AvLeak's all-time top 100 stars of aerospace & aviation list

32 James Van Allen

The first space scientist? He should clearly be on the list. (We can
debate the position on the list.) BRBR


Van Allen ranks in a couple of ways. Don't forget his pre-Explorer career.
After being instrumental in the development of the radar proximity fuse and
early guided missile projects, he pioneered improved instrumentation and
applications for counding rockets, most notably in inventing the "rockoon."
His Explorer instruments made the first major scientific discovery of the Space
Age, that of the Earth's radiation belts, spurring much further research and
devleopment of insturmentation. He went on to develop the first university
satellite, Injun 1, and develop instruments for other satellites and space
probes. At 88, he is still active in studying the results from planetary
probes. His influence, inclusing the generations of students he's taught,
goes far beyond what people realize when they think of him only in connection
with Explorer.

Matt Bille
)
OPINIONS IN ALL POSTS ARE SOLELY THOSE OF THE AUTHOR

Kevin Willoughby wrote:
Jack Frillman said:
[quotes re-sequenced]

What did any of them have to do with aviation?


Note the title: 100 stars of aero*SPACE* and aviation.

Oops.
Thanks for pointing out the obvious to me. :-)




20 Jules Verne
67 tie Carl Sagan
71 Gene Roddenberry
84 H.G. Wells


Each of these people has been an important influence, encouraging
others to get involved in space exploration.

Sagan maybe... but the others are debateable IMHO.




32 James Van Allen

What about all the Astronomers that proceeded him?





The first space scientist? He should clearly be on the list. (We can
debate the position on the list.)

Kevin Willoughby wrote:
Jack Frillman said:

20 Jules Verne
67 tie Carl Sagan
71 Gene Roddenberry
84 H.G. Wells

Each of these people has been an important influence, encouraging
others to get involved in space exploration.

Sagan maybe... but the others are debateable IMHO.


Roddenberry isn't debatable. Several astronauts have made clear that
Star Trek was an influence on their interest in space. The first
Shuttle was named Enterprise due to popular demand.

A cording to Apollo 11's CM pilot, the CM on that historic flight was
named Columbia, in part, due to the influence of Verne's Columbiad.

Still seems dubius too me. Then why not Kubrick?
It seems to me that the list should be for those that did something
concrete like inventing or making something or setting some kind of
flying record.

Michael Walsh said:
As far as science-fiction goes, Arthur Clarke has a valid non-fiction
reason for being on the list because of his paper on communication
satellites.

Also, he was a space/science popularizer. If Sagan deserved to be on
the list, Clarke deserved to be higher on the list for just his
popularization work.
--
Kevin Willoughby lid

We'd spend the remaining time trying to fix the engine.
-- Neil Armstrong

Well, half of the "10 Great Pilots" list from *Air & Space Smithsonian*
(Mar 2003, pg 67) made it to the AvLeak list; looks like A&S was only
talking about pilots with wind beneath their wings, though.

Here's their list, the AW position at the end:

#1 James "Jimmy" H. Doolittle (39)
#2 Noel Wien (--)
#3 Robert "Bob" Hoover (48)
#4 Charles A. Lindbergh (06)
#5 Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager (11)
#6 Scott Crossfield (--)
#7 Erich Hartmann (--)
#8 Anthony W. LaVier (--)
#9 Jean Mermoz (75)
#10 Jaqueline Auriol (--)

/dps

On Sat, 5 Jul 2003, Mike Rhino wrote:

Are any wing-walkers on the list?

Number 6, Charles A. Lindbergh.

Guess Ormer Locklear didn't make the cut.

--
"The vehicle exploded on takeoff, | Bill Higgins
but the pilot didn't notice." | Fermilab
--The 27 June 1994 DC-X rocket mishap | Internet:
explained by Alan Anderson |
)

I wonder why Alexander M. Lippisch is not on the list. :-(

His research into unusual aerodynamic configurations during the 1930's and
1940's (flying wing, swept-back wings, delta wings) made it possible for
today's high-speed flight operations.

--
Raymond Chuang
Mountain View, CA USA

Where is Sir Isaac Newton? I know orbital mechanics is only a small part
of space flight but you know...it does help to know where you are going..;

On Fri, 04 Jul 2003 14:56:15 +0000, Henry Spencer wrote:

It's good that Burt Rutan is listed, but I miss Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager
(it was they and their helpers, not Burt, who built Voyager).

Yeah, but Dick hogged the controls of the Voyager and didn't let Jeanna
fly very much.