Inventor of "Window" dies

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I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the death this week of Fred L
Whipple, reportedly the inventor of "Window" (aluminum strips cut to a
length designed to confuse radar).

Indirectly, he probably saved a good number of lives in WWII.

[ArtKramr]

>Subject: Re: Inventor of "Window" dies
>From: "ian maclure"
>Date: 9/2/2004 4:53 PM Pacific Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>On Thu, 02 Sep 2004 22:40:47 +0000, teekaynospa wrote:
>
>> I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the death this week of Fred L
>> Whipple, reportedly the inventor of "Window" (aluminum strips cut to a
>> length designed to confuse radar).
>>
>> Indirectly, he probably saved a good number of lives in WWII.
>
> His main claim to fame was as an astronomer.
>


Not to me it wasn't.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

[The CO]

> wrote in message
...
> I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the death this week of Fred L
> Whipple, reportedly the inventor of "Window" (aluminum strips cut to a
> length designed to confuse radar).
>
> Indirectly, he probably saved a good number of lives in WWII.

Actually he didn't *invent* 'window/chaff'. His contribution was in the
codesign of
a machine to cut it foil into the right length pieces. IIRC, 'window'
was actually
invented by a team of scientists at the Telecommunications Research
Establishment
in England led by the late Sir Robert Cockburn.
I *think* Whipple was involved in somewhat parallel research in the US,
but don't quote me.

The British had 'window' long before its use was sanctioned due to a
reluctance to tip the Germans
off to what it was and what it did in case they used it against them.
The Germans had 'duppel' and
likewise refrained from using it for the same reasons. Eventually
bomber losses caused Churchill to
over-rule the objections and order it be used. But it *could* have been
used about a year before it
was....

Whipple is far more famous for his work as an astronomer. One of his
most famous contributions was
being the first to put forward the theory that comets were a 'dirty
snowball'. There are a host
of others however. One of the truly great astronomers of the 20th
Century. A great man, sadly missed.

The CO

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

>>>>> "ArtKramr" == ArtKramr > writes:

>> Subject: Re: Inventor of "Window" dies From: "ian maclure"
>> Date: 9/2/2004 4:53 PM Pacific Standard Time
>> Message-id: >
>>
>> On Thu, 02 Sep 2004 22:40:47 +0000, teekaynospa wrote:
>>
>>> I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the death this week of Fred
>>> L Whipple, reportedly the inventor of "Window" (aluminum
>>> strips cut to a length designed to confuse radar).
>>>
>>> Indirectly, he probably saved a good number of lives in WWII.
>> His main claim to fame was as an astronomer.
>>


ArtKramr> Not to me it wasn't.

Due to window, he probably saved many from becoming fiery meteors,
similar in apperance to the icy comets he made his life's work. I was
hoping it was the inventor of 'Windows' that died, but OK, too bad....

--
G Hassenpflug * IJN & JMSDF equipment/history fan

[Peter Stickney]

In article >,
Gernot Hassenpflug > writes:
>>>>>> "ArtKramr" == ArtKramr > writes:
>
> >> Subject: Re: Inventor of "Window" dies From: "ian maclure"
> >> Date: 9/2/2004 4:53 PM Pacific Standard Time
> >> Message-id: >
> >>
> >> On Thu, 02 Sep 2004 22:40:47 +0000, teekaynospa wrote:
> >>
> >>> I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the death this week of Fred
> >>> L Whipple, reportedly the inventor of "Window" (aluminum
> >>> strips cut to a length designed to confuse radar).
> >>>
> >>> Indirectly, he probably saved a good number of lives in WWII.
> >> His main claim to fame was as an astronomer.
> >>
>
>
> ArtKramr> Not to me it wasn't.
>
> Due to window, he probably saved many from becoming fiery meteors,
> similar in apperance to the icy comets he made his life's work. I was
> hoping it was the inventor of 'Windows' that died, but OK, too bad....
>

He was also the inventor of the "Meteor Bumper" or "Whipple Shield" ,
which is used by manned adn unmanned spacecraft to protect against
micrometoeroid collision damage.
And, off the top of my head, he was the last survivor of the Collier's
Magazine team that charted a plausible manned space program in the
early 1950s, which was a key feature in priming the general public for
the idea that space exploration wasn't something for the far future.

He kept working right up until the end - at the age of 92, he was one
of the Investigators on the CONTOUR probe.

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster

[Arie Kazachin]

In message > - Gernot Hassenpflug >
writes:
>



>similar in apperance to the icy comets he made his life's work. I was
>hoping it was the inventor of 'Windows' that died,

Be careful whom you hate: you was hoping for some employee of the
"Xerocs" (sp?) company to die while most probably the target of your wishes
was Bill from Redmond whos wealth had been created by many customers
accepting as axiom that newer software must cost more, require more
expensive computer and crash more often. Sorry for OT, couldn't resist.


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[Gernot Hassenpflug]

>>>>> "Arie" == Arie Kazachin > writes:

Arie> In message > - Gernot Hassenpflug
Arie> > writes:
>>



>> similar in apperance to the icy comets he made his life's
>> work. I was hoping it was the inventor of 'Windows' that died,

Arie> Be careful whom you hate: you was hoping for some employee
Arie> of the "Xerocs" (sp?) company to die while most probably the
Arie> target of your wishes was Bill from Redmond whos wealth had
Arie> been created by many customers accepting as axiom that newer
Arie> software must cost more, require more expensive computer and
Arie> crash more often. Sorry for OT, couldn't resist.

You are so right.... my inane post targeted the wrong person!

--
G Hassenpflug * IJN & JMSDF equipment/history fan