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> it’s possible; certainly the NASA and NRL personnel knew each other and contributed to each others’ programs Yes, it is possible, but for military programs v
by simne 5y ago
> it’s possible; certainly the NASA and NRL personnel knew each other and contributed to each others’ programs
Yes, it is possible, but for military programs very typical, program running in 1980s forgot knowledge of 1960s.
Example, Lockheed SR-71 used stealth technologies (even U-2 used), but insiders said, all these achievements was lost, when worked on F-117.
- icegreentea2 5y agoThe specific case of SR-71 to F-117 seems incredibly unlikely - at least based on my memory of Ben Rich's (was an engineer at Lockheed Skunkworks who worked on the A-12/SR-71 program and then was Director/President for F-117 program) memoirs. What did happen was that some of the program managers who initiated the stealth fighter program were not aware initially aware of the stealth characteristics of SR-71. This was rectified.
- simne 5y agoI read Ben Rich's memoirs. But fortunately, I seen very detailed photos of stealth modifications of U-2, and nothing about it was in memoirs.
- GlenTheMachine 5y agoBut in this case, the two were being worked on literally at the same time. NRL flew the experimental precursors to GPS in the late 1960s and early 1970s. NTS-4, the first operation GPS satellite, launched in 1974. In NRL's case, the challenge would have been that the engineers were in different divisions. Radar ranging of the moon was done by Space Sciences, and Transit and Timation were done by Spacecraft Engineering.
- simne 5y agoIn corporation space-time 4-dimentional, different departments (divisions) near the same as different years :)