W. Feibelman: Astronomer and Holocaust Survivor

Feibelman Astronomer Holocaust Survivor
Walter Alexander Feibelman, 79, an astronomer who discovered the E-ring of Saturn, died of a heart attack 19 November 2004 at his home at Riderwood Village in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Walter Feibelman was born on October 30, 1925, in Berlin, Germany, to Bernard and Dora Feibelman. In 1941, he immigrated to the United States with his parents, among the final wave of German Jews escaping Nazi Germany. Feibelman Astronomer Holocaust Survivor

During his youth, Walter worked various jobs including at a cleaning shop and as a soda jerk before pursuing training in tool and die making. He then joined Abbey Photo Corp. in New York and later a model-making firm, where he crafted aircraft models used for Army Air Forces identification courses.

Groundbreaking Discovery Feibelman Astronomer Holocaust Survivor

After graduating from high school, he attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology, earning his BS degree in 1956. From 1969 until his retirement in 2002, he served as a research scientist at the University of Pittsburgh. Notably, while working there as an assistant research professor in physics and astronomy, Walter made a groundbreaking discovery in 1967. By analyzing a photo of Saturn taken a year earlier at the Allegheny Observatory, he identified the faint E-ring, a finding that remained unconfirmed until Pioneer 11’s flyby in 1979.

NASA

Transitioning to the Goddard Space Flight Center’s Optical Astronomy Division in 1969, Walter dedicated over three decades to NASA. He contributed significantly to the International Ultraviolet Explorer project, focusing on developing detectors for the orbiting observatory’s spectrograph, which operated successfully from 1978 to 1996.

Throughout his scientific career, Walter authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles covering topics such as hot stars, planetary nebulae, photography, spectroscopy, physics, telescopes, and railroading. His contributions were recognized with several awards, including a special achievement award from NASA in 1986 and a Presidential Certificate of Recognition on National Immigrants Day in 1987. Feibelman Astronomer Holocaust Survivor

His Passion – Steam Locomotives

Beyond his scientific endeavors, Walter had a passion for steam locomotives. He documented the end of the steam era in western Pennsylvania through photographs and authored the book “Rails to Pittsburgh” in 1979. Notably, he meticulously crafted a 31-inch model of a “Niagara” locomotive from brass, based on shop blueprints purchased from the New York Central Railroad.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Walter cherished classical music and curated an extensive collection of performance videos, which he shared in well-attended weekly gatherings. He continued this tradition until shortly before his passing, having presented his 200th program the night before his death.

Relatives Feibelman Astronomer Holocaust Survivor

His sister, Miriam Yogev, settled in Jerusalem. Walter’s aunt and uncle, Addi and Otto Feibelmann were deported to Łódź in 1941 and perished. His aunt Emma Feibelman Klein was deported to Majdanek in 1942 and perished.

The Documents

Sometimes you wonder what the United States would be today without all the brilliant German scientists they recruited after the war. NASA’s space program would be very different without the knowledge of the V2 rocket engines and Wernher von Braun, who was not only the head of NASA for ten years but also the NASA idea came from him already in 1954. NASA was founded in 1958. Von Braun became the center’s first director on 1 July 1960 and held the position until 27 January 1970. Feibelman Astronomer Holocaust Survivor

A little Girl and a Diplomat in Wartime Hungary 1944

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