"NERVA Nuclear Propulsion for Space," Westinghouse Electric Corporation Astronuclear Laboratory, ca. 1970
Scope and Content
Series I, Correspondence: Contains correspondence from 1936-1996 mostly of a professional nature. The correspondents usually include supporting documents that offer a dialogue of communication which can include pictures, drawings and even new invention ideas.
Series II, N.A.S.M./Additional Archival Notes: Contains correspondence and supporting documentation of Dr. Ohain's relationship with the National Air and Space Museum (N.A.S.M). The series spans from 1945-1997. 1966-1976 deals entirely with an exhibit that featured some of Ohain's engine work. N.A.S.M. received a great deal of Ohain's personal papers and we have included the Deed of Gift signed for this exchange along with the Heinkel archive list in Stuttgart, Germany, Junkers item list and a document related to German retrieved war documents.
Series III, Speeches: Contains information pertaining to his speeches and the briefing presentations given while employed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. The time span for this series is 1963-1997. He gave more speeches later in his life after retirement in 1977. Most of the speeches deal with the history of jet propulsion or topics related to his research with the government.
Series IV, Jet History: Contains an interesting collection of articles, manuscripts, notes, oral history and time lines relating to jet history including Ohains experiences in Germany. It covers 1951-1996 and contains six folders of information without dates.
Series V, Patents: Contains patent related information from 1907-1997. The patents range from Ohain's work with the Heinkel Company in Germany to his research with the University of Dayton and independent ventures. An oversize file contains blueprints dealing mostly with the Swirl Chamber Device. Many of the patent folders contain (ARL) created technical booklets that relate to the patents. This series also contains a file of contracts and wills from1954-1984.
Series VI, Sir Frank Whittle: Contains information and supporting documentation related to awards from 1966-1992. Many of the awards he received are not a part of the collection. Yet the series provides an adequate overview of the type and nature of awards Ohain received and it contains a hand signed letter of congratulations from President George Bush for Ohain's Draper Prize award. A complete listing of his awards and accommodations can be found in Appendix B of the book Hans von Ohain: Elegance in Flight by Margaret Conner. An oversized box houses the larger awards and an honorary degree.
Series VII, Awards: Contains a single file of documents that relates to Sir Frank Whittle the British co-inventor of the jet engine which include, news clippings, correspondence and patent related materials. The series spans from 1930-1996, additional pictures of Whittle are located in the Correspondence Series 1 and the Wright State University Special Collection and Archives houses an additional collection of Frank Whittle papers MS-241 donated by General Electric in 1992. It consists of design and technical reports, correspondence, photographs and technical drawings and charts.
Series VIII, General Technical Articles: A collection of various scientific articles ranging from 1923-1996. The articles deal with a range of topics and were written by numerous authors.
Series IX, General Booklets, Journal Articles, Brochures, Newsletters, and News Clippings: Series 9 is a collection of general scientific booklets, journal articles, press releases, brochures and magazine articles from 1925-1992.
Series X, ARL Technical Books and Articles: A collection of (ARL) created scientific booklets and articles from 1959-1989. Ohain was a contributing author of many of these papers and many of the papers directly relate to his research and patents.
Series XI, General Technical Notes and Drawings: Contains general scientific notes and drawings from 1958-1996. This series is interesting because it documents some of his ideas that never made it to be patented and it shows the progression of an idea. Thirteen of the seventeen folders do not have dates but reflect the folder titles given to the information by Ohain himself.
Series XII, Teledyne: Contains documentation of Ohains relationship with the then Akron, Ohio based company Teledyne. It spans from 1979-1984. This series documents some of his post retirement activities and his continued contribution into the field of engine development.
Series XIII, University of Dayton Lecture Notes: Contains information relating to Ohain's time as a professor at the University of Dayton and spans from 1984-1987. The series consists of lecture notes, exams and aero-propulsion information. He also taught at the University of Florida but this collection does not contain any documents from that position.
Series XIV, Photographs/Postcards: Consists of images grouped into three categories, Photographs from the early 1930's Germany (street scenes with swastikas) and Postcards featuring scenes from Germany, Airplanes/Engines and Group photographs with miscellaneous images.
(Note:-Most series within this collection contain photographs that were found with supporting documentation. Series 14 is a compilation of photographs and postcards that were found without any accompanying documentation.)
Dates
- Creation: ca. 1970
Creator
- From the Collection: Ohain, Hans von, 1911-1998 (Person)
Language of Materials
Some documents are in German and French, but the majority of the collection is in English.
Restrictions on Access
There are no restrictions on accessing materials in this collection.
Extent
From the Collection: 11 linear feet
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository
Wright State University Libraries
Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435-0001 USA
937-775-2092
library-archives@wright.edu