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ONR Historical Timeline 1950-1960

  • Vertical Takeoff and Landing

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    VZ-2 tilt-wing aircraft

    The unique VZ-2 tilt-wing aircraft was built by Vertol Aircraft Corporation for the U.S. Army under ONR's direction. This vertical takeoff and landing aircraft was designed to take off and land vertically, hover and fly forward without any ground run.

  • Sidewinder Missile

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    Sidewinder Missile

    The Sidewinder missile is a supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft. It has a high-explosive warhead and an active infrared guidance system. The missile is known among fighter pilots as their "right-hand weapon." ONR research contributed to a 50-percent cost reduction in the optical components of the missile and was instrumental in the development of the guidance system.

  • Molecular Laser

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    Molecular laser

    The first molecular laser — which use molecules, rather than atoms, as the active agents — was developed with ONR's support. It was the forerunner of new techniques being developed and those used in high-precision spectroscopy today. ONR's ongoing spectroscopy research is important to the Department of the Navy for increasing the accuracy of precision timing.

  • Project Vanguard

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    Project Vanguard

    March 17, 1958

    The Naval Research Laboratory conducted Vanguard, the first American satellite program, which was initiated to represent the United States in the International Geophysical Year. NRL's pioneering task was to design, build, launch, place in Earth's orbit and track an artificial satellite carrying a scientific experiment. The Vanguard I satellite was successfully launched into Earth’s orbit on March 17, 1958, the second U.S. satellite in space and the fourth man-made object in orbit. It remains the oldest man-made object in space.

  • Owens Valley Observatory

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    Owens Valley Observatory

    1959

    A giant twin-radio telescope, located 260 miles from Los Angeles in the Owens Valley, was built in 1959 by California Institute of Technology with funds from ONR. The telescope located and identified nine new radio sources outside our galaxy in the first two months of operation. ONR was the major U.S. sponsor of radio astronomy during its formative years.