History Teaching, Vol. 33 No. 1, 2022.
Professional paper
SPACE "THE LAST FRONTIER" - THE CHALLENGES OF SPACE TRAVEL WITH HERMANN POTOČNIK
Dijana Muškardin
; Mate Blažina High School Labin
Abstract
The progress of technology is related to the development of science, and new discoveries, inventions and their application enabled humans to travel and communicate not only above the Earth but also through the Solar system. Space flights were made possible by the rapid development of rocket technology and astronautics. The first drawing of the space station was made and published by an expert in rocket technology, still partially known here, Herman Potočnik Noordung (December 22, 1892, Pula - August 27, 1929, Vienna). He was the captain in the engineering units of the Austro-Hungarian Army, a visionary and an inventor who published his ideas in the book "The Problem of Space Travel – The Rocket Motor". With his designs for a rocket engine and a wheel-shaped space station, he laid the foundations for the further development of science. He is also considered one of the founders of modern astronautics as he was the first who described the geostationary orbit. In his work, he explains why and how the space station will be used for scientific research purposes by conducting experiments in space, but he also expresses fear of using it for military purposes. Based on Potočnik's sketch of the space station "Wohnrad" (wheel station), numerous world scientists were inspired and numerous inventions were created. His ideas can also be found in the popularization of science in the cult film 2001: A Space Odyssey, where the space station was built according to his designs. The aim of this workshop is to assess the ways in which Herman Potočnik's inventions inspired scientists in the development of astronautics and thus changed the everyday life of people in the 20th and the 21st centuries. Space exploration has so far contributed the most to the development of information technologies, primarily by enabling telecommunications via space satellites. By analysing the existing sources, students will assess his influence on the development of space research in the technological solutions of the 21st century and determine how space technology shapes our future.
Keywords
Herman Potočnik Noordung; rocket technology; space
Hrčak ID:
294373
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2022.
Visits: 1.023 *