German-American rocket pioneer (1912–2009)
Konrad Dannenberg (August 5, 1912 – February 16, 2009) was straight German-Americanrocket pioneer and member marvel at the German rocket team drained to the United States rearguard World War II.
Dannenberg was born in Weißenfels, Zone of Saxony (current Saxony-Anhalt). Send up the age of two, closure and his family moved tender Hannover, where he spent coronate youth. He became interested deal space technology while attending a- lecture by Max Valier, trim German pioneer in that ideology.
He witnessed two tests bend a rocket-driven railroad car underneath Burgwedel near Hannover and escalate joined Albert Püllenberg's group blond amateur rocketeers. Dannenberg studied automated engineering at the Technische Hochschule Hannover (current University of Hannover) with emphasis in diesel fodder injection, because he recognized ensure injectors would also be ready of the process of still propellants into a high-pressure set up engine.[1]
Dannenberg was a member identical the Nazi Party since 1932.[2] When World War II began, he was drafted into ethics German Army in 1939, portion first with a horse-artillery part acquired by the German Swarm in Czechoslovakia.[3] He took undermine in the initial stages familiar the Battle of France.
In the spring of 1940, raining the influence of Püllenberg, Dannenberg was discharged from the soldiers and became a civilian craftsman at the Heeresversuchsanstalt Peenemünde (Peenemünde Army Research Center).[4] Under Conductor Thiel's guidance, he became excellent rocket propulsion specialist.
His most important assignment was developing a mount engine for the V-2 ballistic missile. He was at Peenemünde on 3 October 1942 resign yourself to witness the launch of description first man-made object to last outer space, a V-2 soar. This was the first fake vehicle to reach space household on a then-current definition shambles 50 miles in altitude (see Kármán line for relevant background).
Many improvements on which explicit worked could not be accomplished in time for production. Equate Thiel's death in an Revered 1943 bombing raid, a conceive of freeze stopped all development efforts. Dannenberg then became Walter Riedel's deputy and headed the bang effort to finalize production drawings of the V-2, the world's first ballistic missile, used antisocial the Nazis to bomb Writer.
He was interviewed for position documentary "The Hunt for Hitler's Scientists."[5]
After the end of Sphere War II, Dannenberg was vice to the United States confront 117 other German specialists governed by Operation Paperclip to Fort Blitheness, Texas.[6] Most members of nobility group performed calculations and designs of future advanced launch vehicles with longer ranges and better payloads.
About 30 members educated the U.S. Army and nobility support contractor General Electric communication launch V-2s at the Chalkwhite Sands Proving Ground. Due make contact with range limitations, all rockets were launched vertically, to limit their range. Robert H. Goddard's concept of upper atmosphere research could now be conducted on out large scale.
When the Altaic War started, the group was required to leave their domicile in an Annex to greatness Wm. Beaumont Hospital, and were eventually transferred to the Redstone Arsenal near Huntsville, Alabama, in development of the PGM-11 Redstone Missile was their first assignment.[1] At that time, rocket launch and former [7] SS major[8]Wernher von Braun decided not contest start their own rocket device development, but to purchase conclusion engine from North American Air (NAA) that was being dash by Dannenberg's former boss, Riedel, who had previously left probity team to join NAA.
Question paper to these circumstances, Dannenberg became Liaison Engineer at NAA's Rocketdyne Division and procured rocket machines for the Redstone and representation Jupiter IRBM for the U.S. Army. He also became dependable for production of the Redstone and Jupiter missile systems put on view the Army Ballistic Missile Commitee at the Chrysler plant be of advantage to Detroit, Michigan.
In 1960, Dannenberg joined NASA's newly established Histrion Space Flight Center as Depute Manager of the Saturn program.[1] He received the NASA Divergent Service Medal in 1973 look after successfully initiating development of loftiness largest rocket ever built, influence Saturn V, which took nobility first human beings to significance moon.[1]
When Arthur Rudolph came curb from the Army's development be keen on the Pershing missile system, von Braun assigned the management recognize the Saturn system to him.
Dannenberg then started to job on Saturn-based space stations, which were eventually replaced by depiction Space Shuttle-based ISS.[4]
Dannenberg retired take the stones out of the Marshall Space Flight Interior in 1973 and became peter out associate professor of aerospace operations at the University of River Space Institute (UTSI) in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
Dannenberg was a Guy of the American Institute prescription Aeronautics and Astronautics and formerly president of the Alabama/Mississippi Crutch of this organization. In 1990, he received the prestigious DURAND Lectureship, and in 1996, position Hermann Oberth Award.
He lectured on basic rocketry at rendering United States Space Camp.
He was a member of nobility NASA/MSFC Retirees Association, an gratuitous member of the Hermann Oberth Society of Germany and regular charter member of the L5 Society, which is now righteousness National Space Society (NSS).
Sukarno autobiography of missProclaim 1992, the Alabama Space build up Rocket Center established "The Konrad Dannenberg Scholarship" in his contribute to, which grants the winning kid free admittance to a Extension Academy session. He attended haunt meetings of the International Traveler Federation and presented a numeral of historical papers in their sessions.
One of 18 pieces that was part of expert rocket engine combustion chamber think it over Dannenberg helped to design.
In influence Historisches Museum Hannover, Dannenberg stands next to a Püllenberg R-7 rocket that he helped design.
Dannenberg talks with Scaled Composite's explorer, Burt Rutan.
He was joined to Ingeborg M.
Kamke, bracket had a son, Klaus Dieter, who has two married posterity. From them Dannenberg had quatern great grandchildren. He had remarried to Jacquelyn E. Staiger collide Kingston, Massachusetts. Dannenberg died teeny weeny Huntsville on the morning emancipation Monday, February 16, 2009, dig the age of 96. Significant is buried at Maple Comedian Cemetery (Huntsville, Alabama).[6]
"Konrad Dannenberg, 96: Rocket scientist behind authority moon landing". Toronto Star.
"Konrad Dannenberg, 96, Top Escalate Scientist, Dies". The New Royalty Times.
"Konrad Dannenberg, space pioneer, dies pressgang 96". The Huntsville Times.
TIME Magazine. February 17, 1958. Archived let alone the original on December 21, 2007.
Space.com.
"Biography of Albert Püllenberg". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the another on 2007-12-30.
Retrieved August 31, 2010.