What do airplane chaff to confuse enemy radar, spacecraft shielding against meteor strikes and precision satellite tracking have in common? They were all improved or invented during the brilliant career of American astronomer Fred Lawrence Whipple.
Born into a farming family in Red Oak, Iowa on Nov. 5, 1906, young Fred dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player.
But, after contracting polio he was forced to put down the racquet and follow other pursuits.

After his family relocated
to Los Angeles when he was 15 years old, Whipple attended high school later enrolling at UCLA to earn his bachelor of arts degree in mathematics.

While working through his undergraduate studies, Whipple took a class that introduced him to astronomy. It sparked his interest and motivated him toward post-graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley to pursue a doctorate in astronomy.

In 1930, as a doctoral candidate, he worked to help calculate the first orbital model of the newly discovered planet, Pluto.

After receiving his Ph.D., Whipple joined the Harvard College Observatory as an instructor, later becoming full professor in 1950.

During World War II, Whipple co-invented a method for cutting and dispensing aluminum foil strips to create chaff used by Allied aircraft as an effective radar countermeasure.

Whipple was especially proud of this contribution to the war effort. His work was recognized by President Harry Truman, who awarded him the Certificate of Merit in 1948.

Within the fields of astronomy and space exploration, Whipple's gifted imagination allowed him to anticipate the challenges of the space age.

In 1946, his foresight led to the invention of a meteor shield to protect future spacecraft from impacts.

Known as the Whipple Shield, the basic design uses a thin wall of material as an outer skin to regular shielding.

Modern versions use Kevlar and other composites to disintegrate meteroid debris. Whipple Shields are used on interplanetary probes, satellites and spacecraft including the International Space Station.

Whipple led efforts to develop a system for tracking what he knew would eventually become common to low-earth orbit, artificial satellites.

To prepare, he coordinated practice sessions with a network of scientists and amateur astronomers.

When the Soviets made the surprise launch of Sputnik in October 1957, his group was the only team ready to observe and accurately predict the path of the orbiting craft.

As director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Whipple oversaw the development of an optical tracking system so precise that astronomers were able to determine Earth's actual shape by studying its gravitational effect upon satellite orbits.

In 1963, in recognition for his work on the tracking network, President John F. Kennedy honored him with the Distinguished Federal Civilian Service award.

Whipple also discovered six comets. And in 1950, made the case for replacing the flying sandback model with the dirty snowball theory.

His work in this area led to his nickname as Dr. Comet

The dirty snowball model was confirmed in 1986 when the European Space Agency's Giotto spacecraft flew by Comet Halley.

Whipple colleague and director of the SAO minor planet center, Brian Marsden notes: "It might seem obvious to people now that comets are made up of ice and dust, frozen together, but it wasn't back then,"

In the late 1960s, Whipple selected Arizona's Mount Hopkins as the site for the SAO's new observatory.

To equip the new facility, he led an initiative to build large telescopes at low-cost.

The pioneering design gathered light with an array of six 1.8 meter mirrors, a computer-controlled pointing system and the first co-rotating building to house a telescope.

The Multiple Mirror Telescope was the third largest telescope in the world when dedicated in 1979.

The Mount Hopkins facility was renamed the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in 1981

He remained active right into his 90s working and writing papers as much as five days a week.

When he died in 2004 at the age of 97, Whipple left behind a legacy of achievement establishing him as one of the true giants of 20th century astronomy.

Peter Lipscomb shares the wonder of the night sky as lead guide for Astronomy Adventures and works to promote sensible and energy efficient lighting practices. He keeps a blog at www.eyesfullofstars.com Contact him at pslipscomb@gmail.com.