Ernst Stuhlinger
Encyclopedia
Ernst Stuhlinger was a German
-born American atomic, electrical and rocket scientist. After being brought to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip
, he developed guidance systems with Wernher von Braun
's team at the US Army, and later, NASA
. He was also instrumental in the development of the ion engine for long-endurance space flight, and a wide variety of scientific experiments.
), Württemberg
, Germany
. He earned his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Tübingen in 1936.
In 1939 to 1941, he worked in Berlin, on cosmic rays and nuclear physics as an assistant professor at the Berlin Institute of Technology.
Despite showing promise, in 1941 Stuhlinger was sent to the Russian front where he was wounded during the Battle of Moscow
, and was one of the few members of his unit to survive the Battle of Stalingrad
.
His service complete, in 1943 he joined Dr. Wernher von Braun
's team at Peenemünde
, where he worked in the field of guidance systems.
Stuhlinger was one of the first group of 126 scientists who immigrated to the United States with Dr. von Braun after World War II as part of Operation Paperclip
.
In the 1950s Stuhlinger worked at the Redstone Arsenal
, primarily on guidance systems.
He played a small but important role in the race to launch a US satellite after the success of Sputnik 1
. As there was little time to develop and test automated systems like guidance or staging systems, Stuhlinger developed a simple spring-powered staging timer that had to be triggered from the ground. On the night of January 31, 1958, Stuhlinger was at the controls of the timer when the Explorer 1 was launched, triggering the device right on time. He became known as "the man with the golden finger."
In the 1950s, Stuhlinger, along with von Braun, collaborated with Walt Disney
. Together, they produced three films, Man in Space and Man and the Moon in 1955, and Mars and Beyond in 1957. Stuhlinger worked as a technical consultant for these films.
On April 14, 1955, he became a naturalized United States citizen along with the other Paperclip members. In 1959, he was Director, Research Projects Division.
Stuhlinger spent much of his spare time developing designs for solar-powered spacecraft. The most popular of those designs relied on ion thrusters, which use ionize either caesium
or rubidium
vapor and accelerate the positively charged ions through gridded electrodes. The spacecraft would be powered by the one kilowatt of solar energy. He referred to the concept as a "sunship". He is considered as one of the pioneers of electric propulsion having, among many contributions, authored the classic textbook Ion Propulsion for Space Flight (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1964). In 2005, he was honored by the Electric Rocket Propulsion Society, and awarded its highest honor "The Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Electric Propulsion", which was renamed the Stuhlinger Medal
shortly following his death.
Stuhlinger was director of the space science lab at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
in Huntsville, Alabama
, from its formation in 1960 until 1968, and then its associate director for science from 1968 to 1975, when he retired and became an adjunct professor and senior research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville
. Among his many other works at Marshall, he directed early planning for lunar exploration, worked on the Apollo Telescope Mount
that produced a wealth of information about the Sun, led planning for the three High Energy Astronomical Observatorys, and worked on the initial phases of what would become the Hubble Space Telescope
.
In 2004, he helped to raise funds to preserve a Saturn V rocket display at Huntsville, Alabama.
Stuhlinger died in Huntsville at age 94.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born American atomic, electrical and rocket scientist. After being brought to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip was the Office of Strategic Services program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States in the aftermath of World War II...
, he developed guidance systems with Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
's team at the US Army, and later, NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. He was also instrumental in the development of the ion engine for long-endurance space flight, and a wide variety of scientific experiments.
Life
Stuhlinger was born in Niederrimbach (now part of CreglingenCreglingen
Creglingen is a town in the Main-Tauber district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Celts who founded the town between 200 and 100 B.C. also farmed the surrounding plateaus and valleys...
), Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He earned his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Tübingen in 1936.
In 1939 to 1941, he worked in Berlin, on cosmic rays and nuclear physics as an assistant professor at the Berlin Institute of Technology.
Despite showing promise, in 1941 Stuhlinger was sent to the Russian front where he was wounded during the Battle of Moscow
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
, and was one of the few members of his unit to survive the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
.
His service complete, in 1943 he joined Dr. Wernher von Braun
Wernher von Braun
Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
's team at Peenemünde
Peenemünde
The Peenemünde Army Research Center was founded in 1937 as one of five military proving grounds under the Army Weapons Office ....
, where he worked in the field of guidance systems.
Stuhlinger was one of the first group of 126 scientists who immigrated to the United States with Dr. von Braun after World War II as part of Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip
Operation Paperclip was the Office of Strategic Services program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States in the aftermath of World War II...
.
In the 1950s Stuhlinger worked at the Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal
Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base and a census-designated place adjacent to Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area...
, primarily on guidance systems.
He played a small but important role in the race to launch a US satellite after the success of Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 ) was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1s success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space...
. As there was little time to develop and test automated systems like guidance or staging systems, Stuhlinger developed a simple spring-powered staging timer that had to be triggered from the ground. On the night of January 31, 1958, Stuhlinger was at the controls of the timer when the Explorer 1 was launched, triggering the device right on time. He became known as "the man with the golden finger."
In the 1950s, Stuhlinger, along with von Braun, collaborated with Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
. Together, they produced three films, Man in Space and Man and the Moon in 1955, and Mars and Beyond in 1957. Stuhlinger worked as a technical consultant for these films.
On April 14, 1955, he became a naturalized United States citizen along with the other Paperclip members. In 1959, he was Director, Research Projects Division.
Stuhlinger spent much of his spare time developing designs for solar-powered spacecraft. The most popular of those designs relied on ion thrusters, which use ionize either caesium
Caesium
Caesium or cesium is the chemical element with the symbol Cs and atomic number 55. It is a soft, silvery-gold alkali metal with a melting point of 28 °C , which makes it one of only five elemental metals that are liquid at room temperature...
or rubidium
Rubidium
Rubidium is a chemical element with the symbol Rb and atomic number 37. Rubidium is a soft, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali metal group. Its atomic mass is 85.4678. Elemental rubidium is highly reactive, with properties similar to those of other elements in group 1, such as very rapid...
vapor and accelerate the positively charged ions through gridded electrodes. The spacecraft would be powered by the one kilowatt of solar energy. He referred to the concept as a "sunship". He is considered as one of the pioneers of electric propulsion having, among many contributions, authored the classic textbook Ion Propulsion for Space Flight (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1964). In 2005, he was honored by the Electric Rocket Propulsion Society, and awarded its highest honor "The Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Electric Propulsion", which was renamed the Stuhlinger Medal
Stuhlinger Medal
The Stuhlinger Medal, whose official name is the "Ernst Stuhlinger Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Electric Propulsion", is the highest honor in the field of electric propulsion for spacecraft bestowed by the Electric Rocket Propulsion Society , the main professional society in that field, to...
shortly following his death.
Stuhlinger was director of the space science lab at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, from its formation in 1960 until 1968, and then its associate director for science from 1968 to 1975, when he retired and became an adjunct professor and senior research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville
University of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is a state-supported, public, coeducational research university, located in Huntsville, Alabama, United States, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees, and is organized in five...
. Among his many other works at Marshall, he directed early planning for lunar exploration, worked on the Apollo Telescope Mount
Apollo Telescope Mount
The Apollo Telescope Mount, or ATM, is the name of a solar observatory that was attached to Skylab, the first US space station.The ATM was one of a number of projects that came out of the late 1960s Apollo Applications Program, which studied a wide variety of ways to use the infrastructure...
that produced a wealth of information about the Sun, led planning for the three High Energy Astronomical Observatorys, and worked on the initial phases of what would become the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
.
History
After retiring, Stuhlinger and historian Frederick Ordway collaborated on the biography Werhner von Braun: Crusader for Space. In it, Stuhlinger downplayed claims that von Braun had mistreated prisoners working on the V-2 program during the war. Michael J. Neufeld has questioned this version, maintaining that knowledge of V-2 production using forced labor is an established fact. Stuhlinger reiterated the point that their aim was ultimately peaceful; in an Associated Press article, he wrote:Yes, we did work on improved guidance systems, but in late 1944 we were convinced that the war would soon be over before new systems could be used on military rockets. However, we were convinced that somehow our work would find application in the future rockets that would not aim at London, but at the moon.
In 2004, he helped to raise funds to preserve a Saturn V rocket display at Huntsville, Alabama.
Stuhlinger died in Huntsville at age 94.
External links
- "Remembering Sputnik: Ernst Stuhlinger", IEEE Spectrum, OCTOBER 2007
- Listing from The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy, and Spaceflight
- Listing from Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame Biography from Urbin.De
- Celestial irony between Mars and Stuhlinger – Blog posted at the Huntsville Times, by Victoria Cumbow and Budd McLaughlin (May 26, 2008)