Samuel Pierpont Langley

Samuel Pierpont Langley ( born August 22, 1834 in Roxbury, Massachusetts, † February 27, 1906 in Aiken, South Carolina) was an American astrophysicist and aviation pioneer. Langley invented the bolometer, among others.

Life

Langley was 1866-1887 professor of physics and astronomy at the Western University of Pennsylvania. Here he examined the infrared portion of the solar radiation in the solar spectrum.

Since 1887, he was Head ( Secretary ) of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC He founded in 1890 the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and then turned to work in the field of aerodynamics. He contributed significantly to the development of the first flying objects and constructed one of the first powered aircraft with engine power, which was unmanned and was started with the help of a catapult. The " plane " flew over the Potomac River in 1896. Also Langley himself had his assistant, Charles Matthews Manly, flying as a pilot with the aircraft. Trying on October 7, 1903 but failed miserably, his nose buried itself after a few meters into the water, the pilot was able to escape easily ( at a later trial in December 1903, he was, however, critically injured ).

Built with today's knowledge and equipped with modern machinery replicas of Langley's flying machines were flown successfully, thus demonstrating the potential of the Langleyschen constructions.

Samuel Pierpont Langley died on February 27, 1906 in Aiken, South Carolina.

He received the 1898 Jules Janssen Award. According to him, an air base of the U.S. Air Force, Langley Air Force Base, the two aircraft carrier USS Langley (CV -1) and USS Langley ( CVL -27 ) and the Langley Research Center is named, the unit Langley, with the energy of the solar radiation is indicated on the earth's surface, and the lunar crater Langley.