Maurice Joseph Zucrow (December 15, 1899 – June 1975) was a Ukrainian-born American scientist and aerospace engineer known for his contributions to the development of gas turbines and jet propulsion. Zucrow was born in

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

and immigrated with his family to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1900. Young Maurice attended

Central Foundation Boys' School ''(By hope, by work, by faith)'' , established = 1865 , closed = , type = Voluntary aided school , religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = , ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The family moved to the US in 1914. In 1922 Maurice Zucrow became the first person to graduate with a BS degree in engineering from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He went on to receive a S.M degree from the same school next year. Zucrow was also the first recipient of a doctoral degree in engineering at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

completing his dissertation in Mechanical Engineering in 1928. His PhD advisor was

Andrey Abraham Potter Andrey (Andy) Abraham Potter (August 5, 1882 – November 5, 1979) was a Russian-American mechanical engineer and educator,Purdue University College of Engineering The Purdue University College of Engineering, established in 2004, is one of eight major academic divisions, or ''colleges'', of Purdue University. Its forerunner began in 1874 with programs in Civil and Mechanical Engineering. The college no ...

. After leaving Purdue in 1929, Zucrow spent 17 years in industry. During his work at

Elliott Company Elliott Company designs, manufactures, installs, and services turbo-machinery for Tractor unit, prime movers and rotating machinery. Headquartered in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, Elliott Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japan-based company ...

, he played an important part in the research and development of the nation's first gas turbine built in 1942. He also helped develop

Aerojet Aerojet was an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California, with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange and Gainesville in Virginia, and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet was owned by GenCorp. ...

’s

JATO JATO (acronym for jet-assisted take-off) is a type of assisted take-off for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets. The term ''JATO'' is used interchangeably with the (more specific ...

rocket, used by seaplanes to assist takeoff under adverse conditions. During the World War II, Zucrow was asked to teach a course in jet propulsion theory to engineers in the aircraft industry as part of the

Engineering, Science, and Management War Training The Engineering, Science, and Management War Training program (ESMWT) was one of the largest and most productive educational activities in America's history. It was perhaps only second to the G.I. Bill (officially the Servicemen's Readjustment Act ...

(ESMWT) program at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

In 1946 he joined the faculty of Purdue School of Aeronautics and Astronautics establishing Purdue's Jet Propulsion Center. The research facility was renamed Maurice J. Zucrow Propulsion Laboratories in 1998 and is now the world's largest academic propulsion laboratory. In 1948 Zucrow published Principles of Jet Propulsion and Gas Turbines, the first textbook in this field. In 1957 Zucrow was elected to the board of directors of

American Rocket Society The American Rocket Society (ARS) began its existence on , under the name of the American Interplanetary Society. It was founded by science fiction writers G. Edward Pendray, David Lasser, Laurence Manning, Nathan Schachner, and others. Pendray ...

together with

Wernher von Braun Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun ( , ; 23 March 191216 June 1977) was a German and American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a member of the Nazi Party and Allgemeine SS, as well as the leading figure in the develop ...

. In 1962 Zucrow received the

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

national research award and delivered the award lecture entitled "Space Propulsion Engines - Their Characteristics and Problems". He received the Distinguished Civilian Service award from the

Department of the Army The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is org ...

in 1967. Zucrow's residence in

West Lafayette West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister c ...

was 801 Carrolton Boulevard in Hill and Dales neighborhood adjacent to the Purdue campus.

Books

* Zucrow, M.J., ''Principles of Jet Propulsion and Gas Turbines,'' John Wiley & Sons, 1948. * Zucrow, M.J., ''Aircraft and Missile Propulsion Volume 1: Thermodynamics of Fluid Flow and Application to Propulsion Engines'', John Wiley and Sons, 1958. * Zucrow, M.J., ''Aircraft & Missile Propulsion, Volume 2: The Gas Turbine Power Plant, the Turboprop, Turbojet, Ramjet, and Rocket Engines'', John Wiley and Sons; First edition, 1958. * Zucrow, M.J., ''Gas Dynamics, Volumes 1 and 2'', John Wiley & Sons, 1976.

References

External links

Maurice J. Zucrow Propulsion Laboratories at Purdue University

Online books by Maurice J. Zucrow

Maurice J. Zucrow papers at Purdue Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Zucrow, Maurice American scientists 1899 births 1975 deaths Purdue University College of Engineering alumni Purdue University faculty Aerospace engineers Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni Members of the American Rocket Society Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States