Five Years at the Radiation Laboratory; Presented to Members of the Radiation Laboratory by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 1946
Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1946 [copyright date 1947]. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. [2], 205, [1] pages. Illustrations. Chronology, Cover worn, soiled and stained. Some edge damp staining and cover color bleeding onto page edges noted. Illustrated endpaper. Name in ink inside front cover and on title page, with location and date. Front hinge weak and restrengthened with glue. RARE in any condition. This is a rare memento of one of the 20th century's most triumphant technological efforts, documenting and profusely illustrating the activities of the MIT Rad Lab, the "birthplace of cybernetics". "Five Years at the Radiation Laboratory" is a memory-book, nothing more. It is not an official Radiation Laboratory publication, nor can the Laboratory or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology be held responsible for any statements in it. Attributions of credit, or dates of origin or development, represent only the authors' personal opinions. Most of the historical material for Part I was drawn form Dr. Henry E. Guerlac's "History of the Radiation Laboratory", manuscript which was courteously made available in advance of publication. Plans were in process for the publication of this important work by Little, Brown and Company of Dr. Guerlac's complete and authoritative story of the Radiation Laboratory. Material for Part II of this book is based on interviews with Division Heads and others. While the gook would not have been possible without the above contributions, it must be understood that any omissions, inaccuracies or faults of emphasis and interpretation are whose the responsibility of the undersigned. C. Newton, Thelma E. Peterson and Nancy Joy Perkins. The Radiation Laboratory, commonly called the Rad Lab, was a microwave and radar research laboratory located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts (US). It was first created in October 1940 and operated until 31 December 1945 when its functions were dispersed to industry, other departments within MIT, and in 1951, the newly formed MIT Lincoln Laboratory. The use of microwaves for various radio and radar uses was highly desired before the war, but existing microwave devices like the klystron were far too low powered to be useful. Alfred Lee Loomis, a millionaire and physicist who headed his own private laboratory, organized the Microwave Committee to consider these devices and look for improvements. In early 1940, Winston Churchill organized what became the Tizard Mission to introduce US researchers to several new technologies the UK had been developing. Among these was the cavity magnetron, a leap forward in the creation of microwaves that made them practical for the first time. Loomis arranged for funding under the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) and reorganized the Microwave Committee at MIT to study the magnetron and radar technology in general. Lee A. DuBridge served as the Rad Lab director. The lab rapidly expanded, and within months was larger than the UK's efforts which had been running for several years by this point. By 1943 the lab began to deliver a stream of ever-improved devices, which could be produced in huge numbers by the US's industrial base. At its peak, the Rad Lab employed 4,000 at MIT and several other labs around the world, and designed half of all the radar systems used during the war. By the end of the war, the US held a leadership position in a number of microwave-related fields. Among their notable products were the SCR-584, the finest gun-laying radar of the war, and the SCR-720, an airborne interception radar that became the standard late-war system for both US and UK night fighters. They also developed the H2X, a version of the British H2S bombing radar that operated at shorter wavelengths in the X band. The Rad Lab also developed Loran-A, the first worldwide radio navigation system, which originally was known as "LRN" for Loomis Radio Navigation. Condition: Fair.
Keywords: MIT, Rad Lab, Radiation Laboratory, WWII, Transmitter, Receiver, Fire Control, Beacons, Airborne Systems, Navigation, SCR-584, Compton, DuBridge
[Book #84122]
Price: $1,500.00