Richard V. Rhode was an early aeronautical engineer at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory

Langley Research Center

Langley Research Center is the oldest of NASA's field centers, located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It directly borders Poquoson, Virginia and Langley Air Force Base...

, who researched aerodynamic loading. He was awarded the Wright Brothers Medal

Wright Brothers Medal

Conceived of in 1924 by the Dayton Section of the SAE, the SAE established Wright Brothers Medal in 1927 to recognize individuals who have made notable contributions in the engineering design, development, or operation of air and space vehicles...

 in 1937 for this work. He continued doing secret aerodynamics-related research work during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the results of which were later declassified

Declassification

Declassification is the process of documents that formerly were classified as secret ceasing to be so restricted, often under the principle of freedom of information. Procedures for declassification vary by country...

.

Early life and education

Rhode was born on 2 March 1904 in Wisconsin. He received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1925.

Career

After gradation he joined the NACA as an aeronautical engineer at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory. In 1945 he became chief of the aircraft loads division. In 1949 he transferred to the NACA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and became assistant director for research (aircraft construction and operating problems). When NASA came into existence in 1958, he became assistant director for advanced design criteria in the space vehicle technology division. There, he was responsible for advanced technology supporting the development of space vehicles.

Legacy

He retired in early 1967 and was awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. He died on 13 November 1994 in North Carolina.

External links

• Research Papers from the NASA
  NASA
  The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
  
  Technical Reports Server