Howard Knoebel

High Tech Heroes discussing the gyros development: 5min and 22sec

Howard Knoebel joined the CSL (Coordinated Science Laboratory) in 1950 and took a position as a research professor at the University of Illinois in 1964. He was well known throughout his career as a person who could become an expert in anything he tried.  Over the course of his career he worked on a variety of projects including the electronic gyroscope, a navigational instrument used in aeronautical and nautical guidance systems.  Knoebel also aided in the development of the radio propagation system using sounding rockets to measure upper atmosphere electron density and collision frequency and applying fluidic devices in developing a highway vehicle system.

 

Work cited

 Youtube Video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNeMt8dXt6Y&feature=youtu.be

University of Illinois CSL

http://csl.illinois.edu/news/howard-k-knoebel-dies-csl-loses-early-control-pioneer

 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.

Gyroscope Impacts

Toy Gyroscope

 Photo1



Nuclear Submarine 

Photo 2:

The nuclear powered submarine shown in Photo 1 and the communications satellite in Photo 2 both utilize the Electrostatically Suspended Gyroscope.

Communications satellite

 The Electrostatically Suspended Gyroscope enables these modern marvels to accurately navigate both sea and space without relying on star charts.

People who contributed to the innovation of the gyroscope are Arnold Nordsieck and Howard Knoebel

Work cited:

Image source Figure 1.

Image of toy gyroscope Tedco Original Toy Gyroscope - From Gyroscope.com. Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://www.gyroscopes.co.uk/d.asp?product=TEDCO2

 Image source Figure 2.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Delta-II_class_nuclear-powered_ballistic_missle_submarine_2.jpg

Image source Figure 2.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/AEHF_1.jpg

Electrostatically Suspended Gyroscope (ESG)

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:

 http://physics.illinois.edu/history/gyroscope.asp

http://physics.illinois.edu/about/nordsieck-award.asp

http://archives.library.illinois.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=2386&q=gyroscope

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 1