The Descriptive Finding Guide for the Herbert Schaefer Personal Collection SDASM.SC.10125

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San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives
6/2/2016
2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park
San Diego 92101


Language of Material: English
Contributing Institution: San Diego Air and Space Museum Library and Archives
Title: Herbert Schaefer Personal Collection
Identifier/Call Number: SDASM.SC.10125
Physical Description: 1 Cubic Feet Three boxes of company documents and schematics, along with scientific papers and personal documents from the early 1940s onward. two boxes 12.25x10.25x5 and one box 12x10x2.5,
Date (inclusive): 1911
Abstract: Herbert Schaefer worked at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) as an aerospace engineer. He joined NASA and finalized his divorce in 1960, working on launching satellites at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), eventually becoming Chief of the Systems, Performance, and Analysis Office for the Centaur Program.

Biographical / Historical

Herbert Schaefer was born and educated in Berlin, Germany and worked in the fields of mechanical and aeronautical engineering. In 1912, his family fled to Madrid, Spain to avoid the war; only he and his mother returned to Berlin. After receiving his degree in mechanical engineering at Beuth Schule Higher Technical College, he immigrated to the United States in 1936. From 1937 to 1941, he worked as a design engineer for the Kollsman Instrument Corporation in Brooklyn, but was laid off because he was not yet a naturalized citizen. He returned to school at N.Y.U.’s Guggenheim School of Aeronautics, where he earned both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in aerospace engineering. In 1943, he rejoined the Kollsman Instrument Corp., this time as Head of the Component Department. He officially became a U.S. citizen in 1945, and married Celia Fernandez in Madrid in 1958. In 1959, he worked at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) as an aerospace engineer. He joined NASA and finalized his divorce in 1960, working on launching satellites at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), eventually becoming Chief of the Systems, Performance, and Analysis Office for the Centaur Program. From 1963 to 1965, he became the Contracting Officer Representative for the MOLAB (Mobile Laboratory) and the Mobility Test Articles (MTA) of the mobility systems of the MOLABs. In 1969, he transferred to NASA’s Headquarters, working in the Advanced Mission program and later the IUS Office, Expendable Launch Vehicles, and Upper Stages. In 1980, he retired and moved to San Diego, where he took up Chinese and Martial Arts.

Scope and Contents

The collection contains two boxes 12.25x10.25x5 and one box 12x10x2.5, of company documents and schematics, along with scientific papers and personal documents from the early 1940s onward.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to researchers by appointment.

Related Materials

Space files

Subjects and Indexing Terms

United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Kollsman Instrument Corporation
Marshall Space Flight Center
Schaefer, Herbert

 

Box 1 of 3

 

Folder 1 - Machmeter Papers and Schematics-Kollsman Instrument Co.

Physical Description: 1. Dependence of the Mach Number Error on the Errors in the Measurement of the Pitot and Static Pressures, by Herbert Schaefer, January 31, 1952. 2. Draft of Proposal for Supersonic Machmeter 3. Supersonic Machmeter Type A27421 10 003, by Herbert Schaefer, April 28, 1956 with schematics for a dial proposal (April 30, 1956) and an outline drawing of the supersonic machmeter (May 1, 1956). 4. Supersonic Machmeter Synchrotel Transmitter B19241 00 004, by Herbert Schaefer, December 12, 1955 with photographs and Calibration Table II. 5. Inspection Specification Transonic Machmeter Type 950, by Herbert Schaefer, January 27, 1950. 6. Damped Oscillations, June 12, 1951. 7. Schematics for various machmeter components and parts from 1954-1957. 8. Graphs on Mach Number vs Altitude and table on Mach Number Scale Error from 1949. 9. Early Machmeter and Machmeter component photographs (date unknown). 10. Kollsman Process Specifications for Cleaning and Lubrication of Ball Bearings with Dow Corning DC-33 Light Consistency Silicone Grease and DC 200-20 Silicone Fluid, signed by Schaefer November 2, 1957. 11. Callibration Discrepancies of Supersonic Machmeters, USAF Type A-3 (Kollsman Type EA1241X-4-03, Serial Nos. 104 & 111), by Herbert Schaefer, March 31, 1954 with Test Procedures for the Callibration of Machmeters (includes tables and diagrams). 12. Comments on Douglas Memorandum A250-AERO-57-711 of 3 December 1957 regarding Estimated Errors in the DC-8 Machmeter and Airspeed Indicator System, by Herbert Schaefer, March 2, 1958. 13. Document on the history of the Mach Number and an explanation of the Machmeter (unknown author and date). 14. Copy of High-Speed Flight Research signed by Herbert Schaefer on December 17, 1953. 15. The Machmeter with various handwritten pencil edits (unknown author and date). 16. Various mathematic papers with handwritten equations and work from 1955-1958.
 

Folder 2 - Machmeter Photographs-Kollsman Instrument Co.

Physical Description: Folder contains 48 items, all photographs of the machmeter and its components from the Kollsman Instrument Corporation.
 

Folder 3 ¬– Mach Number Paper-Kollsman Instrument Co.

Physical Description: 1. Machmeters for High-Speed Flight Research, by Herbert Schaefer, reprinted from the Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, June 1948. 2. New York University College of Engineering Graduate Division term paper, Flight Machnumber as a Function of Stagantion Pressure at subsonic and supersonic Airspeeds, by Herbert Schaefer, May 20, 1947. 3. I.H.A.E. – Section 36 Aircraft Instruments, by Herbert Schaefer, March 18, 1949. 4. Transonic Machmeter and Shock Waves, a talk given before the Engineering Seminar of the Kollsman Instrument Division of Square D Company by Herbert Schaefer, June 26, 1946. 5. Special Airspeed Indicator, by Herbert Schaefer (signed), Febuary 6, 1950. 6. Miscellaneous handwritten papers, notes, and equations (not dated). 7. Maximum Allowable (Indicated) Airspeed Indicator: Re-computation of the Calibration Data, by Herbert Schaefer (signed), January 23, 1951. 8. The Aviquipost (Vol. III, No. 4) paper from April, 1953 with an article “An Expert Defines MACHMETER”, by Herbert Schaefer. 9. Machmeter, by Herbert Schaefer, March 16, 1953. 10. Copy of a letter to Daniel O. Dommasch (Associate Professor of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering at Princeton University) regarding airspeed indicators and Machmeters, September 22, 1953. 11. Airspeed and Mach Number Indicator, by Herbert Schaefer, September 16, 1953. 12. Airspeed, Mach Number, and Max. Allowable Airspeed Indicator, by Herbert Schaefer, September 21, 1953. 13. Dependence of the Mach Number Error on the Errors in the Measurement of the Pitot and Static Pressures, by Herbert Schaefer, January 31, 1952.
 

Folder 4 – Personal Papers and Photos-Kollsman Instrument Co.

Physical Description: 1. General discussion of the possibilities of determining various pressure parameters (with pen edits and unknown date). 2. Introduction and outline for paper investigating the effect of erroneous pressure measurements on indicators and computers (with edits in ink and unknown date). 3. Copy of Flight Analysis of the Sounding Rocket, by Frank J. Malina and A.M.O. Smith (California Institute of Technology). 4. Evaluation Guide for Negotiated Hardware Procurements for the Kollsman Intrument Co. (blank). 5. Letter regarding formation of Components Division at the Kollsman Intrument Co. with lists of members of the Components Division and Components Section, by Ted Colvin (signed), December 18, 1957. 6. Bob Gitlan’s Last Will and Testament to His Friends at Kollsman Instrument, by Bob Gitlan, August 20, 1959. 7. Floorplans and seating chart in pencil with names (unknown author and date). 8. Personal papers from the office including a picture of Barbara Nichols as “Miss Welder of 1953”, cutouts from magazines with information about the Kollsman Intrument Co., A Designer’s Mind at Work (anonymous poem), hand drawn pencil illustrations of boats, and a list of society memberships (November 16, 1949). 9. Copy of a letter of nomination for membership in Sigma XI, by Howard J. Eckweiler (signed). 10. List of books on space, jet propulsion, and rocket propulsion (unknown date). 11. Dial Vol. IV, No. 2, produced by the Kollsman Instrument Co. for October 1952. 12. Dial Vol. V, No. 4: Twenty-five fruitful years, produced by the Kollsman Instrument Co. for November 1953.
 

Folder 5 – Aircraft Design Sketch Book Lockheed Aircraft Corporation

Physical Description: Folder contains a book, Aircraft Design Sketch Book, from the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation with Herbert Schaefer’s signature.
 

Folder 6 ¬– U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command Reports

Physical Description: 1. Plan of Test for Engineer Design – Test of Mobility Test Articles, Block I of Lunar Surface Vehicle Studies (Hard-Surface Phase), by R.W. McNeil, June 1966 (Aberdeen Proving Ground). 2. Engineering Design Test of Mobility Test Articles (MTA’s) Block I Test Plan, by F.E. Northon, July 1966 (Yuma Proving Ground).
 

Folder 7 – Miscellaneous Burke Aircraft Corporation Documents

Physical Description: 1. Letter to Arthur J. Burke regarding the Burke Aircraft Corporation, the Kollsman Instrument Corp., and payment in stock. 2. Letter from Arthur J. Burke regarding stock ownership from April 11, 1945 (initialed in ink) with envelope and certificate of stock ownership. 3. Miscellaneous invoices from July, 1944 to May 30, 1945 (signed in pencil by Willy Ley and Herbert Schaefer) from the Burke Aircraft Corp., with handwritten record of work hours in ink.
 

Folder 8 – Miscellaneous Newspaper Clippings and Articles

Physical Description: 1. The Rocket in India from “Ancient Times” to the 19th Century, by Frank H. Winter, from the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Vol. 32 (1979). 2. 1928-1929 Forerunners of the Shuttle: The “Von Opel Flights”, by Frank H. Winter, from Spaceflight Vol. 21 (Febuary 2, 1979). 3. Space Journal, First Edition, 1957. 4. Nazi Rocket Base in Complete Ruin, by Jack Raymond from the New York Times, May 18, 1947. 5. Polish Engineering Review, October-December, 1945. 6. New Paths to New Planets, by R. S. Richardson, September 1947. 7. Aviation Week & Space Technology, reprinted from December 7, 1964. 8. Rocket Jottings: Moon-Men’s Mobility Needs? Marshal Plunges Into Studies, by Bob Ward from the Huntsville Times, July 11, 1965. 9. Centaur Primer: An Introduction to Hydrogen-Powered Space Flight, published by General Dynamics | Astronautics, June, 1962. 10. Illustration of lunar landscape with view of Earth (not dated). 11. Pictures of unknown object with handwritten notes. 12. The Herrmann Cam Engine, published by the Herrmann Engineering Co. and addressed to Herbert Schaefer. 13. Centaur Flops in Spectacular Blast in Flight, from the Orlando Sentinal, May 9, 1962 (author unknown). 14. Wunder des Raketenflugzeuges I: Die Rakete und ihre Meister, by Fritz Scharf, from the New Yorker Staats Zeitung und Herold, November 5, 1936. 15. Wunder des Raketenflugzeuges II: Von Postraketen und den ersten Versuchsflügen, by Fritz Scharf, from the New Yorker Staats Zeitung und Herold, November 6, 1936. 16. Wunder des Raketenflugzeuges III: Ein Fahrt mit dem Raumschiff, by Fritz Scharf from the New Yorker Staats Zeitung und Herold, November 7, 1936. 17. Our Red Neighbor, by Max Mason, from Collier’s, December 17, 1938. 18. Vergessene Kinderstube der Raumfahrt, by Klaus Müller, from Deutsche Zeitung, September 1960 (signed “Herbert” in pencil). 19. Engineers Discuss Sonic Speed Flight, from the New York Times, January 27, 1948 (unknown author). 20. Cartoon tribute to Jacqueline Kennedy. 21. Dennis the Menace cartoon, by Frank Ketcham, 1962. 22. Copy of hand drawn cartoon (unknown author and date). 23. Newspaper illustration of pigs (unknown author and date). 24. Illustration by Chas Addams from the New Yorker (unknown date). 25. Rocket Pioneer article with photographs from The New York Times Magazine (unknown author and date). 26. Kuiper Theory of the Solar System Gives New Answer to Question, “How Did it All Begin?”, by Waldemar Kaempffert (unknown date). 27. Find “Missing Link” in Rubber Making (article with unknown author and date). 28. 30th Moon is Confirmed; Three Billion Miles Off, June 21, 1949 (unknown author). 29. New Minor Planet: Palomar Astronomer’s Discovery Recalls Hunt for ‘Vulcan’, July 24, 1949 from the New York Times. 30. Great Disturbances on Jupiter Believed to Upset Old Theories, by James Stokley, 1938. 31. Thunderhead Warning Not Always Obvious, by Roy Carlton, July 12, 1948 from the Long Island Daily Press. 32. Copy of Centaur – History of a Failure, by Robert C. Toth, May 16, 1962 from The Birmingham News. 33. Jupiter Reveals More Secrets to Neighbor Earth, by Harry M. Davis, December 18, 1938 from The New York Times. 34. Jupiter Tells Earth New Secrets (unknown author and date). 35. Handwritten notes in pencil (not dated).
 

Folder 9 – French and German Orbital Flight Studies

Physical Description: 1. French paper on powertrain systems by Maurice Roy with notes and edits in pencil (unknown date). 2. Papers from the Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung (unknown date). 3. International Prize for Around the World Flight (paper in German with unknown date). 4. “Volanzan”, December 1932 (paper in Spanish with unknown date). 5. Papers on orbital research in German, January 21, 1950. 6. Raketenflug, by Rudolf Nebel, 1932. 7. Raketenflug Nr. 5, pamphlet from May, 1932. 8. Raketenflug Nr. 6, pamphlet from September, 1932. 9. Raketenflug Nr. 7, pamphlet from December, 1932. 10. Raketenflug Nr. 8, pamphlet from April, 1933. 11. Das Neue Fahrzeug Nr. 1, pamphlet from February 28, 1933. 12. Das Neue Fahrzeug Nr. 2, pamphlet from April 30, 1934. 13. Das Neue Fahrzeug Nr. 6, pamphlet from December 30, 1934. 14. Das Neue Fahrzeug Nr. 1, pamphlet from February 15, 1936. 15. Weltraum Fahrt, magazine cover (not dated). 16. “Forschungsreihe” paper in German (not dated). 17. “Sonderangebote” paper in German (not dated). 18. “Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung” paper in German (unknown date). 19. Gelöste und ungelöste: Probleme der Weltraumfahrt, by E.C. Frohloff, 1949. 20. “Aus Privatarchiven wird zum Verkauf angeboten” paper in German (not dated). 21. “Mitteilungen” paper in German, November, 1951. 22. “Gesellschaft Für Weltraumforschung e.V. Stuttgart: Sekretariat Stuttgat-Zuffenhausen, Reisstr. 16” paper in German (unknown date). 23. “Keein erfundener Zukunftsroman, sondern die wahre Geschichte der Rakete!” paper in German (not dated). 24. “Jahresbericht der Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschun e.V. Stuttgart” paper in German, 1949. 25. “Gesellschaft für Weltraumforschung e.V. Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Reisstr. 16: Mitteilungen” paper in German, 1950. 26. Gellschaft Für Weltraumforschung e.V. Stuttgart: Bücherei” paper in German (not dated). 27. “Informationsdienst: Gesellschaft Für Weltraumforschung e.V. Kto. Nr. 37980 PSA. Stuttgart” paper in German, March, 1949. 28. “Informationsdienst: Gesellschaft Für Weltraumforschung e.V. Kto. Nr. 37980 PSA. Stuttgart” paper in German, April, 1949. 29. “Informationsdienst: Gesellschaft Für Weltraumforschung e.V. Kto. Nr. 37980 PSA. Stuttgart, May, 1949. 30. “Informationsdienst: Gesellschaft Für Weltraumforschung e.V. Kto. Nr. 37980 PSA. Stuttgart, June, 1949. 31. Weltraumflug: Physikalische und Astronomische Grundlagen Eine Studie zur Himmelsmechanik, by Prof. Dr. Werner Schaub. 32. Beiträge zur Weltraumforschung und Weltraumfahrt, October, 1949 to December, 1949. 33. Les Fusées Volantes Météorologiques, by Willy Ley and Herbert Schaefer, October, 1936.
 

Folder 10 – Miscellaneous Personal Papers

Physical Description: 1. A Short Story of My Life, by Herbert Schaefer (typed). 2. Copy of handwritten A Short Story of My Life, by Herbert Schaefer with handwritten letter to a friend. 3. Two certificates of appreciation from the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for serving as a juror, January, 1976. 4. Unknown play with a song with handwritten notes in pencil. 5. ALT Award certificate presented to Herbert Schaefer (not dated).
 

Box 2 of 3

 

Folder 1 – Notebook on Centaur F-1 Launch

Physical Description: Folder contains a notebook with information on the Centaur F-1 Launch, addressed to H. Hueter from R. H. Campbell with papers from April 2, 1962 to April 4, 1962.
 

Folder 2 – Miscellaneous Scientific Papers

Physical Description: 1. Picture of a rocket from General Dynamics Astronautics. 2. Illustrated centaur with NASA logo. 3. Various tables for the calculations of different variables in English and German (handwritten, typed, and copied). 4. The Thermodynamics of Air at High Velocities, by Research Laboratory Department from the General Electric Company, February 2, 1944. 5. Thrust and Drag Terminology for Flight Testing, by W. J. Hesse, presented at the Instrument Society of America Second National Flight Test Instrumentation Symposium, May 9, 1956. 6. Subsonic and Supersonic Flow About Slender Bodies by E.V. Laitone, a paper to be presented at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, January 28-30, 1947. 7. Subsonic and Supersonic Flow About Slender Bodies, by E. V. Laitone (not dated).
 

Folder 3 – Miscellaneous Papers on Rockets and Jet Propulsion

Physical Description: 1. Rocket Test Reports at W.I.T. to E. L. Reilly from Willy Ley, December 12, 1945. 2. Letter to Samuel Scrivener from Willy Ley, December 29, 1945. 3. Instrumentation of Guided Missiles: Applications and Limitations, by Lester G. Zukerman, July 1947. 4. Copy of Improving Upon V-2, by Willy Ley (not dated). 5. Untitled papers on rockets and rocket motors (not dated). 6. Meteorological Rockets at W.I.T. to Reilly, October 26, 1945. 7. Two pamphlets on jet propulsion by Thomas N. Dalton with a letter to Dalton by Schaefer, 1944-1945. 8. General Theory of Reaction Propulsion, by Zygmunt Fonberg, 1945 (unknown name in ink). 9. Selected Bibliography on Rockets and Jet Propulsion from the Northwestern University Library, November, 1945. 10. Reprint of Flight Beyond the Earth’s Atmosphere, by Francis H. Clauser from Johns Hopkins University and presented at a meeting of the Detroit Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers, November 21, 1947. 11. Reprint of Results of V-2 Rocket Tests, by Lt. Col. W. L. Clay presented at a meeting of the Detroit Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers October 20, 1947. 12. Atoms, Rockets, and the Moon, by Dinsmore Alter, Ph.D., Sc.D., 1947.
 

Folder 4 – Notes on Aerodynamics of Compressible Fluids – M.I.T.

Physical Description: Folder contains Notes on Aerodynamics of Compressible Fluids, by Professor H. S. Tsien assisted by L. M. Mack (approximately 191 pages, not dated).
 

Folder 5 – Publications of M.I.T. Rocket Research Society

Physical Description: Folder contains a booklet of memos and papers from the M.I.T. Rocket Research society ranging from 1941 to 1944.
 

Folder 6 – Papers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory – C.I.T.

Physical Description: Folder contains Research and Development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Galcit, by the California Institute of Technology, released June 22, 1946 (signed by Schaefer in pencil).
 

Folder 7 – Papers and Essays – California Institute of Technology

Physical Description: 1. Condensation Phenomena in Supersonic Nozzles, by K. L. Oswatitsch and translated by M. Flint, February, 1942 (reprint). 2. Condensation in Shock Waves in Supersonic Wind Tunnel Nozzles, by R. Herman and translated by M. Flint (reprint and not dated). 3. General Considerations on the Flow of Compressible Fluids, by L. Prandtl and translated by M. Flint from the proceedings of the Volta High Speed Conference, Rome, 1935 (reprint).
 

Folder 8 – Scientific Papers from Various Societies

Physical Description: 1. Letter to Schaefer from R. L. Farnsworth of the United States Rocket Society regarding membership, May 30, 1944 (signed in ink). 2. Pamphlet on the Pacific Rocket Society (not dated). 3. Letter from R. L. Farnsworth regarding a new publication on rockets, December 22, 1944 (signed in ink). 4. Pacific Rocket Society Bulletin, Volume 4, Number 1, January 8, 1951. 5. Letter to the Glendale Rocket Society regarding a publication, from Herbert Schaefer, June 30, 1945 (signed). 6. Letter to Herbert Schaefer from Edward C. Doyle of the M.I.T. Rocket Research Society regarding a publication, September 23, 1944 (signed). 7. Letter to the M.I.T. Rocket Research Society regarding publications, from Herbert Schaefer, December 13, 1944 (signed). 8. Letter to Herbert Schaefer from Cleveland Rocket Society with an application for membership from Ernst Loebell, May 2, 1934 (signed). 9. The Military Engineer, Volume XXXV, No. 217, November, 1943. 10. The Military Engineer, Volume XXXVI, No. 225, July, 1944. 11. Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, Volume 15, Number 6, published by the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, Inc., June, 1948 and a discussion list from the Kollsman Instrument Corporation, November 9, 1959. 12. Testing of Lunar Surface Vehicles under Simulated Lunar Gravity Conditions, by Herbert Schaefer for the Society of Automotive Engineers at the Automotive Engineering Congress, January 10-14, 1966. 13. Apollo Logistic Support Systems, by Herbert Schaefer and Leonard Yarbrough for the American Astronautical Society, May 4-7, 1964 (reprint).
 

Folder 9 – Miscellaneous Papers from the Office

Physical Description: 1. Altitude Pressure Temperature Tables from the Guardite Company. 2. U.S. Department of Commerce General Physical Constants card, issued March, 1971. 3. Cowboy’s Saturday Night postcard (not dated). 4. Holiday Inn Space Center postcard (not dated). 5. Congratulations card with signatures in pen. 6. Copy of comic about New York and a Concord with a routing slip attached (signed). 7. Memorandum on Studies of Orbiter-Payload Safety Interface Requirements and of Nondestructive Testing by G. A. Eriksen with a routing slip attached, November 2, 1972. 8. Launch Constraints by Harold Zweigbaum, February 1969. 9. If I Were God, copy of a poem with unknown author (not dated). 10. Cool Chicks Think Metric! picture (not dated). 11. Drink Metric! picture (not dated). 12. Comic about a St. Bernard in space (not dated). 13. UN Space Treaty Ready for Signatures, September 21, 1979. 14. Anybody Got a Metric Bottle Opener? picture (not dated). 15. Poster regarding Herbert Schaefer’s retirement on February 20, 1980. 16. Manned Space Flight Safety Planning list on transparent plastic (not dated). 17. Newspaper clipping from the Marshall Star, Volume 4, No. 37, with articles about space flight and the MOLAB, June 10, 1964.
 

Box 3 of 3

Physical Description: Box contains a Kollsman Instrument Corporation catalogue from 1954, signed by Herbert Schaefer.