N A V A L • R E S E A R C H • L A B O R A T O R 

ACHIEVEMENTS

BOOK of

THE 

LITTLE

BIG

NRL 2000

As the numbers roll back to zeros, the urge is to

pause and reflect. Where have we been, and where

are we going? At the Naval Research Laboratory,

fresh from celebrating our first 75 years, we’re look

ing both fore and aft, reviewing what we’ve done an

what we do so that we may better navigate our

course into the next millenium.

In 1999, we are a crew of 3000, about half of us

scientists and engineers. We represent most of the

major scientific disciplines and a host of supporting

functions. We remain uniquely positioned to

respond to the country’s call for scientific and

technological solutions.

As shown in these pages, we can boast a proud

history of rising to the moment. Perhaps our long

and impressive string of successes cannot be represented adequately by the 35 short histories offered

here. Nevertheless, we hope that this little book wi

give you a taste of NRL’s accomplishments and the

time frames in which they occurred. While it is

understood that large projects, from conceptualization to completion, generally go beyond easily

traceable dates, we present here ranges of years in

which the preponderance of work was accomplishe

for each achievement. We also present a primary

reference for each achievement at the back of this

book.

As we look back upon our successes, we pledge

to apply our varied skills, our unique facilities, and

our multidisciplinary approach to meeting problems

head-on to the continued betterment of the U.S.

Navy and the country.
1920s-1930s

The Naval Research Laboratory’s

Robert F. Mehl used gamma-ray

radiography as a shadowgraphic technique to investigate the extent of

suspected flaws in the sternpost

castings and welds of new U.S. Navy

heavy cruisers. NRL’s efforts established gamma-ray radiography’s

usefulness in nondestructive testing

of metal castings and welds. This

innovation improved the production

of high-quality steel for armor, ship

frames, and fittings, thus contributing

immeasurably to American seapower.

Gamma-Ray

Radiography

NRL invented and developed the first

modern U.S. radar. Researchers first

surmised the principles behind it in 1922

upon observing “phase distortion” in radio

waves

reflected

from a steamer on the Potomac River.

In December 1934, NRL’s Robert Page

demonstrated the world’s first pulsed

radar. In 1939, NRL installed

the first operational radar

aboard the battleship USS

New York, in time for radar to

contribute to the victories of

the Coral Sea, Midway, and

Guadalcanal. Today, radar is a

major player in transportation, weather forecasting,

astronomy, and automation.

(Ref. 1)

(Ref. 2)

R. Mehl

1922-39

Invention of U.S. Radar

R. Page
1

9

2

5

1

9

2

6

(Ref. 

E.O. Hulburt

A.H. Taylor

NRL’s discovery of the principles behind “skip-distance effect” lai

the basis for modern HF wave propagation theory. “Skip distanc

effect” refers to radio signals reappearance at a considerable

distance varying with frequency, time of day, and season. NRL’s

modification of Sir J. Larmor’s

theory on HF propagation

explained the effect based on

experimental data. This in

turn led to NRL’s later

invention of over-thehorizon radar.

Proposal 1939 of a Nuclear Submarine

Soon after the discovery of atomic fission, Enrico Fermi addressed

a meeting of Navy officials and civilian scientists. While other

meeting participants dreamed of nuclear weapons, NRL’s Ross Gunn

envisioned using nuclear power for submarine propulsion. His efforts

would make NRL the first

to conceive, propose, and

investigate this revolutionary concept. The atomicpowered submarine would

become one of the most

formidable weapons

systems ever devised.

(Ref. 4)

Radio Propagation and the

“Skip-Distance” Effect
1939-1940

Pioneering research by NRL yielded the first

separation of uranium isotopes by the

liquid thermal diffusion process,

invented by NRL’s Philip Abelson.

This process was one of the three

methods used by the Manhattan

Project to obtain the enriched

uranium necessary to make the

first atomic bombs. The

uranium separation plant in

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was

built in 1944 to the blueprints

of NRL’s plant.

When NRL demonstrated the first

U.S. radar, the XAF, during Fleet

exercises in 1939, a clear need

arose for a display that would show the range and bearing of all targets

“visible” to the radar. NRL responded by developing the PPI, with its

well-known round face and sweeping hand. It was also being developed

independently in England at the same time although neither country

knew of the other’s work. The PPI is now used worldwide in detection,

navigation, air traffic control, and object identification radar systems.

(Ref. 5)

(Ref. 6)

Plan-Position

Indicator

Liquid

 Thermal

 Diffusion

1944 Process

1939-
First Far-Ultraviolet

Spectrum of the Sun

When the U.S. military needed

lubricants that could maximize

the performance of their new gas turbine-powered aircraft, especially i

combat, NRL answered the call. NRL chemists conducted fundamental

studies relating molecular structure to lubrication and temperature/

viscosity and then used the

results to develop

the first hydrocarbon

ester lubricants. By

the early 1950s,

NRL-developed

lubricants were used

in Navy turbine

engine aircraft and

soon after in virtually

all military and civilian gas

turbine-powered aircraft.

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○

○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○

(Ref. 

(Ref. 8)

R. Tousey

W. Zisman

Synthetic Lubricant

1947

1 

• 9 

• 4 

• 6

By using captured German V-2 rockets, NRL obtained the first

far-ultraviolet spectrum of the Sun from beyond the atmospher

boundary. This feat was featured on the front page of the

Washington Post and later in the New York Times, Times Herald,

and Washington Star. More importantly, this

achievement heralded the birth of both spacebased astronomy and the U.S. Navy’s space

program.
H. Friedman

(Ref. 9)

(Ref. 10)

NRL’s G.R. Irwin pioneered

modern fracture mechanics. He

studied the relationships

between applied stresses and

cracks or other defects in

metallic materials and enabled

the first calculations of the

strength of structures containing defects. NRL used those

principles to solve commercial jet aircraft and Polaris missile fracture

problems. Fracture mechanics is used worldwide to design such

critical structures as nuclear reactor pressure vessels, aircraft,

submarines, and toxic material storage tanks.

First Detection of

X Rays from the Sun

Again using a V-2 rocket, NRL first detected X

rays from the Sun, confirming that the Sun is the

principal cause of ionization in the E region of

the Earth’s ionosphere. This greatly improved

understanding of the Sun’s effect on radio

communication, especially at HF frequencies.

NRL’s H. Friedman, who directed this effort,

received the National Medal of Science and the

Wolf Foundation Prize in recognition of his

contributions to X-ray astronomy.

1949

1947 The Principles of

Fracture

Mechanics
NRL’s pioneering research in fracture mechanics soon met its first pr

tical application – the failure of combat aircraft canopies, which was a

serious source of fatal accidents. NRL researchers gauged the toughn

of canopy materials by shattering hundreds of aircraft canopies with

projectiles and then carefully reassembling them to trace the crack pa

This research led to collaborative efforts with the Air Force and

commercial manufacturers

to introduce stretched

acrylic plastic for military

canopies, which provides

increased toughness,

reduced weight, and prolonged service life, and is

now in use in both military

and commercial aircraft.

1952-1963

(Ref. 11)

(Ref. 12)

Why did Liberty ships in

WWII break up dockside

in calm waters?

Fracture Test Technology

Needing to build reliable

ships and to safeguard their

crews, the Navy turned to

NRL for the answers. NRL responded by developing new engineering

approaches to designing ships and selecting materials based on

metallurgical principles. Research in brittle fractures is still relevant for

today’s high-performance Navy craft and armaments. NRL-developed

test methods, including the Dynamic Tear Test and the Explosion Bulge

Test, have been applied to submarine design and to proving the superio

fracture resistance of HY-80 steel.

Fracture Test Technology

Improved Aircraft Canopy

and Window Materials

1953-196
NRL conducted the first American satellite

program, Project Vanguard, as the U.S.

participation in an international

effort to study the Earth’s physical

properties. NRL’s task was to design,

build, launch, place into earth-orbit,

and track an artificial satellite

carrying a scientific experiment. The

contractor for the rocket project

was the Glenn L. Martin Company.

The program culminated with the

successful launch of the three-stage

Vanguard I on March 17, 1958, only

21⁄2 years after program startup, less

than half the time previously needed

to successfully launch a new rocket.

(Ref. 13)

(Ref. 14)

Vanguard Program

The Rocket 1955-59

1955-59

After the U.S.S.R. launched Sputnik I in 1957, tracking

foreign satellites became a major national security issue.

Designed by NRL as Project Vanguard’s tracking component, “Minitrack” demonstrated its capabilities by predicting and tracking the orbits of

Sputnik I and Explorer I before

being applied to Vanguard I in

March 1958. As the world’s first

satellite tracking system,

“Minitrack” was the prototype

for tracking networks created

for Project Mercury missions

and ushered in the era of space

surveillance.

Vanguard Program

Minitrack and Space Surveillance
Over-the-Horizon Radar

NRL’s Project Vanguard was a progenitor of American space exploration. Vanguard I achieved the highest altitude of any man-made vehicle

to that time, confirmed the

Earth’s pear shape, initiated

the use of miniature circuits

and was the first satellite to

use solar cells as a power

source. Vanguard II, launched

in February of 1959, was th

first satellite to observe and

record the Earth’s cloud

cover, thus becoming the

forerunner of future

meteorological satellites.

When NRL

demonstrated

the MADRE

(Magnetic Drum

Radar Equipment) in 1961, i

pioneered HF

over-the-horizo

radar, which can

detect targets a

distances and

altitudes beyond

the line of sight.

Overcoming the horizon limit gave radar an order of magnitude or

more increase in range, and formed the basis for the Air Force’s

continental air defense radar and the Navy’s Relocatable Over-theHorizon Radar (ROTHR).

1955-1961

(Ref. 15)

(Ref. 16)

Vanguard Program 1955-59 The Satellites and the Science
•1960•

America’s First Operational

Intelligence Satellite

NRL’s Galactic Radiation

and Background I

(GRAB I) satellite was

the first U.S. operational

intelligence satellite. It

was launched in June

1960, only 52 days after

a U-2 was lost on a mission over Soviet

territory. When GRAB I began sending

space-intercepted electronic intelligence

signals back to Earth, it proved that a spacecraft could collect as much information as

all sea, air, and land-based reconnaissance

platforms within the satellite’s field-of-view.

But it could do so at a fraction of the cost

and with no personnel risk. The intelligence

information it gathered helped to keep the

Cold War

“cold.”

(Ref. 17)
Deep Ocean Search

We can indirectly thank NRL for those ghostly images of the HMS

Titanic’s final resting place. NRL pioneered this field of crucial importance to the Navy when it responded in 1963 to an undersea tragedy.

On April 10 of that year, the nuclear submarine USS Thresher and its

crew of 129 were lost 260 miles east of Boston. NRL-developed deep

towing technology was called into action. After an eight-month delay

due to bad weather, the search resumed, and NRL’s “fish” (a deep-towe

heavily instrumented unmanned vehicle) detected the Thresher’s hull

after only eight hours of searching

the seafloor. Its photos were later

assembled to show the major parts

of the sunken submarine. NRL

later helped locate and recover a

lost H-bomb, and locate and

photograph the lost USS Scorpion

submarine, the deep submersible

Alvin, and the French submarine

Eurydice.

1963-1970

1961-1975

Nuclear

Reactor

Safety

Starting in the early 1960

NRL’s fracture-test

technology was applied t

the Nuclear Regulatory

Commission’s testing of

nuclear reactor pressure vessels. NRL evaluated the safety of 12-inchthick steel as a function of thickness and temperature. This multiyear

effort’s results are reflected in the ASME Code rules for the operation

of nuclear pressure vessels, and a 1975 book by NRL’s L. E. Steele

became a landmark guide for specialists worldwide. All military and

civilian power reactors that feature a steel pressure shell are designed

or operated, or both, on the fracture principles developed by NRL.

(Ref. 18)

(Ref. 19)
TIMATION and

NAVSTAR GPS

Aqueous Film-Forming Foam

All branches of the U.S. military

and NATO, and almost all fire

departments throughout the U.S.

and many around the world use

AFFF, which was developed by

NRL in the early 1960s to fight

hydrocarbon-based fires aboard

ships. AFFF’s unique, self-healing

capability enables rapid firefighting

and also prevents reignition and

evaporation of the extinguished

fuel.

1964-1966

1964-1977

NRL’s TIMATION (TIMe/navigATION) program was the progenitor of the

NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS). The TIMATION concept led

to NRL’s invention and development of the first satellite prototypes of the

GPS. The 1967 TIMATION I and 1969 TIMATION II satellite missions were

proof-of-concept for a revolutionary navigation system that would use

passive ranging techniques and highly

accurate clocks to provide threedimensional (longitude, latitude, and

altitude) coverage throughout the

world. In 1993, the National Aeronautics Association honored the GPS

team for “the most significant

development for safe and efficient

navigation and surveillance of air and

spacecraft since the introduction of

radio navigation 50 years ago.”

(Ref. 20)

(Ref. 21)
Specific Emitter Identification

As a result of research performed

for the Defense Nuclear Agency in

the late 1960s, NRL developed a new

technique for solving fluid dynamic

continuity equations using computers. Named flux-corrected transport

(FCT), the technique enabled far more accurate calculation of shoc

and steep gradient phenomena by eliminating oscillations, ripples, a

numerical diffusion. FCT has been adopted by over 500 laboratori

universities, and companies, and applied to defense and civilian use

ranging from missile silo design to solar weather prediction.

1977-1988 In a crucial advance in electronic intelligence gathering, NRL

scientists discovered how to uniquely identify specific radar

transmitters by their particular signal “fingerprint,” catalog the

radar’s host platforms, and “handoff” these emitters for tracking by

other systems. The National Security Agency recognized NRL’s

concept and equipment in 1993 as the SEI national standard after a

competition among industry and other service laboratories. SEI

systems are currently deployed on ships, aircraft, submarines, and

ground sites throughout the armed services.

The technology behind the late

1990s technique for surgically

correcting vision through corneal sculpting sprang from NRL

discovery by S. Searles and

G. Hart of the first excimer las

These lasers operate in the ult

violet, propagate through gas, a

have short-duration pulses that

enable the study of fast processes. They can be more tightly focus

than can visible spectrum lasers and are more efficient than other

UV lasers. This new class of lasers has become a new tool for

fundamental research in biology and medicine, and for photolithographic production of semiconductor integrated circuit chips.

Flux-Corrected Transport

1975-1979

Excimer Laser Technology

1970-1976

(Ref. 22)

(Ref. 24)

(Ref. 2
Fiber-Optic

 Interferometric

 Acoustic Sensors

NRL demonstrated the world’s

first fiber-optic interferometric

acoustic sensor in 1977. In

1979, NRL received the first

U.S. patent for an optical interferometric sensor to measure external fields. Although

early work focused on acoustics, NRL’s device was

considered to be adaptable to other external perturbations, such as

electric and magnetic fields and temperatures, depending on the fiber

coating and mounting structure used. NRL’s follow-on fiber-optic sensor

system (FOSS) program was the first Navy/DoD project to center on

the development of fiber interferometric sensors. Future applications of

this technology should result in more accurate acoustic, magnetic,

electric, thermal, vibration, and flow sensors and, in turn, impact military

operations, medical care, and nondestructive evaluation.

Pioneering work by NRL led

directly to the discovery by three

other laboratories in France and

Germany, of the giant magnetoresistance effect of Fe/Cr multilayers grown

epitaxially on GaAs. The use of magnetic films on semiconductors for

sensors is now widespread. This technology is now commonly found worldwide in read heads for computer hard

disks and will impact the $100 B annual

magnetic computer memory market. It also

promises better performance of satellites,

missile guidance, and aircraft navigation.

G.A. Prinz

J.J. Krebs

1979-1982 Magnetic Materials

 and Semiconductor

 Technology

1977-1990

(Ref. 25)

(Ref. 26)
(Ref. 27)

(Ref. 28)

NRL’s N.C. Koon was the first

scientist to explore the rare-earthiron-boron alloys’ magnetic

properties for use as permanent

magnet materials. NRL did the first

work in this area and holds the

fundamental U.S. patents. These

materials are attracting both military

and industry interest for their

potential application to microwave

tubes, sensors, electric motors and

generators, computer peripherals,

and faster, more compact actuators.

Semi-Insulating

Gallium Arsenide Crystals

N.C. Koon

B. Bas

NRL in the 1970s developed a method of growing high-purity single

crystals of gallium arsenide (GaAs), thus sparking tremendous growth i

the production and use of GaAs semiconductors. The high purity allow

ion-implantation of the crystals to produce micrometer and millimete

wave devices and integrated circuits. NRL was also instrument

in transferring the technology to industry. Starting from

an investment of only $528,000, NRL research yielde

a technique estimated by the Navy in a 1986 stud

to save the Department of

D e f e n s e approximately

$560 M between 1979

and 1989. The technique

also was less expensive to

perform, and thus brought the U.S

more than 65% of the GaAs wafer production business in 1997 compa

with virtually zero percent in 1980. This technology is the basis of man

military radar, weapons, and communications systems, and commercial

radar, satellite, and cellular communications systems.

1979-1989

Permanent Magnet Materials

1980-1985
(Ref. 30)

This new measurement technique,

developed and implemented by

NRL, has revolutionized experimental acoustics in the area of

noise characterization and control

throughout the world. From a

single array measurement, GENAH

can provide a complete global

analysis of the vibration, radiation,

and scattering of structures in air

and underwater. This has

significantly improved efforts to produce quieter U.S.

submarines. Major acoustical measurement companies

have applied this technology to noise control in

automotive and aerospace industries.

Generalized Nearfield Acoustical

Holography (GENAH)

NRL’s demonstration of long-term, inertial-quality performance in a

fiber-optic gyroscope was a pivotal milestone in the device’s development into a practical, precision navigation instrument. With a longer

lifetime, higher reliability, and lower weight, size, and cost than spinning

mass gyroscopes currently in

use, the fiber-optic devices

represented a revolution in

rotation-sensing technology.

These devices are impacting

both military and commercial navigation and are being

produced in the U.S., Europe,

and Japan.

1982-1998

Optical Fiber Gyroscope

1983-1986

(Ref. 29)
Molecular Structure

Analysis and the Nobel Prize

1®9®8®5

NRL’s J. Karle and H. Hauptman were awarded

the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in

1985 for devising direct

methods of determining

complex crystal

structures by using

X-ray diffraction

analysis.

I. Karle,

building on

this work,

developed

methods tha

led to the

analysis and

publication o

the molecular

structures of

many thousands

of complicated

molecules annually.

This methodology ha

enabled the characterization of potent toxins

antitoxins, heart drugs,

antibiotics, anti-addictiv

substances, anticarcinogens, anti-malarials, an

explosives and

propellants. H. Hauptman

J. Karle and I. Karle

(Ref. 31)
Navy Operational Global Atmospheric

Prediction System

NOGAPS is a unified global weather analysis/forecast system that predicts the weather in areas of DoD operations worldwide. This NRLdeveloped system provides global atmospheric and oceanographic

support, including cloud cover prediction, estimation of weather effects

on weapon systems, tropical

cyclone formation

and movement,

and high seas

warnings. Other

government users

of NOGAPS

weather products

include the Coast

Guard, NOAA,

and DoE.

Application of Nuclear

 Quadrupole Resonance

 for Detection of

 Explosives and Narcotics

1987-1997

NRL applied nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) to

the detection of explosives and

narcotics, thus giving a major

boost to the U.S. war against

drug smuggling and terrorism.

NRL overcame several major

technological impediments in

fielding the equipment and transferred the technology to industry for

production. This NRL-developed technology has been recommended for

use in airports for package and baggage scanning, and is under investigation for mine detection, which is a worldwide military and humanitarian

priority.

Application of Nuclear

 Quadrupole Resonance

 for Detection of

 Explosives and Narcotics

1988-1992

1987-1997

(Ref. 32)

(Ref. 33)
A joint NASA/DoD study concluded in 1991

that a deep space mission could test Ballistic

Missile Defense Organization technological

developments and simultaneously yield

significant scientific return by imaging both th

Moon and the asteroid Geographos. NRL was

tasked with mission design, spacecraft

engineering, spacecraft manufacture and test,

launch vehicle integration, terrestrial support,

and flight operations. When NRL successfully

placed the Clementine satellite in lunar orbit in

1994, the U.S. returned to the Moon for the

first time since the Apollo missions. Clementin

completed a high-quality multispectral mappin

mission of the entire lunar surface. These

images will help answer questions in lunar

geology and evolution. The mission also

proved that the “faster, better, cheaper” goal

was attainable: NRL built the satellite in only

22 months (half the usual time) and for 1/5 th

usual cost of similar space probes.

Deep Space Program

Science Experiment

(Clementine)

 1991-1994 

(Ref. 34)
Decadal Impact of El Niño

1994

Scientists thought that

the long-range effects of El Niño

events were restricted to changes

transmitted through the atmosphere. But

NRL research showed for the first time that the

oceanic effects of El Niño events can be extremely

long-lived, and indeed may have influenced weather

patterns across North America for a decade. Discover

Magazine named NRL’s discovery of the decadal impact

of El Niño one of the top 75 science stories of 1994.

(Ref. 35)
References

1. Gamma-Ray Radiography – Mehl, R.F., Doan, G.E., and

Barrett, C.S., “Radiography by the Use of Gamma Rays,”

Transactions of the American Society for Steel Treating, Chicago,

1930.

2. Invention of U.S. Radar – U.S. Patents: No. 1,981,884 to

Taylor, A.H., Hyland, L., and Young, L.C., “System for Detecting

Objects by Radio,” 1934; No. 2,512,673 to Page, R.M., “Radio

Pulse Duplexing System,” 1950; Page, R.M., laboratory notebook 171, Vol. III, March 1934; and NRL letter to the Bureau

of Engineering, 11 June 1936, in File S-S67-5 #1, National

Archives.

3. Radio Propagation and the “Skip-Distance Effect” –

Taylor, A.H. and Hulburt, E.O., “The Propagation of Radio

Waves Over the Earth,” Physical Review, 27 (1926).

4. Proposal of a Nuclear Submarine – Gunn, R., Memorandum for the Director, Subj. “Submarine Submerged

Propulsion — Uranium Power Source,” June 1, 1939.

5. Plan-Position Indicator – “Report of Progress Problem

W5-2S,” NRL letter to Bureau of Engineering, S-S67/36, ser.

135, February 26, 1940.

6. Liquid Thermal Diffusion Process – Ruskin, R.E., “Separation of Isotopes,” NRL Progress Report (September 1947).

7. First Far-Ultraviolet Spectrum of the Sun – Durand, E.,

Oberly, J.J., and Tousey, R., “Solar Absorption Lines Between

2950 and 2200 Angstroms,” Physical Review, Vol. 71 (1947).

8. Synthetic Lubricants – Bried, E.H., Kidder, H.F., Murphy,

C.M., and Zisman, W.A., “Synthetic Lubricant Fluids from

Branched-Chain Diesters, Physical and Chemical Properties

of Pure Diesters,” Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol. 39

(1947).

9. The Principles of Fracture Mechanics – Irwin, G.R.,

“Fracture Dynamics,” Fracturing of Metals (ASM, Cleveland,

1948), pp. 147-166.
10. First Detection of X Rays from the Sun – Friedman, H.,

Lichtman, S.W., and Byram, E.T., “Photon Counter Measurements of Solar X-Rays and Extreme Ultraviolet Light,”

Physical Review, Vol. 83, 1025-1030 (1951).

11. Fracture Test Technology – Pellini, W.S., “Use and Interpretation of the NRL Explosion Bulge Test,” NRL Report

4034, September 4, 1952.

12. Improved Aircraft Canopy and Window Materials –

Kies, J.A., “Aircraft Glazing Materials, A Method for Evaluating

the Shatter Resistance of Aircraft Canopy Materials,” NRL

Memorandum Report 237, November 1953.

13. Vanguard Program – The Rocket – “A Scientific Satellite

Proposal,” by the Rocket Development Branch of the

Atmospheric & Astrophysics Division, NRL Memorandum

Report 487, April 13, 1955.

14. Vanguard Program – Minitrack and Space Surveillance – “A Scientific Satellite Proposal,” by the Rocket

Development Branch of the Atmospheric & Astrophysics

Division, NRL Memorandum Report 487, April 13, 1955.

15. Over-the-Horizon Radar – Page, R.M. and George, S.F.,

“Magnetic Drum Storage Applied to Surveillance Radar,”

NRL Report 4878, January 1957.

16. Vanguard Program – The Satellites and the Science –

“A Scientific Satellite Proposal,” by the Rocket Development

Branch of the Atmospheric & Astrophysics Division, NRL

Memorandum Report 487, April 13, 1955.

17. America’s First Operational Intelligence Satellite –

Secretary of Defense McElroy letter to President

Eisenhower, August 18, 1959.

18. Nuclear Reactor Safety – Pellini, W.S. and Puzak, P.P.,

“Practical Considerations in Applying Laboratory Fracture

Test Criteria to Fracture-Safe Design of Pressure Vessels,”

Journal of Engineering for Power, October 1964.

19. Deep Ocean Search – Spies, F.N. and Maxwell, A.E.,

“Search for the Thresher,” Science, Vol. 145, No. 3630 (July 24,

1964).
20. Aqueous Film-Forming Foam – U.S. Patent #3,258,423

to Tuve, R.L. and Jablonski, E.J., “Method of Extinguishing

Hydrocarbon Fires,” June 1966.

21. TIMATION and NAVSTAR GPS – U.S. Patent No.

3,789,409 to Easton, R.L., “Navigation System Using

Satellites and Passive Ranging Techniques,” January 29, 1974.

22. Flux-Corrected Transport – Boris, J.P. and Book, D.L.,

“Flux-Corrected Transport. I. SHASTA, A Fluid Transport

Algorithm That Works,” Journal of Computational Physics,

Vol. 11, 38 (1973).

23. Excimer Laser Technology – U.S. Patent No. 4,143,336

to Searles, S. and Hart, G., “Xenon Bromide (XeBr) Excimer

Laser,” March 6, 1979.

24. Specific Emitter Identification – Goodwin, R.L., “System

for Classifying Pulsed Radio-Frequency Modulation,” NRL

Classified Patent Disclosure No. 772,602, February 10, 1977.

25. Fiber-Optic Interferometric Acoustic Sensors –

Bucaro, J.A., Dardy, H.D., and Carome, E.F., “Optical Fiber

Acoustic Sensor,” Applied Optics 16, 1761-1762 (July 1977).

26. Magnetic Materials and Semiconductor Technology –

Prinz, G.A. and Krebs, J.J., “Molecular Beam Epitaxial Growth

of Single-Crystal Fe Films on GaAs,” Applied Physics Letters,

Vol. 39, No. 5, 397-399 (1981).

27. Semi-Insulating Gallium Arsenide Crystals – Swiggard,

E.M., Lee, S.H., and Von Batchelder, F.W., “GaAs Synthesized

in Pyrolytic Boron Nitride,” Gallium Arsenide and Related

Com-pounds 1976 (Institute of Physics Conference Series

33b), p. 23.

28. Permanent Magnet Materials – Koon, N.C. and Das,

B.N., “Magnetic Properties of Amorphous and Crystallized

(Fe0.82B0.18)0.9Tb0.05La0.05,” Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 39, No. 10

(1981).

29. Generalized Nearfield Acoustical Holography – U.S.

Patent No. 4,415,996 to Maynard, J.D. and Williams, E.G.,

“Nonwavelength-limited Holographic Sound Field

Reconstruction,” November 15, 1983.
30. Optical Fiber Gyroscope – Burns, W.K., Moeller, R.P.,

Villarruel, C.A., and Abebe, M., “Fiber Optic Gyroscope with

Polarization Holding Fiber,” Optics Letters 8, 540 (1983).

31. Molecular Structure Analysis and the Nobel Prize –

Karle, J. and Hauptman, H., “The Phases and Magnitudes of

the Structure Factor,” Acta Crystallographica, Vol. 3, 181

(1950).

32. Application of Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance for

Detection of Explosives and Narcotics – Garroway,

A.N., Miller, J.B., and Buess, M.L., “Explosives Detection by

Pure 14N NQR,” Proceedings of the First International

Symposium on Explosive Detection Technology, 435 (1992).

33. Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction

System – Hogan, T.F. and Rosmond, T.E., “The Description

of Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction

System’s Spectral Forecast Model,” Monthly Weather Review,

Vol. 119, 1786-1815 (1991).

34. Deep Space Program Science Experiment

(Clementine) – Nozette, S., Rustan, P., Pleasance, L.P.,

Horan, D.M., Regeon, P., et al., “The Clementine Mission to

the Moon: Scientific Overview,” Science, Vol. 266, 1835-1839

(1994).

35. Decadal Impact of El Niño – Jacobs, G.A., Hurlburt, H.E.,

Kindle, J.C., Metzger, E.J., Mitchell, J.L., Teague, W.J., and

Wallcraft, A.J., “Decade-Scale Trans-Pacific Propagation and

Warming Effects of an El Niño Anomaly,” Nature, Vol. 370,

360-363 (1994).
Cover photos/images captions:

1. This colorized image showing the full Earth 

the lunar north pole was adapted from data

taken by Clementine in March 1994.

2. The Galactic Radiation and Background (G

satellite was the first U.S. reconnaissance

satellite system.

3. Launch of NRL’s Vanguard rocket from Cap

Canaveral.

4. This plot shows the deviation of Pacific Oc

sea surface temperatures in 1992-1993 from

the mean values of the previous seven years

This deviation is evidence of decadal impact 

the 1982-1983 El Niño climatic event.

5. The Robert J. Collier Trophy was awarded i

1992 to the Global Positioning System team

composed of researchers from NRL, the U.

Force, and three private corporations.

6. Dr. Jerome Karle receives the 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistr

from King Carl Gustav XVI of Sweden.

7. Dr. Robert Page stands next to an antenna developed to test 

performance of the 200 MHz radar installed on the USS Lear

8. Image of the Sun in Helium II at 304Å from the Extreme Ultr

let Imaging Telescope on the SOHO satellite.

Reviewed and Approved

NRL/PU/1001--99-393

March 2000

Dr. Timothy Coffey

Director of Research

Editors

Saul Oresky and Don DeYoung

Design/Creative Services

Jan D. Morrow

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Naval Research Laboratory VAL

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RY

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