Arthur Schwaniger

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Arthur John "A.J." Schwaniger Jr.
Born(1933-10-10)10 October 1933
Louisville, Kentucky
Died27 August 2011(2011-08-27) (aged 77)
Louisville, Kentucky
Resting placeSaint Michael Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky
Education
  • Saint Vincent de Paul
  • Theodore Ahrens Trade High School
Alma mater
  • University of Louisville (BA)
Known for
  • free-return trajectory
Scientific career
Fields
  • Physics
  • Mathematics
Institutions
  • NASA

Arthur John "A.J." Schwaniger Jr. (October 13, 1933- August 27, 2011) was an American aerospace engineer who worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)[1]. He is best known for his work on free-return trajectory, which was used for the first Apollo missions to the Moon. In addition to his work on free-return trajectory, Schwaniger also made contributions to the development of other space flight technologies, such as the Space Shuttle[2]. He was a pioneer in the use of metric units in space flight[3], and he was one of the first NASA scientists to use computers to simulate space flight trajectories[4]. Schwaniger continued to work at NASA until he retired in 1993[5].

Biography

Life and Work

Arthur J. Schwaniger Jr. was born in the city of Louisville, Kentucky in the Germantown area of the city. He was the second of five children of Arthur John Schwaniger Sr. and Catherine Bernadine Frank.

He attended Theodore Ahrens Trade High School in Louisville, Kentucky[1] and the University of Louisville, where he earned a degree in physics. After graduating, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in the Korean War. While in the army, he worked with the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA).After his military service, Schwaniger joined the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He worked on a variety of projects related to space flight, including the development of the Saturn V rocket and the Apollo spacecraft[6][7][8][2][9][10]

In 1963, he published a technical report on free-return trajectory, which showed how a spacecraft could travel to the Moon and back without using any propulsion. This work was instrumental in the planning of the Apollo missions.

Schwaniger was a dedicated public servant. His work on free-return trajectory helped to make the Apollo missions possible.[11] He made significant contributions to the field of space flight which are still being referenced today [12].

He retired from the Marshall Space Flight Center in 1988 as a navigation, guidance and control systems aerospace engineer.[5]

After retiring, Schwaniger volunteeed to speak with school children regularly at the Louisville Museum of History and Science[13]

Death

Arthur John Schwaniger Jr. died in Louisville, Kentucky in 2011 at the age of 77, and is Buried in Saint Michael Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky[14].

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Porter, Marion (December 31, 1958). "Louisville Aims at the Moon". Courier Journal. p. 2.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Schwaniger, A. J.; Murphree, H. I. (1982-12-01). "Description of a mathematical model and computer simulation of separation of the nose cap from the solid rocket booster". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. "Was Arthur J. Schwaniger one of very few US born NASA scientists using metric units?". Space Exploration Stack Exchange. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  4. Schwaniger, Arthur J. (1963-11-08). "Lunar Flight Study Series. Volume 2- Earth - Moon Transit Study Based on Ephemeris Data and Using Best Available Computer Program. Part 2- Return Flight to Earth from Lunar Orbit". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Marshall star". original-ufdc.uflib.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  6. NASA Technical Memorandum. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 1963.
  7. Schwaniger, Arthur J. (1963-11-08). "Lunar Flight Study Series. Volume 2- Earth - Moon Transit Study Based on Ephemeris Data and Using Best Available Computer Program. Part 2- Return Flight to Earth from Lunar Orbit". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. Schwaniger, A. J. (1965-01-01). "Astrodynamics research at MSFC". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. Chassay, Roger P.; Schwaniger, Arthur J. (1986-12-01). "Low-g measurements by NASA". NTRS - NASA Technical Reports.
  10. Schwaniger, Jr., Arthur; Bailey, Wayne; Tveekrem, June (1988-01-11). "Orbiter Motion - Microgravity and pointing". American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. doi:10.2514/6.1988-13. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. Novelli, Andrea (2020-04-19). "Arthur Schwaniger, il fisico che salvò la missione Apollo 13". AstroSpace (in italiano). Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  12. "Elon Musk ressuscita a corrida espacial. Nós vamos para a Lua, galera!". Meio Bit. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  13. McCormick, Mark E. (December 30, 1992). "Down to Earth - Teaching kids suits ex-NASA Scientist". Courier Journal. p. 2.
  14. "Arthur John "Art A.J." Schwaniger Jr..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2023-08-12.

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