous papers and reprints of others. Series VI (1946-1985) visually documents many of Van Allen's activities including V-2 rockets. Series VII consists of his library of books. Series VIII contains motion picture films, video-cassettes, with research related footage including ballon launches and flight animations, and audio tapes of lectures. Series IX and X are artifacts (including spacecraft) and samples of experimental data.