posted 05-25-2008 02:54 PM               

In the 1950s Stuhlinger worked at the Redstone Arsenal, where he developed designs for solar-powered spacecraft. The most popular of those designs relied on ion stream vapor emitted by either caesium or rubidium atoms to be accelerated by negatively charged electrodes which would push the ion stream through a propulsion channel. The mechanism would be powered by the one kilowatt of radiant energy that falls on each square meter of space from the sun. He referred to it as a "sunship."

Stuhlinger was director of the space science lab at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1960 to 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. — Wikipedia

posted 05-25-2008 03:51 PM               

Only three years ago as I was passing thru Huntsville, Dr. Stuhlinger asked ME to come to his home and meet with him. He was quite cordial, and he and I were only to speak for 15 minutes, but we spent an hour discussing history and Dr. von Braun.

Dr. Stuhlinger kept abreast of the latest space news -- and of Deep Space-1, the first ion powered deep-space probe. He felt like a father to that design.

No matter how you may feel about his past -- we have lost one of the great spacecraft designers.

God Bless Ernst Stuhlinger and his family.

posted 05-26-2008 11:19 AM               

Stuhlinger was the No. 3 man on Dr. Wernher von Braun's famed rocket team, said Ed Buckbee, a former director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and also a public affairs officer for von Braun.

"He was behind von Braun and Eberhard Rees," Buckbee said. "He was the chief scientist and was also considered to be the ambassador of science for the team. It was a unique title von Braun gave him. He was the bridge between the scientific community and the von Braun team.

"We've lost a giant scientist."

posted 05-26-2008 04:37 PM               

I feel honoured for having been able to correspond with him regularly over the past few years.

We have lost a giant scientist, and whatever the past, he does have a place in history, as one of the world's first Rocket Pioneers.

My deepest condolences to the Stuhlinger family.

posted 05-27-2008 10:03 AM               

In a touch of celestial irony, Ernst Stuhlinger, who proposed a way to fly to Mars more than 40 years ago, died on the day NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on the Red Planet.

The late rocket scientist, who was Wernher von Braun's science adviser, had conceived an ion propulsion-based spacecraft for missions to Mars, said noted author Homer Hickam.

"He and von Braun didn't believe the chemical rockets would be able to reach Mars," he said. "He proposed ion propulsion back in the 1960s.

"If that had been implemented, we'd be walking around on Mars today."

posted 05-27-2008 11:36 AM               

Godspeed.

Kevin

posted 05-27-2008 01:44 PM               

Let's name it for him, shall we cS'rs? Write NASA and your representatives.

posted 05-27-2008 01:54 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by E2M Lem Man:
Let's name it for him, shall we collectSPACE'rs? Write NASA and your representatives.

---

Stuhlinger's contributions might be better honored by naming an ion propulsion drive (or ion-driven spacecraft) rather than the latest landing site.

posted 05-27-2008 03:53 PM               

And thank you for all you did in getting my county to the Moon.

posted 05-27-2008 08:30 PM               

By the way, we also interviewed Konrad Dannenberg, Hans Fichtner and Walter Hausermann in our studio a few years ago.. all equally interesting.

posted 05-28-2008 02:12 PM               

Respectfully,