THE WIND AND BEYOND: THEODORE VON KARMAN, PIONEER IN AVIATION AND PATHFINDER IN SPACE

摘要

Brilliant aerodynamicist Theodore von Karman set out to write his autobiography late in life, with the help of science journalist Lee Edson. When von Karman died in 1963 at age 81, the manuscript was only three-quarters completed. Fortunately, Ed-son persevered and the book was published four years later. Since the story is told in the first person, the reader gains a sense of intimacy with von Karman himself. Given his old-world charm, befitting a native of late-19th-century Budapest, his engaging style resonates from its opening paragraph. Inklings of von Karman's genius were apparent in childhood, when as a boy he correctly calculated six-digit multiplication problems within seconds. He went on to study at the University of Goettingen under Ludwig Prandtl, the doyen of fluid mechanics. In March 1908, after von Karman received his doctorate, he witnessed a flimsy Voisin aircraft taking off at dawn-a sight that inspired him to focus his talents in the emerging field of aviation.