The scientist describes what is; the engineer creates what
never was.--Theodore von Kármán
Theodore von Kármán (May 11, 1881, Budapest, Hungary - May
6, 1963, Aachen, West Germany) was a Hungarian born
researcher/engineer specialized in fluid mechanics, aeronautics and
astronautics. His laboratory at CalTech formed the basis for NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Von Kármán's showed his talents for mathematics at a very
young age. His father Maurice von Kármán, a professor at the
University of Budapest and a commissioner for the Ministry of
Education feared that his son would become too obsessed with
mathematics, and urged him to take on engineering.
In 1902, von Kármán completed his undergraduate studies at the
Royal Polytechnic University in Budapest. At this institute, he
served on the faculty from 1903 until 1906 while doing outside
consulting work. After this period, von Kármán moved to
Göttingen, Germany to work for the famous physicist Ludwig
Prandtl, and to receive his doctorate. His principal work was on the
flow of fluids around objects, and in particular the analysis of the
double row of vortices behind bodies (the so called Karman
Vortex Shedding). Von Kármán later used this research to
analyze the failure of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940.
From 1912 until 1930, von Kármán was the director of the
Aeronautical Institute in Aachen, Germany. His tenure was halted
by World War I. Von Kármán was called to work for a military
aircraft factory in Fischamend-Austria. This work would result in
the development of a prototype helicopter; the first helicopter to
maintain hovering flight.
The threat of World War II, and the rise of Nazism urged von
Kármán to move to the United States. He accepted a position at
the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory of the California Institute of
Technology. While at CalTech, von Kármán would become a
leading scientist in many disciplines including Fluid mechanics,
Engineering mathematics, turbulence, supersonic flight, wind
erosion, and aircraft design.
Von Kármán was also a pioneer in the research of rocket
propulsion (mid 1930's). This work lead to the introduction of solid
rocket booster engines for aircraft carrier planes (JATO), and
missiles. In 1944, von Kármán co-founded the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory at CalTech. This laboratory has played a key role
in the development of long range missile systems, and space-exploration
research.