Harold A. Rosen

Harold A. Rosen (born March 20, 1926 in New Orleans , † January 30, 2017 in Santa Monica ) was an American electrical engineer. He became known as the leader of the development of the first geostationary satellite at Hughes Aircraft ( Syncom 2 1963, Syncom 3 , 1964).

Rosen studied electrical engineering at Tulane University with a bachelor's degree in 1947 and at Caltech with a master's degree in 1948 and a doctorate in 1951. He then worked for Raytheon on rocket controls for the Sparrow rocket. In 1956 he moved to Hughes Aircraft, where he initially also worked on missile controls for air defense, fire control systems and radar. At a time when the US was trying to catch up after the success of the first Soviet Sputnik , Rosen switched to satellite development and developed the first geostationary communications satellites, following an old idea of science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke (1945). There were already drafts for it, but they were too heavy. Rosen's main idea was to let the satellite rotate (and develop a solar-powered propulsion system for it) so that its orbit stabilized. John R. Pierce was also involved in the communication technology of the satellite . The first Syncom 1 satellite launched in 1961, but exploded before reaching orbit. The successors Syncom 2 and 3, however, were successful. Syncom 2 was used for telephone traffic, Syncom 3 broadcast the first transatlantic television images (from the 1964 Olympic Games ). Rosen stayed with Hughes Aircraft until his retirement in 1992, where he became Vice President.

In 1982 he received the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal , in 1995 the Charles Stark Draper Prize (with Pierce) and in 1985 he was one of the first to receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation . In 2003 he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame .

In 1993 he and his brother Benjamin M. Rosen founded the Rosen Motors company, which developed technology for hybrid cars with a small gas turbine, with a flywheel as an energy store and acceleration aid; energy was also obtained from braking. In 1997 a prototype was successfully tested, but mass production did not succeed.

Rosen last lived in Santa Monica . He advised Boeing on satellite systems. Rosen died on January 30, 2017 at the age of 90.

Web links

Inventor of the Week Harald Rosen: Geosynchronous Satellite. Massachusetts Institute of Technology , September 2000, archived from the original on November 25, 2005 ; accessed on February 1, 2017 (English).

Individual evidence

↑ Ralph Vartabedian: Harold Rosen, creator of satellite that helped reshape life in Southern California, dies at 90. In: The Los Angeles Times . January 30, 2017, accessed February 1, 2017 .

personal data
SURNAME	Rosen, Harold A.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American electrical engineer
DATE OF BIRTH	March 20, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH	New Orleans
DATE OF DEATH	January 30, 2017
Place of death	Santa Monica

[1] Ralph Vartabedian: Harold Rosen, creator of satellite that helped reshape life in Southern California, dies at 90. In: The Los Angeles Times . January 30, 2017, accessed February 1, 2017 .