This year, 1998, the Naval Research
Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC, celebrates 75 years of
accomplishments
in science and technology. The theme of this diamond anniversary
reflects on the Laboratory's achievements, and highlights current
research and development activities that have had and continue
to have a profound impact on the Navy and the Nation.
NRL was officially founded on
July 2, 1923, after the famous inventor Thomas Edison recommended
that a "modern research facility for the Navy" be established.
In the following seven decades, research efforts have expanded
from the two original areas of scientific endeavor, radio and
underwater sound, to 19 broad areas that encompass many diverse
fields.
Early research achievements include
the discovery and explanation of radio skip distance (the foundation
of modern wave-propagation theory); the development of the fathometer
and early sonar; and development of the first operational American
radar, in time for use in World War II.
During World War II, scientific
activities concentrated almost entirely on applied research.
Ships' electronic countermeasures were devised, the first application
of cryptography in radar identification was used and the U.S's
first Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) radio system were all
developed at NRL.
The postwar era was a time of
great expansion for NRL. The Laboratory significantly added to
its prewar research program in radio, radar, underwater sound,
chemistry, metallurgy, optics, nuclear science and cosmic
rays.
NRL pioneered naval research
into space from atmospheric probes with captured V-2 rockets
through the direction of the Vanguard project--America's
first satellite program, to such projects as the Navy's Global
Positioning System and more recently the Clementine mission.
NRL produced the first satellite communication system by using
the moon as a reflector and receiving the returned signals on
the Earth's largest parabolic antenna; this was a first step
toward artificial satellite communications. Since the late 1950's,
Laboratory scientists have designed, built and launched more
than 80 satellites.
NRL's Laboratory for the Structure
of Matter has become internationally famous for its ground-breaking
work in using electron and x-ray diffraction methods for understanding
the structure of complicated organic molecules. The Laboratory's
Dr. Jerome Karle received the 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for
his work in this regard.
The Laboratory's current research
program spans the scientific spectrum, including studies in topics
as diverse as electronic warfare, IR countermeasures, fire suppression,
information technology, radar technology, monitoring the solar
corona and its impact on the Earth's atmosphere, biomolecular
engineering, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, meteorology
and oceanography.
For more information about current
programs at NRL, please visit the Lab's web site at: http://www.nrl.navy.mil/
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy's full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development. The Laboratory, with a total complement of nearly 2,500 personnel, is located in southwest Washington, D.C., with other major sites at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Monterey, Calif. NRL has served the Navy and the nation for over 85 years and continues to meet the complex technological challenges of today's world. For more information, visit the NRL homepage or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
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