The universal man

Description

The Universal Man recounts the full range of Theodore von Karman's scientific and social accomplishments. Regarded as one of the fathers of supersonic flight, von Karman pioneered the use of applied mathematics in aeronautics and astronautics and, in the process, discovered some of the fundanmental laws of both disciplines. Von Karman used his theoretical knowledge to design aircraft, dirigibles, rockets, and missiles. He also demonstrated the first solid-propellant rocket engine. As significant as these accomplishments are (President John Kennedy presented him with the first National Medal of Science in 1963), they form but a portion of this great man's legacy. Born in Hungary, von Karman (1881-1963) emigrated to the United States in 1930 and lived the remainder of his life in Pasadena, California. He was a gifted teacher, passing on to three generations of students his own, novel approach to problem solving. Possessing a unique capacity to harmonize unlike temperaments and focus them on common objectives, he promoted an unprecedented degree of international scientific cooperation. Von Karman was the moving force behind many now-famous institutions, including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Cal Tech's Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory, and the USAF Scientific Advisory Board. His circle of colleagues included such diverse personalities as Dr. Hugh L. Dryden, the first deputy administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; General Bernard A. Schriever (USAF, ret.), the father of the USAF ballistic missile program; and Dr. William Pickering, former director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory . In a compact, nontechnical work intended for general readers, The Universal Man provides a rounded picture of this warm and eminently humane scientist's life and examines the extent to which personality influences the course of science.

Subjects

Series Statement

• Smithsonian history of aviation series