Phobos
Sep1-04, 08:41 AM
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/08/31/obit.whipple.ap/index.html
Fred L. Whipple, a pioneer in astronomy who proposed the "dirty snowball" theory for the substance of comets, has died. He was 97.
In 1946, in anticipation of the future of space flight, Whipple invented a thin outer skin of metal to protect spacecrafts. Meteors disintegrated when they hit the shield, known as a meteor bumper or Whipple shield, leaving only vapor to hit the spacecraft. The technology is still in use today.
He was also ahead of the curve in 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite. At the time, Whipple was setting up a network of cameras to track it and one station was already operational.
Fred L. Whipple, a pioneer in astronomy who proposed the "dirty snowball" theory for the substance of comets, has died. He was 97.
In 1946, in anticipation of the future of space flight, Whipple invented a thin outer skin of metal to protect spacecrafts. Meteors disintegrated when they hit the shield, known as a meteor bumper or Whipple shield, leaving only vapor to hit the spacecraft. The technology is still in use today.
He was also ahead of the curve in 1957, when the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite. At the time, Whipple was setting up a network of cameras to track it and one station was already operational.