Stephen Hector Taylor-Smith

Stephen Hector Taylor-Smith

Stephen Hector Taylor-Smith (4 February 1891–15 February 1951), often known as Stephen Smith, was a pioneering Indian rocket scientist who developed techniques in delivering mail by rocket. He was the most innovative of the early rocket pioneers. Unlike Schmiedl whom the Austrian Authorities banned from further experimenting, Smith was encouraged in his experiments by Indian Officials. In the ten year span of his experiments (1934-1944), Smith made some 270 launches, including at least 80 rocket mail flights.

He was born on 14 February at Strawberry Hill, in Shillong, Assam. Even as a boy, along with other schoolmates Smith attempted to transport live garden lizards in rockets over the swimming pool of St. Patrick's School, Asansol. He attended St. Patrick's from 1903 to 1911. Smith was the first rocket experimenter to successfully transport foodstuff, medicine and livestock via rockets.

Smith made careers as a customs official, a policeman and a dentist. He became the Secretary of the Indian Airmail Society, and combined his work with his interest in rocketry. His first launch was on 30 September 1934, experimenting with 270 more by 4 December 1944. 80 of these contained mail, and his achievements include the first successful rocket mail sent over a river and the first rocket to carry a parcel.

On September 30 1934, he launched his first mail rocket, using a rocket made locally by the Orient Firework Company of Calcutta. The flight was a ship-to-shore launch, The rocket carrying 143 covers, left the D.V. Pansy and exploded mid-air scattering the mail over the sea. 140 covers were recovered and taken to the Saugor Lighthouse, where the keeper postmarked the mail. This was followed by: shore-to-ship, night, and miniature newspaper flights.

Smith’s flights in Sikkim, a British Protectorate in the eastern Himalayas, received official sanction from the local ruler, Here he carried out 20 successful rocket experiments and achieved the first rocket parcel mail. The Oriental Fireworks Company supplied Smith with 16 rockets between 23 March 1935 and 29 June 1935. Between them, these "Silver Jubilee" flights carried over a thousand covers.

Smith made history once again, when he used his rockets to carry a food package across a river to the Quetta region, which had suffered an earthquake. The package contained: rice, grain, spices, biris (Indian cigarettes) and 150 rocketgrams.

Stephen Smith also effected the world’s first livestock transport when on 29 June 1935, a rocket carried a cock and hen together with 189 rocketgrams across the river Damodar. Both animals survived the flight and were donated to a private zoo in Calcutta. A later effort, successfully carried; a snake (Miss Creepy), an apple and 106 covers. Smith demonstrated his experiments during the war years, few items of mail were carried on these flights, The last series of rockets were gas propelled and the last flight took place on 4 December 1944. Stephen died on 15 February 1951 and is now immortalised as the Father of Aerophilately in India. The Department of Posts in India issued a stamp honouring this Anglo-Indian pioneer of airborne mail.

References

*" [http://www.philatel2.com/jubilee/id313.htm Stephen Smith] " at King George V Silver Jubilee. Accessed 5 September 2005.
*" [http://www.philatel2.com/jubilee/id314.htm Indian Rocket Mail Detail] " at King George V Silver Jubilee. Accessed 5 September 2005.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Steven Smith — Stephen Smith, Steve Smith, or Steven Smith may refer to:In sports: * Steve Smith (Carolina Panthers), (b. 1979), American football player * Steve Smith (New York Giants), (b. 1985), American football player * Stephen Smith (footballer), (b.… …   Wikipedia

  • Smith's Prize — The Smith s Prize was the name of each of two prizes awarded annually awarded to two research students in theoretical Physics, mathematics and applied mathematics at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.June Barrow Green, A Corrective… …   Wikipedia

  • Smith-Preis — Der Smith Preis ist ein jährlich von der Universität Cambridge an zwei Studenten für herausragende Arbeiten in Mathematik (insbesondere angewandter Mathematik) oder theoretischer Physik vergebener Preis. Der Preis wurde 1768 von dem englischen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Anglo-Indian — Anglo Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry and the term is sometimes used in the West. [ [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Anglo Indian Anglo Indian] , Dictionary.com.] In general sense, they refer to any tangible… …   Wikipedia

  • Anglo-Indian — Anglo Inder oder Anglo Indians sind Menschen, die britischer Herkunft sind und in Indien aufwuchsen oder dort geboren sind sowie deren Nachkommen.[1][2] Article 366(2) der indischen Verfassung schützt die Nachkommen der (männlichen) Europäer in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • United States Constitution — P …   Wikipedia

  • Kanadische Schriftsteller — Diese Liste umfasst sowohl die englischsprachigen als auch die französischsprachigen Autoren Kanadas. A Milton Acorn (1923–1986) Ian Adams (* 1937) Linda Aksomitis (* 1951) Charlotte Vale Allen (Pseud. Katherine Marlowe) (* 1941) Grant Allen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kanadischer Autor — Diese Liste umfasst sowohl die englischsprachigen als auch die französischsprachigen Autoren Kanadas. A Milton Acorn (1923–1986) Ian Adams (* 1937) Linda Aksomitis (* 1951) Charlotte Vale Allen (Pseud. Katherine Marlowe) (* 1941) Grant Allen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kanadischer Dichter — Diese Liste umfasst sowohl die englischsprachigen als auch die französischsprachigen Autoren Kanadas. A Milton Acorn (1923–1986) Ian Adams (* 1937) Linda Aksomitis (* 1951) Charlotte Vale Allen (Pseud. Katherine Marlowe) (* 1941) Grant Allen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kanadischer Schriftsteller — Diese Liste umfasst sowohl die englischsprachigen als auch die französischsprachigen Autoren Kanadas. A Milton Acorn (1923–1986) Ian Adams (* 1937) Linda Aksomitis (* 1951) Charlotte Vale Allen (Pseud. Katherine Marlowe) (* 1941) Grant Allen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”