Title
Astronautics at Armstrong Whitworth's
Reference
YA2007.25/2/1/6
Production date
-08-1959 - -08-1959
Creator
- Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft LtdBiographyBiography
Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth Aircraft Ltd was initially formed as the aerial department of Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Company Ltd. Upon creation it was focused on the production of Royal Aircraft Factory designed BE.2c aircraft for a government order. During the First World War this continued, along with the production of designs produced by Frederick Koolhoven.
In 1920 Armstrong-Whitworth acquired Siddeley-Deasy and created the Armstrong Whitworth Development Company as a subsidiary. Also, at this time the aerial department was reorganised into a subsidiary of the new Development Company under the name Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Ltd. Initially this was based in Parkside, near Coventry, but construction later moved to the Whitley airfield, while the design office remained at the original site.
The Development Company did not stay under the ownership of the parent Armstrong Whitworth Company, as in 1927 it was sold and became the Armstrong Siddeley Development Company. This sale included the aircraft subsidiary which also came under this ownership and was not sold with the rest of the defence holdings to Vickers. Following John Siddeley’s retirement from the company’s board Hawker Aircraft purchased the Armstrong Siddeley Development Company and then sold it to a new parent company, Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Co Ltd. Despite this new ownership the constituent companies continued to produce aircraft under their own names and as such Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft continued to produce its own designs.
During the Second World War the company produced both its own designs and those of others and following the end of the conflict its parent company changed its name to the Hawker Siddeley Group. Also, during the 1950s, additional facilities where added to Armstrong Whitworth with production of jet aircraft being introduced at Baginton and Bitteswell.
In 1963 Hawker Siddeley decided to merge all of its aviation division into one single entity, Hawker Siddeley Aviation. This was partly due to a government decision that there should be a reduction in the number of aircraft manufactures, as there were fewer contracts being offered. As such aircraft where no longer produced under the Armstrong Whitworth name.
- Watson, H.R.BiographyBiography
Worked as Technical Director at Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Ltd.
Scope and Content
A paper detailing the work and theory applied at Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Ltd. over the previous two years in designing a vehicle capable of space flight. Includes illustrative concept drawings of space craft and internal mechanisms.
Language
English
Level of description
ITEM
Repository name
Science and Industry Museum
Associated people and organisations
- Watson, H.R.BiographyBiography
Worked as Technical Director at Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Ltd.
- Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft LtdBiographyBiography
Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth Aircraft Ltd was initially formed as the aerial department of Sir W.G. Armstrong, Whitworth and Company Ltd. Upon creation it was focused on the production of Royal Aircraft Factory designed BE.2c aircraft for a government order. During the First World War this continued, along with the production of designs produced by Frederick Koolhoven.
In 1920 Armstrong-Whitworth acquired Siddeley-Deasy and created the Armstrong Whitworth Development Company as a subsidiary. Also, at this time the aerial department was reorganised into a subsidiary of the new Development Company under the name Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Ltd. Initially this was based in Parkside, near Coventry, but construction later moved to the Whitley airfield, while the design office remained at the original site.
The Development Company did not stay under the ownership of the parent Armstrong Whitworth Company, as in 1927 it was sold and became the Armstrong Siddeley Development Company. This sale included the aircraft subsidiary which also came under this ownership and was not sold with the rest of the defence holdings to Vickers. Following John Siddeley’s retirement from the company’s board Hawker Aircraft purchased the Armstrong Siddeley Development Company and then sold it to a new parent company, Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Co Ltd. Despite this new ownership the constituent companies continued to produce aircraft under their own names and as such Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft continued to produce its own designs.
During the Second World War the company produced both its own designs and those of others and following the end of the conflict its parent company changed its name to the Hawker Siddeley Group. Also, during the 1950s, additional facilities where added to Armstrong Whitworth with production of jet aircraft being introduced at Baginton and Bitteswell.
In 1963 Hawker Siddeley decided to merge all of its aviation division into one single entity, Hawker Siddeley Aviation. This was partly due to a government decision that there should be a reduction in the number of aircraft manufactures, as there were fewer contracts being offered. As such aircraft where no longer produced under the Armstrong Whitworth name.
- British Interplanetary SocietyBiographyBiography
The British Interplanetary Society (BIS) was founded in 1933 by a group of space flight enthuasiasts to promote and educate on the exploration and use of space for the benefit of humanity.
In the years before World War II a technical core of BIS members made the first plans for a rocket capable of landing three men on the Moon and returning them to Earth. After World War II members of the Society developed ideas for the exploration of outer space including developing liquid rockets for launch into space, the construction of Space Stations, the human exploration of the Moon, the development of probes to investigate other planets in our Solar System and the use of space telescopes to observe distant stars and galaxies.
In 1951 the BIS organized the world’s first International Congress on “The Artificial Satellite”, and became one of the founder members of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). Earth Remote Sensing was initially advocated and studied at an international level at its NATO Conference in the 1950s, with space biology following soon afterwards.
Planetary studies began with papers examining the propulsion requirements to reach Mars and Venus, as well as projected instruments for scientific probes. Advocacy of studies on comets and meteors helped further the Giotto mission to Halley’s Comet and later the ESA Rosetta mission.
Studies and long term thinking on human spaceflight and launch vehicle development have always been a core area of activity amongst Society members, with the visionary early work on the BIS Lunar Lander, the Orbital Launcher and various other space launchers and space stations.
With the demise of the Apollo Program in 1972, the British Interplanetary Society continued to encourage exploration of ideas on the possibilities of a return to the Moon and its eventual colonization.
More recently a group within the Society has initiated a series of studies on the scientific and technical objectives of conducting a human exploration of the Martian North Polar Cap (Project Boreas), and another group within the Society has initiated a follow on study to the Daedalus Interstellar Starprobe, called Project Icarus.
Subject
Conditions governing access
Open access.
Conditions governing Reproduction
Copies may be supplied in accordance with current copyright legislation and Science Museum Group terms and conditions.
