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Quote of the Day: Fake News About the Early Space Program
They celebrated at the Naval Research Lab in 2008 the 50th anniversary of Vanguard 1. There was a panel discussion with four participants in Project Vanguard. My father, who designed the satellite, commented:
It must be good fun to makes things up. Even the British are doing it. In the October 2007 issue of Physics World, the lead article was titled: Sputnik’s Legacy, by Richard Corfield. In this article, he describes the Vanguard One satellite as, “A hastily put together contraption of wires and circuitry designed only to send the radio signals back to earth..” I’ve often wondered where else he would send it. But he made it up. For the Vanguard satellite was designed over several years, used the latest transistors developed by Bell Laboratories/Western Electric. It is no surprise to me that Mr. Corfield does not wish to answer my letter in print. I wouldn’t want to either. The thing I have not been able to figure out is why these authors have distorted so much. What do they have to gain? So, with these distortions, the question appears, ‘How do we counter them?’ The only answer I can come up with is to write letters to the editors. Initially, my letters were ignored, but lately they have been getting printed.
Here’s a brief clip which includes part of this quote. My father was born 102 years ago today on April 30, 2021. He went on from Project Vanguard to invent GPS.
The need to denigrate others is strong
Does anyone know why he did something so vicious? Envy?
Impossible! I thought Harvey Korman invented GPS.
Here’s a vicious letter from the first head of the GPS Joint Program Office.
https://insidegnss.com/letters-timation-developers-honor-draws-fire/
Bfv
Here’s the video they played at the National Medal of Technology banquet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNX11KV85nE
What the heck is wrong with this guy?
Evil man
He wants credit for inventing GPS. My father is in the way. Here are two articles I wrote dissecting his claims.
https://www.thespacereview.com/article/3093/1
https://www.thespacereview.com/article/3596/1
Where I live, navigating would be extremely difficult without GPS. Thank God for your father and his many professional accomplishments!
*****
This post is part of the Quote of the Day group writing project at Ricochet. Check out the QOTD posts for April here. Or signup here for May!