Charles Stark Draper[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1901-10-02)October 2, 1901 |
| Died | July 25, 1987(1987-07-25) (aged 85) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | MIT (B.S., 1926; M.S., 1936; Sc.D., 1938) Stanford University (B.A., Psychology, 1922) |
| Awards | Magellanic Premium(1959) National Medal of Science(1964) Daniel Guggenheim Medal(1966) Rufus Oldenburger Medal(1971) Allan D. Emil Memorial Award(1977) Control Heritage Award(1981) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Control theory |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Thesis | The physical processes accompanying detonation in the internal combustion engine (1938) |
| Doctoral advisor | Philip M. Morse |
| Doctoral students | Yao-Tzu Li Robert Seamans |
Charles Stark "Doc"Draper (October 2, 1901 – July 25, 1987) was an Americanscientist andengineer, known as the "father ofinertial navigation".[2] He was the founder and director of theMassachusetts Institute of Technology's Instrumentation Laboratory, which was later spun out of MIT to become the non-profitCharles Stark Draper Laboratory.
Beginning in the 1940s, Draper developed inertial guidance systems for aircraft. In World War II, Draper invented the first lead-computinggunsights for aircraft, and later applying similar technology to missile guidance systems. In 1954, Draper's application of inertial controls to computerized autopilot allowed the Instrumentation Lab to conduct the first coast-to-coast unmanned flight. The lab also made theApollo Moon landings possible through theApollo Guidance Computer it designed forNASA. In 1960, Draper was one of the scientists recognized asTime magazine'sMen of the Year.
Draper was born inWindsor, Missouri. He attended theUniversity of Missouri in 1917, then transferred toStanford University, California in 1919, from which he earned aB.A. inpsychology in 1922. He matriculated at MIT in 1922, earning aBachelor of Science degree inelectrochemical engineering (1926), andMaster of Science (1928), and aDoctor of Science (1938) degrees inphysics.[3] Charles Stark Draper's relatives were prominent in his home state ofMissouri, including his cousin, GovernorLloyd C. Stark.
Draper began teaching at MIT as an assistant professor. He was appointed a full professor inaeronautical engineering in 1939. It was here that he founded the Instrumentation Laboratory in the 1930s, spun off in 1973 as theCharles Stark Draper Laboratory.[4]
Draper's interest in flight instrumentation was influenced by becoming a pilot in the 1930s: although he failed to become anAir Corps pilot, he learned to fly by enrolling in a civilian course.[5] Draper was one of the pioneers of inertial navigation, a technology used inaircraft, space vehicles, andsubmarines that enables such vehicles to navigate by sensing changes in direction and speed usinggyroscopes andaccelerometers. A pioneering figure inaerospace engineering, he contributed to theApollo space program with his knowledge of guidance systems.
In 1961 Draper and the Instrumentation Lab were awarded the first contract given out for theApollo program to send humans to theMoon, which was announced by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy on 25 May of that year. This led to the creation of theApollo Guidance Computer, a one-cubic-foot computer that controlled the navigation and guidance of thelunar module to the Moon on nine launches, six of which landed on the Moon's surface.[6]
Draper taught and conducted research at MIT until January 1970, devoting most of his energy during his final decade to completing the Apollo computers and software.[7]
Draper was inducted into theNational Inventors Hall of Fame in 1981 for his multiple inventions and scientific contributions.
Draper was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering of theNational Academy of Sciences as well as theFrench Academy of Sciences. He had served as president of theInternational Academy of Astronautics, and was a member of theAmerican Physical Society, theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences, theAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers, and theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.[2]
Draper received more than 70 honors and awards, including theHoward N. Potts Medal in 1960, the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement in 1961,[8] theNational Medal of Science from PresidentLyndon B. Johnson in 1964,[9] theASME'sRufus Oldenburger Medal in 1971,[10] theRobert H. Goddard Trophy in 1978,[11] theAACC'sRichard E. Bellman Control Heritage Award[12] and theSmithsonian'sLangley Gold Medal in 1981, and theNational Academy of Engineering's Founders Award.[2] His renown was international, and was recognized by many foreign countries, includingFrance,United Kingdom,Germany,Switzerland,Czechoslovakia, and theSoviet Union.[13]
Draper was inducted as a member of the inaugural class to theInternational Space Hall of Fame.[14]
Draper was inducted into theNational Aviation Hall of Fame in 1981.[15]
He died in theMount Auburn Hospital inCambridge, Massachusetts, at age 85. He was eulogized as "one of the foremost engineers of our time", andHoward Wesley Johnson, Chairman of theMIT Corporation, credited him for creating a "whole new industry in inertial instruments and systems for airplanes, ships,submarines, missiles, satellites and space vehicles".[16]
The National Academy of Engineering established theCharles Stark Draper Prize in 1988 on behalf of the namesake's laboratory at MIT. The prize, which is awarded annually and consists of $500,000 in cash, agold medallion, and a hand-inscribed certificate, aims to "increase public understanding of the contributions of engineering and technology to the welfare and freedom of humanity".[13] Endowment for the prize was provided by the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory.[17]
