Retrospective on a Rocket Pioneer: Robert C. Truax andAmerican Rocket Development

摘要

At age 91, Robert C. Truax has pursued his dream of building better rockets for more than three-quarters of a century. From the 1930s to the present, "Bob" Truax has proven himself an innovative thinker, designer, and builder of rocket-propulsion systems. An outspoken leader and organizer in America's pursuit of spaceflight from the early 1950s onward, he has originated and advocated concepts for significantly cheaper access to outer space. This paper, intended primarily for readers unfamiliar with the man and his work, examines Truax's place in American rocket and space history.