Dr. Fred Whipple, director of The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, at Cambridge, Mass., explains the flight of the small artificial moon launched by Russia, in this Oct. 5, 1957 file photo. Efforts to trace the satellite by the U.S. were centered at the observatory under direction of Dr. Whipple. Whipple, a pioneer in astronomy who proposed the 'dirty snowball' theory for the substance of comets, died Monday Aug. 30, 2004. He was 97. (AP Photo/File)
During World War II, Whipple invented a device used by Allied planes over Germany to confuse enemy radar. The device cut aluminum foil into thousands of fragments, giving a false impression of a much larger number of planes attacking.
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.
Now who will squeeze the Charmin?
Sail on, Mr. Whipple.