Simon Ostrach is an internationally known scientist and pioneer in the fields of buoyancy-driven flows and microgravity science. He is highly regarded for his work as principal investigator on the Surface-Tension Driven Convection Experiments (STDCE 1 and 2), which were conducted on two NASA Spacelab missions, United States Microgravity Laboratories 1 (June 25-July 9, 1992) and 2 (October 20-November 5, 1995). The experiments explored thermal convection phenomena of liquids under microgravity conditions.
Dr. Ostrach was born December 26, 1923, in Providence, Rhode Island, to Samuel and Bella Ostrach. He received a bachelor's degree in science in mechanical engineering from Rhode Island State College (now University of Rhode Island) in 1944.
From 1944-1947, Dr. Ostrach worked at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in Cleveland, Ohio, as an aeronautical research scientist. He left NACA in 1947 to further his studies at Brown University.
After graduating from Brown with two degrees in applied mathematics: the master of science in 1949 and the doctorate in 1950, Dr. Ostrach returned to Cleveland and served as the Chief of the Fluid Physics Branch, Lewis Research Center (renamed John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in 1999), National Aeronautics and Space Administration, until 1960.
He was a professor of mechanical engineering at Case Institute of Technology (renamed Case Western Reserve University in 1967) and Head of the Division of Fluid, Thermal, and Aerospace Sciences. In 1970, Dr. Ostrach became the Wilbert J. Austin Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, from which he retired in 2005. He was the founding director of the National Center for Microgravity Research (later renamed the National Center for Space Exploration Research) from 1997 to 2005. After his formal retirement, he continued to teach courses at Florida State University, where he had helped design the engineering curriculum.
He made groundbreaking contributions to engineering and the understanding of natural convection and physiologic and microgravity flows. He is the author of a numerous publications in the fields of fluid mechanics and heat transfer.
Dr. Ostrach is a fellow of several prestigious organizations including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He served as the Home Secretary of the National Academy of Engineering for two terms from 1992-2000.
Dr. Ostrach is the recipient of many awards and honors, and professorships at the University of Rhode Island and Florida State University have been established in his name. He has received honorary degrees from: Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (D. Sc., 1986); Florida State University (D. Eng., 1994); University of Rhode Island (D. Sc. 1995), and Brown University (Sc.D., 1997). In 1993, NASA awarded Simon Ostrach the Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest honor NASA awards to persons not employed by the government. In 1994, Brown University honored Dr. Ostrach with the Graduate School Achievement Award.
Dr. Ostrach has completed 16 microgravity flights on a KC-135 and in 2004, at the age of 81, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest person to make a reduced gravity flight.
He married his high school sweetheart from Providence, Rhode Island, Gloria Ostrov, but the couple later divorced. She died in 2008. His second wife was Margaret Ostrach. He had 4 children. Dr. Ostrach died in Ohio on October 16, 2017. He was 93 years old.
There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Simon Ostrach papers, Ms. 2007.005, Brown University Library.
All of the materials within the Simon Ostrach papers are arranged chronologically except where otherwise noted. The papers cover the period from 1940-2005; the bulk of the papers date from 1970 to 2000.
The majority of Dr. Ostrach's papers pertain to his research, the most extensive amount relating to the Surface-Tension Driven Convection Experiments on the United States Microgravity Laboratories (USML-STDCE). The USML-STDCE papers include correspondence, proposals, documentation, analyses, budgets, meetings, Investigators Working Group papers, technical publications, training materials, presentations, publicity, and reference materials.
The general research papers are comprised of Dr. Ostrach's research outside the USML-STDCE project. He gave many presentations on his research and engineering education at professional conferences and to civic groups. Material related to his presentations contains the text as well as slides he used in the presentations.Included in his research proposals are copies of the submitted proposals, drafts, and backup material.
Dr. Ostrach was a prolific writer and the papers contain published material, manuscripts, typescripts, galley proofs, and supporting documents such as charts, photographs, transparencies, and analysis notes. Some of the drafts may contain published material that was not easily identifiable (for example, there may have been no title to identify the material). There are also files related to monograph series edited by Dr. Ostrach and published by Pergamon Press.
Included in the writings is material written by other authors, including colleagues and students. The bulk of the writings by other authors are associated with the Analysis Division of the Air Material Command (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio). In June 1946 the Air Material Command set up a project in the Brown University Graduate Division of Applied Mathematics to review foreign and domestic work in high speed aerodynamics. Documents were screened and, in many instances, translated; many of the technical reports have been translated from German and Russian into English. The writings by other authors are arranged alphabetically by author.
Dr. Ostrach was very active professionally and advocated for engineering through the National Research Council, National Academy of Engineering, and various NASA advisory groups. He also advised a number of colleges and universities in the creation of their engineering departments. For his contributions to the engineering profession Dr. Ostrach was recognized with honors from esteemed organizations such as the American Society for Mechanical Engineers, Florida State University, and Beijing University.
Dr. Ostrach attended and presented at many conferences during his career and material related to those conferences is in the collection. The bulk of material related to conference presentations should be in the first series but copies of some presentations may be found within the conference materials.
While professional correspondence is filed with the projects to which it pertains, a small portion was set apart by Dr. Ostrach and remains grouped separately. This professional correspondence relates mainly to conferences, committees, and reference letters for students.
Material related to Dr. Ostrach's teaching career at Case Western Reserve University includes lecture notes, Ph.D. qualifying exams, and reports. Material related to his early corporate consulting can be found under other employment.
The papers related to Dr. Ostrach's education at Brown University contain class notes, homework, and material related to his theses (masters and doctoral).
The biographical and photograph series contains biographical sketches and articles about Dr. Ostrach as well as the script from a NASA film made about him. The photographs are of Dr. Ostrach and his wife, Margaret.
These papers are arranged into eight series. All of the materials have been arranged chronologically except for papers written by other authors which is alphabetical by author (in Series 2. Writings).
Series 1. Research
Series 2. Writings
Series 3. Professional activities
Series 4. Professional correspondence
Series 5. Teaching
Series 6. Other employment
Series 7. Education
Series 8. Biographical and photographs
The collection was donated to Brown University by Simon Ostrach in 1996. A shipment of boxes was received by the John Hay Library in 2005 and a second shipment was received in 2013.
Additional materials are anticipated for this collection.
RESOURCES BEYOND BROWN UNIVERSITY
Technical publications written by Dr. Ostrach for NASA are available online via NASA's website:
Brown University Library catalog record for this collection:
Numbers correlating to Dr. Ostrach's Technical Publications were written on slide cases or paper attached to the slides. In several instances a topic rather than a number was indicated. The number of topic initials have been written on the current slide enclosures. A copy of Dr. Ostrach's Technical Publications can be found in box 12
The slides in box 23G are 2" x 2"; the slides in box 22 are 4" x 3" plastic slides; the slides in box 23E and 23F are 4" x 3" glass plate negatives; the slides in box 24 are oversize slides; and there are two 16 mm filmstrips in box 23F.
Annotated photocopy.
Annotated photocopy.
General lecture presented at the Symposium on Boundary Layer Research sponsored by the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics in Freiburg, Germany.
Manuscript calculations.
Manuscript draft.
Typescript and journal.
Typescript and manuscript drafts.
Typescript and manuscript drafts.
Typescript and manuscript drafts.
Manuscript drafts and two reprints.
Includes notes and graphs.
Two copies.
Annotated typescript and two reprints.
Typescripts.
Two photocopies.
Three typescripts, one proof, and one reprint.
Two photocopies.
Two typescript drafts.
Two photocopies.
Two copies.
Typescripts, reprint, and correspondence.
Manuscript and two reprints.
Manuscript, typescript, and correspondence.
Typescript.
Annotated photocopy.
Two typescripts.
Manuscript, figures, three typescripts, and one reprint.
Typescripts and reprints.
Typescript.
Three copies (one annotated).
Two typescript and one photocopy.
Author's copy.
Typescript, reprints, and correspondence.
Proof.
Journal, two reprints, and photocopy.
Typescript and photocopy.
Reprint and photocopy.
Three copies.
Typescripts and correspondence.
Two reprints and typescript and manuscript copies.
Typescript and manuscript drafts.
Typescripts and correspondence.
Typescripts and correspondence.
Reprint and photocopy.
Reprint, drafts and backup material.
Manuscript and typescript.
Manuscript draft and author's copies.
Three reprints and typescript draft.
Three reprints.
Three reprints.
Three reprints.
Manuscripts, typescripts, reprint, and correspondence.
Reprint and four photocopies. Proceedings of the Winter Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Boston, MA, November 13-18, 1983.
Two typescripts.
Photocopy.
Reprint, extended abstract, and conference presentation.
Typescript.
Typescript draft and two reprints.
Typescript, reprint, and two photocopies.
Typescript.
Typescript.
Three typescripts.
Two reprints and one photocopy.
Typescript justification and figures.
Journal and two reprints.
Typescript.
Reprints and drafts.
Manuscript.
Manuscripts and typescript.
Three photocopies.
Manuscript draft, typescript, two photocopies, and one author's copy.
Typescripts.
Two reprints.
Typescript and photocopy.
Typescripts and correspondence.
Typescripts.
Two photocopies.
Two typescripts.
Typescript.
Typescripts.
Typescript.
In June 1946 the Analysis Division of the Air Material Command (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio) set up a project in the Brown University Graduate Division of Applied Mathematics to review foreign and domestic work in high speed aerodynamics. Documents were screened and, in many instances, translated; many of the technical reports have been translated from German and Russian into English.
Two copies.
Two copies.
Quotes from National Research Council's Space Studies Board.
Biographical sketch of Simon Ostrach.