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Date: 09 Aug 2006 11:12:30
From: Tom Hise
Subject: James Van Allen
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It was reported that James Van Allen passed away this morning in Iowa City,
IA. He was 91.
Here is a link to a newspaper article
http://www.crgazette.com/2006/08/09/Home/vanallen.htm
--
Tom Hise
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Date: 09 Aug 2006 18:25:07
From: canopus56
Subject: Re: James Van Allen
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Tom Hise wrote:
> It was reported that James Van Allen passed away this morning in Iowa City,
> IA. He was 91.
R.I.P.
Explorer 1 photo at APOD
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960210.html
- Canopus56
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Date: 09 Aug 2006 20:37:36
From: MT
Subject: Re: James Van Allen
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"Tom Hise" <nc0o@yahoo.com > wrote in message
news:12dk2bd5d5aboc9@news.supernews.com...
> It was reported that James Van Allen passed away this morning in Iowa
> City,
> IA. He was 91.
>
> Here is a link to a newspaper article
> http://www.crgazette.com/2006/08/09/Home/vanallen.htm
>
> --
> Tom Hise
>
Do ya think his belt will be going up for auction?
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Date: 09 Aug 2006 17:19:47
From: Marty
Subject: Re: James Van Allen
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>Do ya think his belt will be going up for
> auction?
:) I can remember reading about the Van Allen Radiation Belt in the
"Weekly Reader" when I was in grade school.
To some extent, the magnitude of a discovery can be measured by
where it's publicized. I figure if it makes the professional journals,
that's good. If it makes the amateur magazines, that's bigger. If it
makes popular news magazines, that's even bigger. But the "Weekly
Reader"... THAT'S hot stuff!
Marty
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Date: 10 Aug 2006 02:24:48
From: Rank Aamateur
Subject: Re: James Van Allen
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Marty wrote:
> >Do ya think his belt will be going up for
> > auction?
>
> :) I can remember reading about the Van Allen Radiation Belt in the
> "Weekly Reader" when I was in grade school.
> To some extent, the magnitude of a discovery can be measured by
> where it's publicized. I figure if it makes the professional journals,
> that's good. If it makes the amateur magazines, that's bigger. If it
> makes popular news magazines, that's even bigger. But the "Weekly
> Reader"... THAT'S hot stuff!
> Marty
The United States was a fundamentally simpler and more secure place back
then,
until Soviet technology, that is, rattled everyone's imaginations and
security with
the launching of Sputnik in '57. It caught American Governmental
beaurocracy
totally unprepared except for a few who were ready and willing: vonBraun
and
Van Allen, and the US Army's Redstone rocket. VonBraun and Van Allen had
been working diligently, waiting, simply looking for an opportunity and
permission.
I still can see (in my minds eye) those first two 'poop shots' the Navy put
up
with its over-extended Vanguard rocket. It was hilarious. Plain hilarious!
You
could almost hear Werener von Bruan laughing all the way back to
Heidelberg!
Pzurp! Fizz. Pop! And top popped off but one helluva a long way from being
in orbit. Just hilarious. Calls were made. VanAllen rushed to get ready.
"Vill idt
verk?" .... "Of course it will verk!". And vonBraun and Van Allen became
instant national heroes and derservedly so. The Russians forged ahead but
the
American Government did a quick self adjustment and ............ well, its
history.
Delicious American history.
Small town Iowa kid launches first American satellite! Small town German
kid
designs and builds the rocket! What a perfect combination to draw an end to
World War II, in the minds of a lot of people. And to add to the majesty of
it all,
this was no stunt like the Russian launch - actual science and discovery
follows the American launch and the Van Allen Radiation Belts are confirmed
and announced. The science is what Jim Van Allen had been after, in the
first place.
Iowa was still a fairly provincial and aggrarian place in 1957-58, in the
main.
James Van Allen became an instant Iowa hero. His name was on the lips of
every Iowan and it gave any small town kid with an education and a love
of science (astronomy & physics), ample opportunities to address school
classes,
civic groups, and even some small college classes on the topic of "What Van
Allen has done and what it means!". Publishing a photo of Sputnik's track
across the sky
in the DesMoines Register didnt hurt either. It brought instant
recognition, many free dinners, trips to science fairs, and several paid
educations to more than one
gifted science student in Iowa ........ all because of Jim Van Allen.
An Iowa kid could wind up going to Argonne National Laboratories for a
summer
science program and after meeting Robert Oppenheimer have Oppenheimer ask:
"How's James Van Allen?" ("I have never met him", I replied.) Oppenheimer
looked disappointed!
I dont mean to idolise James Van Allen. Dr. Van Allen would not have
approved
of that. Any more than he agreed with the premise of costly manned space
expeditions vs robotic space science - an issue he and I would never agree
on.
I told him once: " ...well, lets wait until we have colonised and are
mining the Moon with corporations and vast industry spread all over the
place with expeditions
headed to the furthest outreaches of the solar system, and see waht we
think then
about ... space economics". Dr Van Allen paused and broke into a broad grin
and
put his warm hand on my shoulder without comment. I was a student then. He
was the Professor and National Hero. We parted down the hallway then other
students came up to need his time and attention. I turned to go to a
stairwell but
glanced back at Dr. Van Allen still walking. He looked back and was still
grinning.
I knew the conversation was not over.
Former Student.
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Date: 09 Aug 2006 14:10:58
From: Davoud
Subject: Re: James Van Allen
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Tom Hise wrote:
> It was reported that James Van Allen passed away this morning in Iowa City,
> IA. He was 91.
> Here is a link to a newspaper article
> http://www.crgazette.com/2006/08/09/Home/vanallen.htm
Thanks for posting that.
R.I.P. I heard Val Allen speak quite a few years ago and I became an
instant admirer because I had already come to the same conclusion he
had: the obituary says "Van Allen was a vocal opponent of manned space
exploration, which he considered "of dubious efficacy'' and a drain on
limited federal funding for space exploration. He believed strongly
that space science is best conducted by unmanned, automated spacecraft
that can be remotely commanded from earth."
Van Allen's talk was in front of an Air Force crowd that included some
wannabee-neverwere astronauts. We were all supposed to be
unquestioningly gung-ho for manned space flight, and when he spoke in
favor of automated space exploration I said aloud "Hear! Hear!" I
immediately regretted that, fearing that I had been rude to Van Allen
by interrupting his talk. He was very accessible, however, and he
smiled at me and said "Well, that's two of us now." Speaking up as I
did simply was not done, especially for a young NCO, and if stony looks
could court-martial...
Davoud
Still opposed to manned space "exploration" for the foreseeable future.
--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com
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Date: 10 Aug 2006 01:13:27
From: Rank Aamateur
Subject: Re: James Van Allen
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and you are the MORON today you were THEN!
Davoud wrote:
> Tom Hise wrote:
>
> > It was reported that James Van Allen passed away this morning in Iowa City,
> > IA. He was 91.
>
> > Here is a link to a newspaper article
> > http://www.crgazette.com/2006/08/09/Home/vanallen.htm
>
> Thanks for posting that.
>
> R.I.P. I heard Val Allen speak quite a few years ago and I became an
> instant admirer because I had already come to the same conclusion he
> had: the obituary says "Van Allen was a vocal opponent of manned space
> exploration, which he considered "of dubious efficacy'' and a drain on
> limited federal funding for space exploration. He believed strongly
> that space science is best conducted by unmanned, automated spacecraft
> that can be remotely commanded from earth."
>
> Van Allen's talk was in front of an Air Force crowd that included some
> wannabee-neverwere astronauts. We were all supposed to be
> unquestioningly gung-ho for manned space flight, and when he spoke in
> favor of automated space exploration I said aloud "Hear! Hear!" I
> immediately regretted that, fearing that I had been rude to Van Allen
> by interrupting his talk. He was very accessible, however, and he
> smiled at me and said "Well, that's two of us now." Speaking up as I
> did simply was not done, especially for a young NCO, and if stony looks
> could court-martial...
>
> Davoud
>
> Still opposed to manned space "exploration" for the foreseeable future.
>
> --
> usenet *at* davidillig dawt com
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