Thomas Mueller ( eng. Thomas Mueller [2] ) - American engineer , designer of rocket engines . An employee of the SpaceX rocket company since its inception [3] . Known for working on the TR-106 engine, the propulsion system of the Dragon spacecraft and the Merlin family of rocket engines. He is one of the leading specialists in spacecraft engines , has several US patents in the field of rocket propulsion [4] [5] .
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Early years
Born in St. Marys, Idaho. [6] His father was a lumberjack, and Müller also wanted to choose this profession [7] . Mueller compares his biography with the biography of NASA engineer Homer Hickham , who also grew up in a working-class family, but eventually became an engineer instead of following in his father's footsteps [6] . As a child, Müller was fond of rocket modeling and even designed an apparatus based on an oxygen-acetylene welding apparatus , finding that adding water to a combustible mixture increases thrust [6] .
Müller worked as a lumberjack for four years to pay for school. Then from 1979 to 1985 [2] he studied at the University of Idah , where he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering [7] . After graduation, he moved to California, rejecting job offers in Idaho and Oregon [6] . In California, at a job fair, he found work in the production of satellites, and then he began developing liquid-propellant rocket engines [7] . Müller continued his education at Loyola Marymount University, where in 1992 he received a master's degree in engineering from the Frank R. Siver College of Science and Technology [8] .
Career
For 15 years, Müller has been with TRW Inc., a group of companies operating in the aerospace, automotive, financial and electronic industries. He worked in the propulsion department, where he was responsible for the development of liquid-propellant rocket engines [3] . As a leading engineer, he led the creation of the TR-106 oxygen-hydrogen engine with a thrust of 2900 kN, which at that time became one of the most powerful engines built. While working at TRW, Muller felt that his ideas were lost due to the diverse interests of the corporation, so as a personal hobby, he began to build his own engines. These engines were intended for the aviation platform, which he planned to launch them in the Mojave Desert, along with other members of the Reaction Research Society .
At the end of 2001, Muller began to develop a liquid-propellant rocket engine in his garage, and in 2002 transferred the work to a friend’s warehouse [3] . This design was the largest among liquid-propellant rocket engines created by amateurs, had a mass of 36 kg and created a thrust of 58 kN [3] . The work of Muller attracted the attention of Ilon Mask , and in 2002, Muller was accepted among the first employees in the new SpaceX company [4] .
Mueller currently holds the position of Technical Director for Engines [9] , responsible for the development of all the company's engines, including the propulsion system of the Dragon spacecraft and the Merlin family of rocket engines for the Falcon 9 space launch vehicle [3] . The Merlin engine is the most efficient hydrocarbon engine created in the USA and the first hydrocarbon engine developed in the USA over the past 40 years [3] . Muller also designed the Merlin 1A and Kestrel engines for the Falcon 1 rocket, the first liquid rocket launched into orbit by a private company, and also led the team that developed the Merlin 1C, Merlin 1D, and MVac engines for the Falcon 9 rocket with a return first stage [10] .
In 2013, Muller made a speech to graduates of Loyola Marymount University - that year SpaceX became the first private company to deliver cargo to the International Space Station [8] . In 2011, an article by Rocket Man published in the university journal LMU Magazine [11] was dedicated to him. In 2014, Muller was nominated for the Wilde Prize of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for outstanding achievements in the development and use of rocket propulsion systems [12] .
Notes
- ↑ Freebase data upload - Google .
- ↑ 1 2 Thomas Mueller profile on LinkenIn .
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Belfiore, Michael . Behind the Scenes With the World's Most Ambitious Rocket Makers (September 1, 2009). Date of treatment February 18, 2014.
- ↑ 1 2 Seedhouse, Erik. SpaceX: Making Commercial Spaceflight a Reality. - Springer Praxis Books, 2013.
- ↑ Lord, MG . Rocket Man (October 1, 2007). Archived February 21, 2014. Date of treatment February 18, 2014.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Rosenberg, Jeremy . Tom Mueller: From Idaho Logger To Space Explorer (May 3, 2012). Date of treatment February 18, 2014.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Cairo, Amanda . Launch Pad For Success , Issuu.com (March 2013). Date of treatment February 18, 2014.
- ↑ 1 2 Jordan, Karen . Loyola Marymount University Announces Commencement Speakers (May 3, 2013). Date of treatment February 18, 2014.
- ↑ Lemley, Brad . Shooting The Moon (September 2005). Date of treatment February 18, 2014.
- ↑ Butler, Phil . From Earth Entrepreneurs to the Moon and Beyond: Leading the Way to Privatized Space (February 12, 2014). Date of treatment February 18, 2014.
- ↑ McInnis, Doug . Rocket Man (November 11, 2011). Date of treatment February 18, 2014.
- ↑ Wyld Propulsion Award Recipients (unreachable link) . American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Date of treatment February 19, 2014. Archived March 13, 2014.