Alfred J. Eggers, Jr. stands beside the Atmosphere Entry Simulator he invented in 1958 as a laboratory means of studying the problems of aerodynamic heating and thermal stresses during re-entry.

The tubular tank in the foreground held air under high pressure. When a valve was opened, the air flowed through the test section (the dark area under the high-voltage signs) into the chimney-like vacuum tank. As the airstream moved, a high-velocity gun fired a test model through the chamber in a left-to-right direction.” (More info)

June 21, 2014 | Categories: Cold War, History, Human History, Images of History, Military Aviation, North American History, Photography, Pursuit of Happiness, The Drama Of It All, The Politics of Cultural Destruction, The Space Race | Tags: 1958, aerodynamic heating, Alfred J. Eggers, Atmosphere, Atmosphere Entry Simulator, black and white photography, Historical, History, human history, Jr., laboratory, Military, Military history, NASA, Photo, Politics, Power, re-entry, Space Race, thermal stresses, USA, World History | Leave a comment