The
Electrostatically Suspended Gyroscope was developed at the University of
Illinois Urbana Champaign by physicists Arnold Nordsieck and Howard Knoebel in
1957. The gyroscope was developed out of the need for a gyroscope that would
enable nuclear submarines to remain submerged for periods of 30 days at a time
without requiring recalibration. Professor Nordsieck proposed the development
of a gyroscope constructed with two axis that utilized two spherical metal
rotors constructed from beryllium that would be supported by an electromagnetic
field inside a vacuum chamber. The first device was completed in 1962, like
many prototypes it was crude and prone to malfunctions. By 1963, the team of
scientists had perfected their “star in a bottle”.
Work cited:
Kingery,
Alan, Rudy D. Berg, and E. H. Schillinger. Men and Ideas in
Engineering; Twelve Histories from Illinois. Urbana: Published for the
College of Engineering, U of Illinois, by the U of Illinois, 1967. Print. Image
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