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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Leader

Honored by:

Dr Fritz K. Mueller was born on 10.27.07 in Schalkau, Thuringia, Germany. Already in 1935 when working at Kreiselgeraete GmbH in Berlin he helped Wernher von Braun in Berlin-Kummersdorf to develop liquid fueled rockets. He designed a variety of auxiliary devices, like electrical command devices, electrical pneumatic actuators, and three degree of freedom gimbal systems to be used for rocket testing. In 1936 he designed a complete inertial guidance and control system Sg 33 for the A-3 rocket. In 1938 he constructed a more simplified and rugged guidance and control system for the A-5 rocket with two different types of control means and response the Sg 52 and Sg 64, and in 1940 a three gimbal stabilized platform with integral provision for sensors and computation for trajectory control, later named the Sg 66 and Sg 70. He initiated the design of a pendulous integrating gyroscope with velocity presetting for thrust cut-off. He also engaged in the design of gyroscopes, which allowed unlimited roll motion of the rocket and systems which could carry optimal and infrared seekers. He developed for the A-4 (later named V-2) a gyro stabilized platform that provided continuous readings of the rockets attitude in three directions, and also continuous readings of the accelerations, velocities and distances of the rocket in three directions, as measured by accelerometers mounted on the stabilized platform. That system called the inertial guidance system became the prototype for all modern precision rockets
.In 1945 as one of the earliest members of the Von Braun Rocket Team he transferred with the Paperclip Project to Fort Bliss, Texas, and later in 1950 to Huntsville, Ala. In the late forties he developed and designed the gyro stabilizer for the Redstone Rocket. He devised an inertial gimbal system carrying large air bearing gyros, air bearing integrating accelerometers and air bearing plumb line sensors for self alignment. This was the beginning of a new area of accurate, rugged and reliable gyro stabilizers. He designed the gyro stabilized platforms and accelerometers for all the rockets built in Huntsville, the Redstone, Jupiter and Pershing. He started the miniaturization for all inertial and structural components and the application of lighter and smaller platforms with stronger and lighter materials. He designed the platform Sg 120, which was the most accurate, reliable and robust gyro stabilizer system. This reduction in size and weight made an outside gimbaled platform for orbital capabilities feasible. The crowning event in his professional life was the gyro platform he designed that guided the huge Saturn V Apollo rockets from the earth surface to their satellite staging orbits on their way to the moon. He was a member of the von Braun Development board. In 1958 he became Deputy Director of the Guidance and Control Laboratory in Huntsville, Ala. (Redstone Arsenal).
In 1959 he received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Rollins College in Winterpark, Florida.
His activities during that time resulted in the awards of eight Patents concerning the inertial components and gyro platforms. Important Publications: F.K. Mueller, "Considerations on Inertial Guidance for Missiles", Journal of Navigation, Vol. 6,1959; F.K. Mueller, "A History of Inertial Guidance", Army Ballistic Missile Agency, 1959; reprinted in Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Vol. 38,1985. He was very much admired by his co-workers and he will be remembered as one of the essential pillars of the evolution of mankind's spacefaring ability during the past century. His life was unusually rich not only in work but also in brilliant accomplishments. He died in May of 2001 at the age of 93.