APL Technical Digest, Volume 26, Number 2, 2005

27 cm. Pages 97-192. Wraps. Illustrations, (many in color). Figures. Table. References. Very minor wear and soiling to covers. This issue is devoted to Space Science. The Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest is an unclassified technical journal published quarterly by APL. The objective of the publication is to communicate the work performed at the Laboratory to its sponsors and to the scientific and engineering communities, defense establishment, academia, and industry. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, commonly known as simply the Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, located in Howard County, Maryland, near Laurel and Columbia, is a not-for-profit, university-affiliated research center employing 6,000 people. APL is primarily a defense contractor. It serves as a technical resource for the Department of Defense, NASA, and other government agencies. The Lab is an engineering research and development organization rather than an academic division of Johns Hopkins University. APL was created in 1942 during World War II under the Office of Scientific Research and Development as part of the Government's effort to mobilize the nation's science and engineering expertise within its universities. Its founding director was Merle Anthony Tuve. The Laboratory succeeded in developing the variable-time proximity fuze that played a significant role in the Allied victory. In response to the fuze's success, the APL created the MK 57 gun director in 1944. Pleased with the APL's work, the Navy then tasked it with the mission to find a way to negate guided missile threats. From there on, the APL became very involved in wartime research. Expected to disband at the end of the war, APL instead became heavily involved in the development of guided missile technology for the Navy. At governmental request, the University continued to maintain the Laboratory as a public service. The Laboratory's name comes from its origins in World War II, but APL's major strengths are systems engineering and technology application. About half of the technical staff are engineers, and 25% have computer science and math degrees. APL conducts programs in fundamental and applied research; exploratory and advanced development; test and evaluation; and systems engineering and integration. In 1965, the US Army contracted with APL to develop and implement a test and evaluation program for the Pershing missile systems. APL developed the Pershing Operational Test Program (OTP), provided technical support to the Pershing Operational Test Unit (POTU), identified problem areas and improved the performance and survivability of the Pershing systems. In 1990, APL became involved with Operation Desert Storm and was involved in the Gulf Crisis Room among other efforts. APL has designed many spacecraft for the Department of Defense, including the Transit (satellite) series, and scientific spacecraft for NASA, including the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous, New Horizons, MESSENGER, STEREO and the Van Allen Probes. The Lab is currently developing the Solar Probe Plus mission to probe the outer corona of the Sun. Presumed First Edition, First printing thus.…