3.4 Early Astronautical Societies and Historical Merits
131
popularity, and with the new members joining, the membership’s profession formation had also been changed significantly. At the time, there had been some scientists
and engineers joining the AIS, such as young engineers Alfred Africano, Hugh
Franklin Pierce, John Shesta and Lovell Lawrence. In addition, Goddard also agreed
to join the AIS, but he few took part in the activities of the AIS.
In 1932, Pendray replaced Lasser as the second president of the AIS, and both
he and Pierce took charge of the design of the first rocket, AIS-1. They attempted to
copy the small rocket of the VfR, including the structure shape, layout and propellant.
The AIS-1
s motor was expected to produce 27 kgf thrust for 20−30 s. In November
of the same year, they were preparing for the test of the AIS-1 rocket at an empty
farm field near Stockton, New Jersey. Unfortunately, the rocket slipped while being
mounted, and fell to the ground; it was twisted out of alignment, ending its short
career. After a half year, the AIS-2 rocket, built of salvaged parts from the AIS-1,
was allowed to launch from the Marine Park on Staten Island. The rocket roared
76 m into the air, where the oxygen tank burst, and then fell into the Lower New
York Bay.
In April 1934, in order to highlight the substantial research on liquid rocket technology, the AIS was renamed the American Rocket Society (ARS), when most of
the original science fiction crews had left, to be replaced by a group of scientists
and engineers. Meanwhile, on the basis of improving the design of the AIS-2 rocket,
both Pendray and Shesta had led two teams respectively to develop ARS-3 and ARS4 rockets, of which the ARS-4 rocket had made significant improvements, whose
length had been increased to 2.1 m, and a single combustion chamber with four canted
nozzles designed. In September of the same year, ARS-4 rocket was launched from
Staten Island, reached 130-m altitude and crashed into the New York Bay 407-m
downrange, which achieved a good flight test result. Afterward, the ARS decided to
stop the development of following-on series rockets and gave a priority to the development of high-thrust engine and test-bed, of which Shesta was responsible for the
test-bed and his assistant was a student named James Wyld who just graduated from
Princeton University. Moreover, other members of the ARS also carried out extensive
researches on rocket’s motion theory, structural design, cooling and application. In
1936, the ARS and its member Alfred Africano were awarded the REP-Hirsch Prize
by the French Astronomical Society in recognition of their pioneering tests with
liquid-fueled rockets. In 1938, the 23-year-old rocket expert James Wyld designed
a new type of liquid rocket with a gyro stabilizing device, a parachute and a control
system. Particularly, its engine was a regeneratively cooled motor, using a new type
of propellant, which could produce a thrust of 41 kgf.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, the U.S. government increasingly
focused studies on rocket technology. The ARS was mostly an East Coast Group,
while new rocket centers were emerging in the West. At first, it had never been considered to create an independent professional rocket society on the West Coast, but this
idea was finally abandoned due to some rocket enthusiasts from the West Coast
joining the ARS. The ARS’s periodical publication, Astronautics, played an important role in information exchange among rocket enthusiasts. Several young members,
including Wyld, Pierce, Shesta and Lawrence, had contributed many refinements to
131
popularity, and with the new members joining, the membership’s profession formation had also been changed significantly. At the time, there had been some scientists
and engineers joining the AIS, such as young engineers Alfred Africano, Hugh
Franklin Pierce, John Shesta and Lovell Lawrence. In addition, Goddard also agreed
to join the AIS, but he few took part in the activities of the AIS.
In 1932, Pendray replaced Lasser as the second president of the AIS, and both
he and Pierce took charge of the design of the first rocket, AIS-1. They attempted to
copy the small rocket of the VfR, including the structure shape, layout and propellant.
The AIS-1
s motor was expected to produce 27 kgf thrust for 20−30 s. In November
of the same year, they were preparing for the test of the AIS-1 rocket at an empty
farm field near Stockton, New Jersey. Unfortunately, the rocket slipped while being
mounted, and fell to the ground; it was twisted out of alignment, ending its short
career. After a half year, the AIS-2 rocket, built of salvaged parts from the AIS-1,
was allowed to launch from the Marine Park on Staten Island. The rocket roared
76 m into the air, where the oxygen tank burst, and then fell into the Lower New
York Bay.
In April 1934, in order to highlight the substantial research on liquid rocket technology, the AIS was renamed the American Rocket Society (ARS), when most of
the original science fiction crews had left, to be replaced by a group of scientists
and engineers. Meanwhile, on the basis of improving the design of the AIS-2 rocket,
both Pendray and Shesta had led two teams respectively to develop ARS-3 and ARS4 rockets, of which the ARS-4 rocket had made significant improvements, whose
length had been increased to 2.1 m, and a single combustion chamber with four canted
nozzles designed. In September of the same year, ARS-4 rocket was launched from
Staten Island, reached 130-m altitude and crashed into the New York Bay 407-m
downrange, which achieved a good flight test result. Afterward, the ARS decided to
stop the development of following-on series rockets and gave a priority to the development of high-thrust engine and test-bed, of which Shesta was responsible for the
test-bed and his assistant was a student named James Wyld who just graduated from
Princeton University. Moreover, other members of the ARS also carried out extensive
researches on rocket’s motion theory, structural design, cooling and application. In
1936, the ARS and its member Alfred Africano were awarded the REP-Hirsch Prize
by the French Astronomical Society in recognition of their pioneering tests with
liquid-fueled rockets. In 1938, the 23-year-old rocket expert James Wyld designed
a new type of liquid rocket with a gyro stabilizing device, a parachute and a control
system. Particularly, its engine was a regeneratively cooled motor, using a new type
of propellant, which could produce a thrust of 41 kgf.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, the U.S. government increasingly
focused studies on rocket technology. The ARS was mostly an East Coast Group,
while new rocket centers were emerging in the West. At first, it had never been considered to create an independent professional rocket society on the West Coast, but this
idea was finally abandoned due to some rocket enthusiasts from the West Coast
joining the ARS. The ARS’s periodical publication, Astronautics, played an important role in information exchange among rocket enthusiasts. Several young members,
including Wyld, Pierce, Shesta and Lawrence, had contributed many refinements to