Rocket PoweR, InteRstellaR tRavel and eteRnal lIfe

developing an Electro-Magnetic drive and built a
working model of our idea. We didn’t actually
develop drive but did prove that electricity has
weight or that we were hitting the earth’s magnetic
field a terrific wallop?
We laid our model away and haven’t been able to
locate it since. There is substance for a new story. 203
And to the Troy Record (New York) Hungerford
said,
The Human Race is so busy exterminating itself—
time was when men lived to be a thousand or so
years old loosing [sic] that – he tried living thru his
off Spring. Tiring of that he is too busy exterminating
himself. The writer has however a different outlook
on life – in spite of the fact [sic]were taught
from childhood - that three score and ten was - is –
the limit. Getting back more specifically to your
query – the late Dr. R. H. Goddard – patented a lot
of space travel schemes – the problem then as now
was to get off the Earth – to employ them. Some 30
years ago – the writer and my late brother – Floyd
S. Hungerford built a small model of an Electro
Magnetic Space drive – the ideal Machine to – not
only get off the earth and back on – as also on the
other – planets – without breaking our necks.
Showed considerable promise but lacking money
and time we abandoned the project untill [sic] now
but we still have to have help from our government
or others or we may find ourselves stalled for
another third of a century. Wish us luck. 204
Of the Hungerford brothers’ investigation into an
“electromagnetic propulsion system”, Igor Spajic said
this would have used an atomic motor.
Before atomic research narrowed into an orthodoxy
of nuclear fission, the field was wide open. There
were various theories in the 1930’s on how to
extract the usable energy from the atom, and
physics laboratories tried different methods. Did
the unique equations of the Hungerfords give them
some special insight into this problem? What has
become of the lost mathematics? As it was, the
Hungerfords abandoned this line of research during
the 1930’s, admitting candidly that they were
out of their depth. 205
In the 1960s Daniel Hungerford returned to the electromagnetic
space drive. An intriguing open letter of solicitation
from Hungerford, undated but apparently from
1964, notes,
Today, the writer enlisted the help and cooperation
of two young men – Steve Sekella and Pete Oakley
- in the development of an electro-magnetic space
drive useful even in the earths [sic] atmosphere,
and solicit your help in any form and capacity you
may wish to contribute – postage stamps, trading
stamps, or anything we can turn into money; engineering
skill, labor, shop space and equipment,
machinery, etc., etc. 206
The “electro-magnetic space drives” are an intriguing
concept unfortunately not made clear in the letter. But it
seems that by 1964, rockets “in the short span of thirty
odd years” had “proven quite useless as a means of
propulsion for solar and for interstellar travel.”
H. Steven Sekella and Peter Oakley, graduates of
Elmira Free Academy in 1963, assisted the Hungerford
brothers, especially Daniel. Sekella notes Daniel
Hungerford wanted to set up the electro-magnetic
space drive model in the yard outside the Hungerford
house; Sekella and Oakley would have been happy to
oblige for “With Dan we were ready for everything.”
Sekella, some forty-five years later recalls seeing the
model, but doesn’t know what happened to it. And he
does not understand “what the project really was.” 207
In a letter to Marvin on August 13, 1964, Hungerford
wrote unhappily that “Mr. Sekella is on leave from the
armed forces but leaves for Germany this weekend. Mr.
Oakley is attending an Industrial College in Corning,
N.Y., so the writer will get little help from them for some
time.”
In September 1966, Hungerford made a drawing of
the electro-magnetic space drive apparatus. Both the
drawing and the accompanying explanation carry a
date of conception, June 1, 1934, as well as the name of
the inventors, Daniel David and Floyd S. Hungerford.
The drawing was signed by John L. Sherman, a friend,
on September 27, 1966, as a “witness.” Hungerford’s
notes listed:
Alphabetical letters are employed here to designate
the component parts of a model of our idea of an
electro-magnetic space drive – method - of driving
craft through the universe – as - opposed to rockets.
A – represents the blades of modern helicopters –
with copper windings installed – inside – if – possible
– otherwise auxiliary – blades – will –have – to
be built - with – the –necessary copper coils - and
–mounted – on – the – vertical shaft – and – above
– the – present – airfoils.
B – shows – copper – coil – M – section
C – is – verticle [sic] - shaft
D – is –blade –hub
E – E – is [sic?] collecter [sic] ring
F – shows –plan – of –blade
Chapter Seven: To the Stars by “Electronic-Magnetic Space Drive” 51