 |
Mike Gruntman
ISBN-10:
1-4196-7085-5
84 pages with 24 photos
|
&
|
|
Mike Gruntman
ISBN-10:
1-4196-7085-5
84 pages with 24 photos
|
Books on history of rocketry and space
Space: From Firecrackers to Interstellar Flight (webcast)
Mike Gruntman
From Astronautics to Cosmonautics, 2007
Chapter 1. Astronautics Was the First
Chapter 2. Dreams about Space and Communism
Chapter 3. REP-Hirsch Encouragement Award
Chapter 5. Socialism Bites Back
Chapter 6. In the Spotlight - this web site
Chapter 6. In the Spotlight
(text boxes are shown with the gray background)
In a twist of fate, a spotlight of international attention focused on Ary Sternfeld in the late 1950s. In 1955, Sternfeld published a 56-page book “Interplanetary Travel,” with the second edition in 1956 (Shternfel’d 1955b). In 1956, he wrote another book, “Artificial Satellites of the Earth” (Shternfel’d 1956).
The Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite Sputnik on 4 October 1957. This feat of science and technology became a potent weapon in a sharp ideological confrontation of the Cold War. The Soviet launch did not come as a surprise to people in the know. A number of open publications in the USSR and pronouncements of Soviet officials unmistakably pointed at the forthcoming launch. The U.S. government was aware of the Soviet advances and intentions. The American intelligence accurately predicted the event (Gruntman 2004; Dulles 2006). At the same time, many infallible media personalities and politicians conveniently chose to remain uninformed. In the time-honored tradition they used the opportunity to pin the blame on their political opponents.
The administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower clearly underestimated the consequences of the first space launch. Sputnik had shocked the general public in the United States and elsewhere. Many journalists, who did not know much about this specialized subject, tried to explain artificial satellites to their readers. People demanded information about the satellites and spaceflight. Because of the secrecy permeating the Soviet society, very little had been ever published on ballistic missiles and space technology outside internal classified reports. In addition, journalists rarely looked at those very few open scientific publications which were often too difficult for nonspecialists. For example, a leading Soviet physics journal Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk (Successes of Physical Sciences) published a special issue in September 1957 devoted to physics of spaceflight (Uspekhi 1957). This journal would be cover-to-cover translated (as Soviet Physics — Uspekhi) into English beginning from 1958.
Suddenly, Sternfeld’s high-quality popular books propelled him into a spotlight. His publications explained the basics of rocketry and spaceflight, orbital properties, satellite visibility from the ground, communications with satellites, and conditions in space such as vacuum and weightlessness. Moreover, these publications originated from the country that had been the first to launch an artificial satellite.
Fig. 6.1. Covers of Sternfeld’s books “Iskusstvennye Sputniki Zemli” (“Artificial Satellites of the Earth”), 1956 (75,000 copies) and “Ot Iskusstvennykh Sputnikov k Mezhplanetnym Poletam” (“From Artificial Satellites to Interplanetary Travel”), 1957 (100,000 copies). Figures and photographs are not shown here. Please see the print version of the book.
Fig. 6.2. Ary Sternfeld in his home office in Moscow in late 1960s. Sternfeld was loosing his hearing abilities since early 1950s and he had to wear a hearing aid device (seen in the photo). Photo courtesy of Maya A. Shternfel’d and Polytechnic Museum. Figures and photographs are not shown here. Please see the print version of the book.
Sternfeld’s books gained enormous popularity immediately after the launch of Sputnik. His “From Artificial Satellites to Interplanetary Travel” appeared in December 1957 (Shternfel’d 1957) with 100,000 copies printed. In total, almost 600 thousand copies of his books were sold in the Soviet Union from 1949 to 1959. They were translated into nine other languages spoken in the USSR (Prishchepa and Dronova 1987, 8). Sternfeld quickly prepared the second, expanded edition of his book “Artificial satellites” which appeared (75,000 copies) in 1958 (Shternfel’d 1958a). Only in 1957–1958 was this book published in translation in 18 foreign countries: Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Japan, Iceland, India, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Rumania, United States, and Yugoslavia (Prishchepa and Dronova 1987, 99). Sternfeld’s “From Artificial Satellites to Interplanetary Travel” (Shternfel’d 1957) appeared in translation in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Norway, People’s Republic of China, Rumania, United States, and Yugoslavia (Prishchepa and Dronova 1987, 99).
In total, 39 countries published Sternfeld’s books 85 times and in 36 languages (Prishchepa and Dronova 1987, 8). The United States government quickly translated Sternfeld’s “Artificial Satellites” after the Sputnik launch to make it available to scientists and engineers (Shternfel’d 1958c; Shternfeld 1959). Translated compilations of Soviet writings on spaceflight also prominently included his publications (Shternfel’d 1958b).
Controversial Prize
The French Astronautical Society established the Galabert Prize in 1958. A long time spaceflight enthusiast and the organizer of the first International Astronautical Congress Alexandre Ananoff was indignant that the Society had endorsed the prize, financially small and provided by the donor who was a retailer in machine tools (Ananoff 1978, 186). In 1963 the Society awarded the Galabert Prize to Soviet cosmonaut Yurii Gagarin; Alla G. Masevich of the Astronomical Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences; Ary Sternfeld; American astronaut John Glenn; and French rocketeer Jean Jacques Barré.
Ananoff was so upset that the Soviet government had accepted this prize for Gagarin that he left the French Astronautical Society and detached himself from astronautics entirely. He wrote in the letter (dated 30 September 1963) to the President of the Society (1960–1962) and President of the International Astronautical Federation (1963–1964) Edmond A. Brun,
the incredibility of the details of bestowing the prize, called “the Galabert [Prize],” and accompanying hyped-up publicity of the promotional and personal character, being incompatible with the dignity and seriousness of the astronautical science, and not desiring to see my name associated with the state of things that I do not approve, I would be infinitely grateful, Mister President, if you erase my name from the list of honorary members of the French Astronautical Society, of which, by the way, I was one of the founders.
Ananoff 1978, 188
People in foreign countries often connected the well-known name of Ary Sternfeld with the space successes of the USSR. In reality, he remained confined to his home office. The Soviet state never permitted him to contribute to the research and development programs. At that time, the true leaders of the Soviet rocket and space establishment remained behind the curtain of secrecy (Gruntman 2004).
Sternfeld’s writings on spaceflight brought him world recognition. First, his University of Nancy bestowed on Sternfeld a honoris causa doctor degree in 1961. The Soviet government did not allow him to go to France to receive it. Then in 1963, the French Astronautical Society awarded Ary Sternfeld the Galabert Prize. Among other awardees of that year were cosmonaut Yurii Gagarin and astronaut John Glenn. Again, Sternfeld stayed in Moscow, not permitted to travel to the 14th International Astronautical Congress in Paris to receive the prize. Finally in 1965, the USSR Academy of Sciences awarded him a honoris causa degree of doctor of technical sciences (Prishchepa and Dronova 1987, 108–109).
Despite his international fame, life was never easy for Ary Sternfeld. His real personal story began to emerge only with the gradual opening of the Soviet society after the collapse of the communist regime in 1990s. As Vladimir Prishchepa, the author of the first book about Sternfeld (Prishchepa and Dronova 1987), explained it later,
It would be a mistake to think that Shternfel’d accumulated a fortune from royalties from his books. The Soviet Union did not participate in the international copyright agreements. Many years the living conditions [apartment] of Shternfel’d were difficult and not conducive to creative work. In order to work on [problems of] cosmonautics, he had to accept material assistance from his sister living in Poland. Everyday hardships and difficulties have not, however, broken the spirit of the scientist and have not wrecked his personality (Prishchepa 2005, 128).
Almost everything seemed to be stacked against Ary Sternfeld in the Soviet Union.
… It was difficult … to include his [Sternfeld] name in the last edition of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. The scientist did not [formally] qualify [for inclusion] because he had not reached the rank of the member of the Academy of Sciences [of the USSR]. Then the editor of this publication [encyclopedia] German Nazarov obtained signatures [under the petition] of five academicians representing the field of space technology and presented them to Nobel Prize winner [academician Aleksandr M.] Prokhorov, the chief editor [of the encyclopedia]. Prokhorov ordered to include the name of Shternfel’d [in the encyclopedia] without [required] endorsement of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences ... (Prishchepa 2005, 128)
Valentin P. Glushko seemed to be the only leader in the Soviet rocket and space establishment who supported Sternfeld. At least, he publicly recognized his contributions. Glushko first met Ary Sternfeld in RNII in 1930s. Later, Glushko headed the leading liquid-propellant engine design bureau Energomash in Khimki near Moscow (Gruntman 2004). It was Glushko who took part and congratulated Sternfeld at the celebration meeting on the occasion of his 60th anniversary, delivering him a special official greeting from the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences Mstislav V. Keldysh.
Fig. 6.3. Soviet space pioneer and leading rocket engine designer Valentin P. Glushko (right) congratulates Ary Sternfeld with his 60th birthday at the special celebration meeting at the Institute of History of Natural Sciences and Technology of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow, May 1965. Photos courtesy of Energomash, Khimki.Figures and photographs are not shown here. Please see the print version of the book.
The first biographical book about Ary Sternfeld, titled “Ary Shternfel’d: A Pioneer of Cosmonautics,” appeared in 1987 (Prishchepa and Dronova 1987). Publishing the book was also not an easy undertaking. It took a letter campaign by prominent Soviet rocketeers to include this book in the plans of the publishing house Nauka of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Even adding a subtitle, “A Pioneer of Cosmonautics,” to the book title required another letter campaign (Prishchepa 2005, 128).
Fig. 6.4. Tombstone at the Novodevichiye Cemetery in Moscow. The inscription reads “Ari Shternfel’d, a Pioneer of Cosmonautics.” One can see the engraved trajectory — Sternfeld transfer — to reach a point near the central body. Photo courtesy of Mike Gruntman. Figures and photographs are not shown here. Please see the print version of the book.
Ary J. Sternfeld passed away in Moscow in 1980. The hostility and indifference of Soviet authorities to the scientist who introduced the words “kosmonavtika” and “kosmonavt” into the Russian language continued after his death. Here again, Valentin P. Glushko paid tribute and extended his powerful helping hand,
Academician Glushko ordered to provide funds for the [funeral] wreath from our [Energomash] ... design bureau and participated in the … [funeral] procession as part of the [design bureau’s] delegation at the … cemetery. Official [Soviet] science [establishment] and the authorities did not react to the death of a pioneer of cosmonautics… [Presidium of the Academy of Sciences] did not provide funds to put a [common in the USSR] memorial plaque on the house where Shternfel’d lived. His relatives paid for it. But now the Moscow [municipal] authorities held its installation. It was again necessary to collect the signatures [under the petition] and appeal to the wife of M.S. Gorbachev, the patron of culture [in the USSR, in order to install the plaque]. (Prishchepa 2005, 128)
Sternfeld’s tombstone at the Soviet necropolis, Novodevichiye Cemetery in Moscow, shows the engraved trajectory — Sternfeld transfer — to reach a point near the central body and the inscription “Ari Shternfel’d, a Pioneer of Cosmonautics.”
Privacy policy. Copyright © 2007–2010 All rights reserved.
Amazon.com