Implosion - Lessons from National Security, High Reliability Spacecraft,
Electronics, and the Forces Which Changed Them
Book description
Implosion is a focused study of the history and uses of
high-reliability, solid-state electronics, military standards, and
space systems that support our national security and defense. This
book is unique in combining the interdependent evolution of and
interrelationships among military standards, solid-state electronics,
and very high-reliability space systems.
Starting with a brief description of the physics that enabled the
development of the first transistor, Implosion covers the need
for standardizing military electronics, which began during World War
II and continues today. The book shows how these twin topics affected,
and largely enabled, the highest reliability and most technologically
capable robotic systems ever conceived.
This riveting history helps readers:
- Realize the complex interdependence of solid-state electronics
and practical implementations in the national security and defense
space programs
- Understand the evolution of military standards for piece parts,
quality, and reliability as they affected these programs
- Gain insight into the attempted reforms of federal systems
acquisition of security- and defense-related space systems in the
latter half of the twentieth century
- Appreciate the complexity of science and technology public
policy decisions in the context of political, organizational, and
economic realities
Written in clear, jargon-free language, but with plenty of technical
detail, Implosion is a must-read for aerospace and aviation
engineers, manufacturers, and enthusiasts; technology students and
historians; and anyone interested in the history of technology,
military technology, and the space program.
L. PARKER TEMPLE III, PhD, is a Senior Policy Analyst with more
than forty years' experience in program management and execution,
software and systems engineering, policy and systems analysis in
national defense, and national security air and space programs. The
recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Temple has worked with the National
Reconnaissance Office; NASA; the Intelligence Community; the
Departments of Transportation, State, and Commerce; the Office of the
Secretary of Defense; and the armed services.
