Hermann Ganswindt
Encyclopedia
Hermann Ganswindt was a German inventor and spaceflight
scientist
, whose inventions (such as the dirigible, the helicopter
, and the internal combustion engine
) are thought to have been ahead of his time.
He was born in Voigtshof
near Seeburg
, East Prussia
. During his youth, he showed an interest in technology. As a student he developed a freewheel
for bicycles, which he later produced in Berlin-Schöneberg. Following a suggestion by his parents he attended law school at the universities of Zurich and Leipzig. After completion of his military service he enrolled at the University of Berlin. However, he was exmatriculated for not undertaking his studies.
After 1880 he developed concepts for a space vehicle based on the principle of repulsion. His two-stage vehicle was designed to be driven by a series of dynamite
explosions. Since it was to be taken aloft by way of a carrier vehicle, he designed a helicopter
as early as 1884.
On 27 May 1891, he gave a public speech at the Berlin Philharmony in which he introduced his concept of a galactic vehicle (Weltenfahrzeug). In July 1901 the maiden flight of his helicopter took place in Berlin-Schöneberg, which probably was the first motor-driven flight carrying humans. A movie covering the event was taken by Max Skladanowsky
, but it remains lost.
In 1902, Ganswindt was accused of fraud and arrested because he had added a safety bar to his vehicle. After spending eight weeks in pre-trial custody he was released after a flight demonstration proved his innocence. Nevertheless, his business was ruined. He died in Berlin
, 1934.
Nikolai I. Kibalchich
developed a design comparable to rocket propulsion just days prior to his execution 1881. His proposal was discovered 1917 in the archives of the Russian Department of the Interior and published a year later by Nikolai A. Rynin
by «Былое» (The Past), a magazine devoted to history (see also Project Orion
and Project Daedalus
).
Ganswindt's work is considered to be ahead of his time by several decades since his contemporary fellows had been unable to recognize the impact of his ideas. During his late years he kept in touch with Austrian rocket pioneer Max Valier
as well as with German rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth
, who shared his knowledge of Robert Goddard's work with him.
In 1975, the city of Berlin
recognized his achievements by naming a bridge (Hermann-Ganswindt-Brücke) in Berlin-Schöneberg. The International Astronomical Union
(IAU) named the lunar crater Ganswindt
in his honor.
His enthusiasm towards space travel was shared by one of his sons, who worked for Wernher von Braun
's moon program.
Spaceflight
Spaceflight is the act of travelling into or through outer space. Spaceflight can occur with spacecraft which may, or may not, have humans on board. Examples of human spaceflight include the Russian Soyuz program, the U.S. Space shuttle program, as well as the ongoing International Space Station...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
, whose inventions (such as the dirigible, the helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
, and the internal combustion engine
Internal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
) are thought to have been ahead of his time.
He was born in Voigtshof
Wójtówko
Wójtówko is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Jeziorany, within Olsztyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland.Before 1772 the area was part of Kingdom of Poland, 1772-1945 Prussia and Germany .-References:...
near Seeburg
Jeziorany
Jeziorany is a town in Olsztyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,411 inhabitants ....
, East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
. During his youth, he showed an interest in technology. As a student he developed a freewheel
Freewheel
thumb|Freewheel mechanismIn mechanical or automotive engineering, a freewheel or overrunning clutch is a device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft...
for bicycles, which he later produced in Berlin-Schöneberg. Following a suggestion by his parents he attended law school at the universities of Zurich and Leipzig. After completion of his military service he enrolled at the University of Berlin. However, he was exmatriculated for not undertaking his studies.
After 1880 he developed concepts for a space vehicle based on the principle of repulsion. His two-stage vehicle was designed to be driven by a series of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
explosions. Since it was to be taken aloft by way of a carrier vehicle, he designed a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
as early as 1884.
On 27 May 1891, he gave a public speech at the Berlin Philharmony in which he introduced his concept of a galactic vehicle (Weltenfahrzeug). In July 1901 the maiden flight of his helicopter took place in Berlin-Schöneberg, which probably was the first motor-driven flight carrying humans. A movie covering the event was taken by Max Skladanowsky
Max Skladanowsky
Max Skladanowsky was a German inventor and early filmmaker. Along with his brother Emil, he invented the Bioscop, an early movie projector the Skladanowsky brothers used to display the first moving picture show to a paying audience on November 1, 1895, some two months before the public debut of...
, but it remains lost.
In 1902, Ganswindt was accused of fraud and arrested because he had added a safety bar to his vehicle. After spending eight weeks in pre-trial custody he was released after a flight demonstration proved his innocence. Nevertheless, his business was ruined. He died in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, 1934.
Nikolai I. Kibalchich
Nikolai Kibalchich
Nikolai Ivanovich Kibalchich was a Russian revolutionary, taking part in the assassination of Tsar Alexander II as the main explosive expert for Narodnaya Volya , and also a rocket pioneer...
developed a design comparable to rocket propulsion just days prior to his execution 1881. His proposal was discovered 1917 in the archives of the Russian Department of the Interior and published a year later by Nikolai A. Rynin
Nikolai Rynin
Nikolai Alekseevich Rynin was a Russian civil engineer, teacher, aerospace researcher, author, historian, and promoter of space travel....
by «Былое» (The Past), a magazine devoted to history (see also Project Orion
Project Orion
Project Orion may refer to:*Project Orion was an engineering design study of spacecraft powered by nuclear pulse propulsion...
and Project Daedalus
Project Daedalus
Project Daedalus was a study conducted between 1973 and 1978 by the British Interplanetary Society to design a plausible unmanned interstellar spacecraft. Intended mainly as a scientific probe, the design criteria specified that the spacecraft had to use current or near-future technology and had to...
).
Ganswindt's work is considered to be ahead of his time by several decades since his contemporary fellows had been unable to recognize the impact of his ideas. During his late years he kept in touch with Austrian rocket pioneer Max Valier
Max Valier
Max Valier was an Austrian rocketry pioneer. He helped found the German Verein für Raumschiffahrt that would bring together many of the minds that would later make spaceflight a reality in the 20th century.-Biography:Valier was born in Bozen , South Tyrol and in 1913 enrolled to study Physics at...
as well as with German rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth
Hermann Oberth
Hermann Julius Oberth was an Austro-Hungarian-born German physicist and engineer. He is considered one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics.- Early life :...
, who shared his knowledge of Robert Goddard's work with him.
In 1975, the city of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
recognized his achievements by naming a bridge (Hermann-Ganswindt-Brücke) in Berlin-Schöneberg. The International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
(IAU) named the lunar crater Ganswindt
Ganswindt (crater)
Ganswindt is a lunar crater that lies near the southern pole of the Moon's far side. It is attached to the southwestern exterior of the huge walled plain Schrödinger. Ganswindt partly overlies the smaller crater Idel'son to the south....
in his honor.
His enthusiasm towards space travel was shared by one of his sons, who worked for 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 moon program.
See also
- Konstantin TsiolkovskyKonstantin TsiolkovskyKonstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky was an Imperial Russian and Soviet rocket scientist and pioneer of the astronautic theory. Along with his followers the German Hermann Oberth and the American Robert H. Goddard, he is considered to be one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics...
- Hermann OberthHermann OberthHermann Julius Oberth was an Austro-Hungarian-born German physicist and engineer. He is considered one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics.- Early life :...
- Robert H. GoddardRobert H. GoddardRobert Hutchings Goddard was an American professor, physicist and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, which he successfully launched on March 16, 1926...
- Spacecraft propulsionSpacecraft propulsionSpacecraft propulsion is any method used to accelerate spacecraft and artificial satellites. There are many different methods. Each method has drawbacks and advantages, and spacecraft propulsion is an active area of research. However, most spacecraft today are propelled by forcing a gas from the...
- Pedro PauletPedro PauletPedro Paulet Mostajo was a Peruvian scientist who claimed he, in 1895, was the first person to build a liquid-fuel rocket engine and, in 1900, the first person to build a modern rocket propulsion system. Paulet is considered one of the "fathers of aeronautics"...
Literature
- H. Ganswindt: Die Lenkbarkeit des aerostatischen Luftschiffes : gemeinfaßlich mit ausführlichen Berechnungen und Zeichnungen dargestellt; Berlin : Gsellius, 1884
- H. Ganswindt: Das jüngste Gericht ; Erfindungen von Hermann Ganswindt; 2nd edition, with illustrations and expertise. Schöneberg b. Berlin: Selbstverl., 1899
External links
- The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy, and Spaceflight
- Biography with an illustrated model of his Weltenfahrzeug (German language)
- Biography published by Berliner Stadtzeitung (German language)
- Article in Berliner Zeitung (German language)
- Brief biography of Hermann Ganswindt (German language)