Frank Malina

Frank Joseph Malina (October 2nd 1912 with Brenham (Texas) - November 9th 1981 with Boulogne Billancourt) was a Engineer in Aéronautique and a painter, known to have been a pioneer of the world of art and space engineering. His/her father was originating in Bohemia.

Studies

He starts studies of mechanical engineer to the Texas A&M University in 1934. In 1935, whereas it continues off its studies with the California Institute Technology (Caltech), Malina persuades its professor of aeronautics Theodore von Kármán to authorize it to continue research on the rocket S and their system of propulsion. Its goal was to develop a Fusée-sonde. In 1940, it obtains a doctorate in Caltech for its thesis relating to the propulsion and the trajectory of the rockets.

Rockets

Malina and five associated (whose Jack Parsons) will be called in Caltech the suicide squad (the squadron commits suicide) because of their experiments (and their failures) during their tests of engines of rocket.

The group of Malina is constrained to move its center of tests far from the principal campus of Caltech in the area of the Arroyo Seco in the Comté of Los Angeles. This site as well as research which Malina undertakes will become later the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of which he will be the second director of 1944 with 1946.

In 1942, von Kármán, Malina and three other students found the Aerojet Corporation.

At the end 1945, the rockets of Malina become too large for the buildings of the Stream Seco, the base of tests is thus moved with White Sands Missile Arranges with the New Mexico. It is here that the project of rocket probes Wac Corporal becomes the first rocket to reach the 50 miles (80 km) of altitude.

UNESCO

In 1947, whereas research on the rockets begins on the way of the systems of weapons, Malina which disapproves this new orientation will revalue the orientation of its career and will leave Aerojet. It joined then the the United Nations as Secrétaire of the United Nations for education, science and the culture (UNESCO) under the direction of Julian Huxley.

In 1951, Malina becomes director of the division of the scientific research of UNESCO. Two years later, Malina leaves UNESCO to be interested in the Kinetic art.

Artistic career

As of 1953, Malina starts an artistic career and settles with Paris. Consequently its works will be presented in the living rooms and the most prestigious exposures, like the Gallery of Orsay, the living room “arts in France and in the world”, the exposure Jules Verne, the Fair of Paris, the museum of decorative Arts in Paris, Whitney Museum off American Art in New York, etc

In 1967 it founds the Leonardo Journal , an international newspaper of research writes by artists and concerning their work and concentrating on the interactions between the contemporary art with sciences and new technologies.

Frank Malina died on November 9th, 1981 in Boulogne-Billancourt in France, of an heart attack.

External bonds

Biographie supplements
Chronologie of the life of Frank Malina

Source

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