Аннотация: A unique rope for the Northern Seas voyages, to Spitsbergen (Grumant). Jack Northrop and his long road into the outer space. A biographical essay.
A unique rope for the Northern Seas voyages, to Spitsbergen (Grumant). Jack Northrop and his long road into the outer space. A biographical essay.
In the biography of Jack Northrop (John Knudsen "Jack" Northrop), we can find many details. He worked as a draftsman, project engineer, chief engineer. He participated in the founding of aircraft manufacturing companies. Companies have shown varying degrees of success ...
Jack Northrop (1895 - 1981) designed a significant number of aircraft models.
The "assembling point" of Jack Northrop's biography, apparently, is his addiction to the design of a flying wing.
This point deserves additional attention.
Sergei Korolev began to deal with issues of jet propulsion and cosmonautics, putting forward the idea of a rocket plane - a glider or an aircraft without a tail (flying wing), but with a rocket engine.
This idea was generally understandable (for authorities and for public) and provided support and funding from the state and related structures. However, almost immediately, in the early 30s of the 20th century, Sergei Korolev began working on the topic of ballistic missiles capable of performing space flights.
As we can assume, Sergei Korolev was greatly influenced by Friedrich Zander, his view of the prospects of astronautics and Zander's ideas.
As for Jack Northrop, in 1939 he founded the Northrop Corporation in California, which focused on the design and manufacture of various models of flying wings. In addition, after World War II, this company had designed the Northrop Snark intercontinental missile, and automatic celestial navigation systems.
The very idea of a flying wing did not meet with much support, which affected the company's prospects. Jack Northrop retired at age 57 in 1952 and virtually ended his association with the company for the next 30 years.
Meanwhile, the company continued to operate.
One of the results of the Northrop Corporation's activities was the production of the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. This model embodied certain ideas of Jack Northrop.
There are numerous cases (briefcases) associated with the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. This is the significant cost of this aircraft model, and its photogenicity, and spy stories (attempts to steal secrets), and the use of this model in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya. The plots are quite interesting, but we will not focus onto them in this essay. Among the cases (briefcases) - the history of Jack Northrop's inspection of the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit scale model. Jack Northrop allegedly wrote on a piece of paper: "Now I know why God has kept me alive for 25 years." He died 10 months later.
The company he founded continued to function.
Note that Leroy Grumman was inclined both to collective work on ideas and to multi-profile (multidisciplinary) activities. In this he partly resembles Sergei Korolev (who orginized the famous Council of Chief Designers).
The Grumman Corporation received the contract on November 7, 1962, and built 13 lunar modules; six of which successfully landed on the Moon, with one serving as a lifeboat on Apollo 13, after an explosion crippled the main Apollo spacecraft. LM-2, a test article which never flew in space, is displayed permanently in the Smithsonian Institution.
In 1994, due to difficulties that arose, Northrop Grumman was formed (through the merger of Northrop Corporation and Grumman Corporation).
According to media reports, in July 2021, the conclusion of a $ 935 million fixed price contract between the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA and the Northrop Grumman Corporation for the creation of the module for the Gateway lunar station was completed.
No one prevents us from assuming that the Vikings needed a special ropes for a sailing to the North, to Spitsbergen (Grumant). Perhaps there were skilled people in Norway who were able to make such ropes for Northern Seas travels.
As for a temporary or for a permanent residence in Spitsbergen, this in itself was an outstanding activity that required high skills in the matter of survival.
So if a master of making a ropes for the North Seas sailing joined forces with a man capable of surviving on Spitsbergen, the combined effort had created a tremendous skill potential.
[MMСCLXIII. How to become a space entrepreneur. A biographical note about Leroy Grumman. - July 12, 2021.].
July 13, 2021 07:29
Translation from Russian into English: July 13, 2021 08:42.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Уникальный трос для северных морских плаваний, к Шпицбергену. Джек Нортроп и его долгий путь в космос. Биографический очерк'.