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Charles Stark Draper
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Charles Stark Draper (October 2, 1901 – July 25,1987) was an American scientist and engineer, often referred to as "the father of inertial navigation."
in Windsor, Missouri, he attended the University of Missouri in 1917, then transferred to Stanford University, California in 1919, from which he earned a B.A. in psychology in 1922. After Stanford, he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from which he earned an S.B. in electrochemical engineering in 1926, and an S.M. and Sc.D. in physics in 1928 and 1938 respectively.
He started teaching while at MIT, first as an assistant, then quickly became a full professor in aeronautical engineering in 1939.
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Encyclopedia
Charles Stark Draper (October 2, 1901 – July 25,1987) was an American scientist and engineer, often referred to as "the father of inertial navigation."
Life and work
Born in Windsor, Missouri, he attended the University of Missouri in 1917, then transferred to Stanford University, California in 1919, from which he earned a B.A. in psychology in 1922. After Stanford, he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from which he earned an S.B. in electrochemical engineering in 1926, and an S.M. and Sc.D. in physics in 1928 and 1938 respectively.
He started teaching while at MIT, first as an assistant, then quickly became a full professor in aeronautical engineering in 1939. It was here that he founded the Instrumentation Laboratory in the 1930s, later spun off as The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
His interest in flight instrumentation also spun from becoming a pilot with an engineering training in the 1930s: although he failed to become an Air Corps pilot., he learned to fly by enrolling in a civilian course.
Draper invented and developed inertial navigation, a technology used in aircraft, space vehicles, and submarines which allows such vehicles to navigate by sensing changes in direction, using gyroscopes, and speed, using accelerometers. A pioneering figure in the aircraft engineering field, he also contributed to the Apollo space program with his knowledge of guidance systems. For his inventions and contributions, Draper was inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1981.
The Charles Stark Draper Prize is a prominent prize in engineering devoted to the memory of Charles Stark Draper. Charles Stark Draper's relatives were rather prominent in his Missouri birthplace, including his cousin, Governor Lloyd C. Stark.
Further reading
- Inventing accuracy : an historical sociology of nuclear missile guidance by Donald MacKenzie, MIT Press, 1990.
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