Questions and answers with George H. Ludwig
DOI: 10.1063/PT.4.0735
By Jermey N. A. Matthews
During the 1950s and 1960s, George H. Ludwig was involved in the development of the cosmic-ray research program at the University of Iowa, where he was a PhD student under James Van Allen. He later became a full-time researcher there and at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. This year, the American Geophysical Union released his book, Opening Space Research: Dreams, Technology, and Scientific Discovery, which was reviewed in the October issue of Physics Today by Henry Richter, a former chief of the scientific instruments section at JPL. Physics Today recently caught up with Ludwig to discuss the book and other matters.
PT : What motivated you to write this book?
Ludwig : There is no other comparably comprehensive and cohesive portrayal of many of the details of the development of the first satellites, their launching, the use of their data, and their contributions to science. Of the few that do address various aspects of the work, some contain substantial errors in fact or emphasis. [With this book] I was able to provide a contribution backed up by my extensive collection of records that exist nowhere else. I was a direct participant in many of the events described in the book, so I could write it in first person. I also wanted to record ‘my story’ for my family.
PT : While writing, what was the greatest challenge you had to overcome?
Ludwig : Endless searches to fill in and verify many of the details.
PT : What other books helped you in writing yours and what other resources on this subject would you recommend?
Ludwig : I was helped tremendously by the extensive library of references on the space program and space research, many of which are listed in the book’s bibliography. I attach special importance to the collection of Annals of the IGY (Pergamon Press); Homer Newell’s Beyond the Atmosphere: Early Years of Space Science (reprint, Dover Publications, 2010); James Van Allen’s Origins of Magnetospheric Physics (expanded edition, U. of Iowa Press, 2004); and Abigail Foerstner’s James Van Allen: The First Eight Billion Miles (U. of Iowa Press, 2007). Also, The Chicago Manual of Style was my constant companion.
PT : What do you hope your readers will gain from reading your book?
Ludwig : I hope that [scientists] will gain an authoritative, historical perspective dealing with the scientific motivation and approach for the early space program, in both the technical and political context, and an authoritative source describing the work of that decade for their professional use. I hope that more casual readers will enjoy reading of some of the trials, tribulations, and joys of that period of research.
PT : What books are you reading at the moment?
Ludwig : I’m reading The Help (Amy Einhorn Books, 2009) by Kathryn Stockett and The World’s Last Mysteries (Reader’s Digest Association, 1978).
