The 2005 Draper Prize
CORONA was the first space-based Earth observation system. It was a type of satellite that carried a camera used to photograph the activities on Earth of unfriendly powers during the Cold War for the U.S. government and which returned film canisters to Earth for processing and viewing of the images.
In addition to its role in providing data that helped to shape U.S. government policy toward the Soviet Union during the Cold War, CORONA aided environmental studies; images taken by CORONA between 1960 and 1972 have been used in environmental studies since they were declassified in 1995. These more than 800,000 images are the only images from space available for that time period and are used to analyze changes that have occurred over time in weather patterns, ocean temperatures, and landmasses and their features.
Design and development of CORONA was led by Minoru “Sam” Araki, Francis J. Madden, Edward A. Miller, James W. Plummer, and Don H. Schoessler. The CORONA project depended on a number of engineering “firsts”:
- a three-axis stabilized spacecraft for imaging from Earth orbit
- a high-resolution panoramic camera system
- a newly engineered, ultra-thin, polyester film that could withstand temperature variations of 800 degrees
- an atmospheric reentry vehicle that safely preserved the exposed film
- visionary engineering leadership and innovative procedures that had to deal with an unknown space environment, a tight schedule, and a government/contractor team
The Draper Prize Recipients
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Minoru Araki was the Lockheed lead engineer for the new gyro-stabilized spacecraft. From Earth orbit, the craft had to serve as a stable platform for camera operation and position itself for recovery of the film capsule. It used a three-gyro guidance and control system with correction inputs from horizon sensors that enabled precise, cold-gas valve firings for stabilization on three axes. Gyros and cold-gas thrusters like Corona's are still the standard for space systems today. |
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Francis Madden was the chief engineer of Itek Optical System's camera design group. His team developed a panoramic camera that doubled the previous best focal length and improved resolution. The camera had an elaborate film path to handle the film as it traveled from the supply spool through the exposure frame, paused for exposure, and resumed transport to a spool — all at 18 inches/second. Ground control operated the camera remotely. |
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Don Schoessler was lead engineer of the Kodak film design and production team. The newly invented thin-based, polyester film had to endure the harsh space environment, withstand temperature variations of 800 degrees Fahrenheit, and survive atmospheric radiance. The 2.5-mils-thick (63.5 microns) film also required strength to move rapidly through the camera. |
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Edward Miller of General Electric Co. was the lead developer of the satellite recovery vehicle — the first man-made object to return from Earth orbit. The design had to withstand hostile loads during launch, acoustic noise during exit from the atmosphere, vacuum and low temperatures in orbit, and high temperatures and vibrations during re-entry. The re-entry vehicle had to protect the film canister it carried, deploy its parachutes, jettison the heat shield, and transmit its location so that an aircraft could snatch it in midair and bring it safely to Earth. |
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James Plummer was the Corona Program Manager at Lockheed and the leader of the engineering effort and its management process. The Corona project was executed within 16 months, with great national urgency and in extreme secrecy, by a multidisciplinary, multiorganizational engineering team. |
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