Hans Ziegler
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Dr. Hans K. Ziegler was responsible for the first application of photovoltaic solar cells as a power source for satellites.
Translated excerpts of a longer German language Wikipedia article follow:
Born in Munich in 1911 or 1912, died 11 December 1999. Was a pioneer in the field of communications satellites and solar energy systems for satellites.
He studied at the Technical University in Munich and began his career as Assistant (Professor?). In World War II he worked on munitions.
In 1947 he came to the USA with Wernher von Braun under the aegis of Operation Paperclip.
He went to U. S. Army Signal Corps' Laboratories in Fort Monmouth, N. J.. He became a citizen in 1954.
He had a large influence on military electronics in the USA, in particular in the early stages of the space program[1]. Of his 30 year tenure at Fort Monmouth (1947-1976), he spent 12 years in the top position as Chief Scientist[2].
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, characterized SCORE - 6k
- 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, Audio Tape Reels
In May 1954 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.[3]
Dr. Hans Ziegler was author of many technical papers, a member of the IEEE. In 1958 he was a member of the US delegation to the International Geophysical Year in Moscow, USSR.
In 1964 he conducted scientific activities in the Antarctic and at the South Pole under the direction of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Hans Ziegler's wife Friederike died in 1996. He spent the rest of his life in Colts Neck in New Jersey, USA and died at the age of 88 on 11 December 1999. He is survived by his daughters Christine Griffith and Friederike Meindl and son Hans.
[edit] references
- ^ Perlin, John (Pub date unknown). Late 1950s - Saved by the Space Race (HTML). SOLAR EVOLUTION - The History of Solar Energy. The Rahus Institute. Retrieved on February 25, 2007.
- ^ IEEE Archival Collection
- ^ John Perlin, From Space to Earth; The Story of Solar Electricity, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1999, ISBN 0-674-01013-2
[edit] See also
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