Samuel Pierpont Langley (1834-1906), third secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was founder of its Astrophysical Observatory. While Allegheny Observatory director he invented a bolometer. He developed a working wing and in 1896 conducted the first successful flight of an unmanned, heavier-than-air flying machine.
Samuel P. Langley was named an Honorary Member of the Astronomical and Physical Society of Toronto on 1894-01-09.
Orbit type: Main Belt Asteroid
Reference: MPC 52322
Name:
Langley
Number:
3866
Designation:
1988 BH4
Disc. Date:
1988-01-20
Discoverer:
Debehogne, H.
Disc. Place:
ESO