James Hart Wyld

Who was James Hart Wyld?

James Hart Wyld was an American engineer and rocketry scientist.

In 1931 he joined the American Interplanetary Society, later renamed the American Rocket Society. He worked on many of the early tests of liquid-propellant rockets by the society. Meanwhile he completed his B.S. in mechanical engineering at Princeton University in 1935.

In 1936 he developed the concept of a regeneratively cooled liquid rocket motor. This uses a double-hulled rocket nozzle that allows the rocket fuel to circulate as a coolant. A version of this rocket motor was tested by the American Rocket Society on December 10, 1938 at New Rochelle, New York. The design produced a thrust of 90 pounds force that lasted for 13 seconds, and the steel chamber and nozzle were successfully protected by the design. This cooling design became the basis of all modern liquid-propellant rocket motors.

In 1941 he helped to found Reaction Motors, Inc., serving as secretary and research director. This was the first commercial rocket company in the United States. RMI's first Navy contract produced an engine capable of 1,000 pounds force that was employed for JATO.