Hans Ziegler
Encyclopedia
Hans K. Ziegler was a pioneer in the field of communication satellites and the use of photovoltaic solar cells as a power source for satellites. (He is a different person from the Hans Ziegler
who is the subject of another article.)
. There, he studied at the Technische Hochschule, which is today the Technische Universität München (TUM), and began his career as Wissenschaftlicher Assistant (Scientific Assistant), which corresponds to a "professor" at US universities. Following that, he was a researcher in German industry for ten years. During the Second World War, he worked for the company Rosental Selb in Bavaria on high tension porcelain.
In 1947, he came to the USA with Wernher von Braun
under Operation Paperclip
, by means of which the USA gained German engineers and scientists. He went to the U. S. Army Signal Corps' Laboratories in Fort Monmouth
, New Jersey
, and became a U.S. citizen in 1954.
Dr. Hans K. Ziegler's work in the USA was very influential in the development of military electronics, especially in the electronics for the early phases of the U.S. space program. During the thirty years he worked as an engineer in the field of electronics and electrical engineering in the research and development department of the U.S. Army in Fort Monmouth, N.J. (from 1947 to 1976), he held the top position of Chief Scientist for 12 years. In Fort Monmouth, he worked as a Scientific Consultant, Assistant Director of Research, Director of the Astro-Electronics Division and Chief Scientist (1959). After the Army was restructured, he became Deputy for Science and Chief Scientist of the US Army Electronics Command in 1963 and Director of the US Army Electronics Technology & Devices Laboratory from 1971 until his retirement.
In May 1954, after examining the solar cells of Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller and Gerald Pearson at Bell Laboratories, Ziegler wrote, "Future development [of the silicon solar cell] may well render it into an important source of electrical power [as] the roofs of all our buildings in cities and towns equipped with solar [cells] would be sufficient to produce this country's entire demand for electrical power.
Referring to silicon solar cells, he said to the head of the U. S. Signal Corps, General James O'Connell, at a meeting in September 1955, "In fact, in the long run, mankind has no choice but to turn to the sun if it wants to survive."
He and his team produced a report on the prospects for application of this technique in the field of communication and they named the supply of energy for artificial satellites as the most important application. He knew that he was not the first to suggest this application. For example, the science fiction author, Arthur C. Clarke
had already made this suggestion in 1945, but without having a concrete technology for it at that time.
Ziegler participated in the development of the first planned satellites. The first satellite,
Explorer 1, still went into space without solar cells, since it was a quick, less-than-ideal solution after the start of the Sputnik to show the American public that America's scientists could also start a satellite. The actual scheduled satellite project, Project Vanguard
, successfully put a satellite named Vanguard I in orbit around Earth on March 17, 1958.
Over the objections of the Navy
, which still thought that solar cells were not a mature technology
, this satellite had four solar cells on its outer hull, due to the persistent work of Hans Ziegler, which powered the instruments and performed their duties reliably for more than seven years. After this success, solar cells were established as the energy supply for satellites. He was also involved with the development of the first communication satellite in the world, SCORE
, which was started in 1958.
He was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award by the U.S. Department of Defense in 1963 as a " world pioneer in communications satellites and solar energy systems to power satellites". When he retired in 1977, he was decorated with the highest award of the Army for "exceptional civilian service".
Dr. Hans K. Ziegler was the author of many technical papers, a member of the IEEE, and represented the USA, in military and civilian matters, in many national and international committees. In 1958, he was a member of the US delegation to the International Geophysical Year
in Moscow
, USSR, and in 1964, he gave advice on the scientific activities in Antarctica and at the South Pole
, under the direction of the U.S. National Science Foundation
.
Hans Ziegler's wife Friederike died in 1996. He last lived in Colts Neck Township, New Jersey
and died at the age of 88 on December 11, 1999. He was survived by his daughters, Christine Griffith and Friederike Meindl, and his son, Hans.
Other sites:
Hans Ziegler
Hans K. Ziegler was a pioneer in the field of communication satellites and the use of photovoltaic solar cells as a power source for satellites. -Life:Hans Ziegler was born in Munich, Germany...
who is the subject of another article.)
Life
Hans Ziegler was born in Munich, GermanyGermany
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...
. There, he studied at the Technische Hochschule, which is today the Technische Universität München (TUM), and began his career as Wissenschaftlicher Assistant (Scientific Assistant), which corresponds to a "professor" at US universities. Following that, he was a researcher in German industry for ten years. During the Second World War, he worked for the company Rosental Selb in Bavaria on high tension porcelain.
In 1947, he came to the USA 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,...
under 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...
, by means of which the USA gained German engineers and scientists. He went to the U. S. Army Signal Corps' Laboratories in Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth was an installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about 5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The post covers nearly of land, from the Shrewsbury...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and became a U.S. citizen in 1954.
Dr. Hans K. Ziegler's work in the USA was very influential in the development of military electronics, especially in the electronics for the early phases of the U.S. space program. During the thirty years he worked as an engineer in the field of electronics and electrical engineering in the research and development department of the U.S. Army in Fort Monmouth, N.J. (from 1947 to 1976), he held the top position of Chief Scientist for 12 years. In Fort Monmouth, he worked as a Scientific Consultant, Assistant Director of Research, Director of the Astro-Electronics Division and Chief Scientist (1959). After the Army was restructured, he became Deputy for Science and Chief Scientist of the US Army Electronics Command in 1963 and Director of the US Army Electronics Technology & Devices Laboratory from 1971 until his retirement.
In May 1954, after examining the solar cells of Daryl Chapin, Calvin Fuller and Gerald Pearson at Bell Laboratories, Ziegler wrote, "Future development [of the silicon solar cell] may well render it into an important source of electrical power [as] the roofs of all our buildings in cities and towns equipped with solar [cells] would be sufficient to produce this country's entire demand for electrical power.
Referring to silicon solar cells, he said to the head of the U. S. Signal Corps, General James O'Connell, at a meeting in September 1955, "In fact, in the long run, mankind has no choice but to turn to the sun if it wants to survive."
He and his team produced a report on the prospects for application of this technique in the field of communication and they named the supply of energy for artificial satellites as the most important application. He knew that he was not the first to suggest this application. For example, the science fiction author, Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
had already made this suggestion in 1945, but without having a concrete technology for it at that time.
Ziegler participated in the development of the first planned satellites. The first satellite,
Explorer 1, still went into space without solar cells, since it was a quick, less-than-ideal solution after the start of the Sputnik to show the American public that America's scientists could also start a satellite. The actual scheduled satellite project, Project Vanguard
Project Vanguard
Project Vanguard was a program managed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory , which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit using a Vanguard rocket as the launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida....
, successfully put a satellite named Vanguard I in orbit around Earth on March 17, 1958.
Over the objections of the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, which still thought that solar cells were not a mature technology
Mature technology
A mature technology is a technology that has been in use for long enough that most of its initial faults and inherent problems have been removed or reduced by further development...
, this satellite had four solar cells on its outer hull, due to the persistent work of Hans Ziegler, which powered the instruments and performed their duties reliably for more than seven years. After this success, solar cells were established as the energy supply for satellites. He was also involved with the development of the first communication satellite in the world, SCORE
Score
Score may refer to:*Score , a 2006 album by Dream Theater*Score , a number of points achieved in a sporting event or game*Score , a 1972 sexplotaition film*Score , a pornographic magazine...
, which was started in 1958.
He was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award by the U.S. Department of Defense in 1963 as a " world pioneer in communications satellites and solar energy systems to power satellites". When he retired in 1977, he was decorated with the highest award of the Army for "exceptional civilian service".
Dr. Hans K. Ziegler was the author of many technical papers, a member of the IEEE, and represented the USA, in military and civilian matters, in many national and international committees. In 1958, he was a member of the US delegation to the International Geophysical Year
International Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, USSR, and in 1964, he gave advice on the scientific activities in Antarctica and at the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
, under the direction of the U.S. National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
.
Hans Ziegler's wife Friederike died in 1996. He last lived in Colts Neck Township, New Jersey
Colts Neck Township, New Jersey
Colts Neck is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 10,142.What is now Colts Neck Township was established by an act of the New Jersey Legislature as Atlantic Township on February 18, 1847, from portions of Freehold...
and died at the age of 88 on December 11, 1999. He was survived by his daughters, Christine Griffith and Friederike Meindl, and his son, Hans.
External links
Relevant links on Fort Monmouth history site:- PROJECT SCORE Dr. Hans K. Ziegler, writing in 1960 when he was chief scientist of US Army Signal Research and Development Laboratory, describes SCORE - 6k
- Hans Ziegler by Tex and Jinx McRary. Format: Audio Tape Reels. - 2k
- Name: Ziegler.jpg Date: November 04 2000 17:55:52. - 2k
- Biographical Information Files List
- Audio Visual List RADAR Set AN/PPS-9, Target Signatures, 1969, Audio Tape Reels. Radio Interview of Dr. Hans Ziegler by Tex and Jinx McRary, undated
Other sites:
- Short biography at IEEE
- Short quotation on the motivation of the USA in employing Ziegler
- Projects Ziegler worked on
See also
- Solar powerSolar powerSolar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
- Solar panelPhotovoltaic moduleA solar panel is a packaged, connected assembly of solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells...
- Active solarActive solarActive solar technologies are employed to convert solar energy into another more useful form of energy. This would normally be a conversion to heat or electrical energy. Inside a building this energy would be used for heating, cooling, or off-setting other energy use or costs. Active solar uses...
- Photovoltaic components, projects and howtos