Gernot Maria Rudolph Winkler (October 17, 1922 – April 30, 2016) was responsible for the Time Service Department of the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) from 1966 to 1996.
Winkler oversaw the introduction of caesium beam-based Coordinated Universal Time based on
hyperfine transitions
In atomic physics, hyperfine structure is defined by small shifts in otherwise degenerate energy levels and the resulting splittings in those energy levels of atoms, molecules, and ions, due to electromagnetic multipole interaction between the nucl ...
and an internationally transportable " flying clock".
This in turn led Winkler to promote precision global positioning techniques (initially by time-reliable surface broadcasts in the LORAN and Omega radio-beacon chains, later by two-way satellite time and frequency transfer (TWSTT).
Early life
Gernot was born in the Austrian town of Frohnleiten, which is the home of a technology institute (Technisches Büro für Luftfahrt und Maschinenbau). He was the son of Gustav and Eleanor (
Née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Schneider) Winkler. His interest in astronomy was inspired by German spaceflight pioneer
Hermann Oberth
Hermann Julius Oberth (; 25 June 1894 – 28 December 1989) was an Austro-Hungarian-born German physicist and engineer. He is considered one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics, along with Robert Esnault-Pelterie, Konstantin Ts ...
when he was about 12. The science fiction writer
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
was also a favourite. During WWII he was drafted into the Wehrmacht; he was arrested by the US Army in Italy.
In 1947, Winkler resumed his studies at the University of Graz. In 1952 he obtained a
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
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Kanzelhoehe Solar Observatory
The Kanzelhoehe Solar Observatory or KSO is an astronomical observatory affiliated with the Institute of Geophysics, Astrophysics and Meteorology out of the University of Graz. It is located near Villach on the southern border of Austria.
Its ...
.
In 1956 he and fellow Austrian Fritz Reder arrived in the United States to work in the microwave resonance branch of the Signal Corps, joining the USNO that year.
Recognition
*Winkler received several honours including:
**the 1988
I. I. Rabi Award
The I. I. Rabi Award, founded in 1983, is awarded annually by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE.
: "The Rabi Award is to recognize outstanding contributions related to the fields of atomic and molecular frequency standa ...
Precise Time and Time Interval Precise Time and Time Interval (PTTI) is a Department of Defense military and Global Positioning System standard which details a mechanism and waveform for distributing highly accurate timing information.United States Department of Defense.
* A main-belt asteroid ( 6473 Winkler) was named in his honour. <-- NOTE: According to the IAU Minor Planet Center (minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=6473) this asteroid was: "Named in honor of Ron Winkler (b. 1954), digital engineer in the radio astronomy and radar group at NASA's Goldstone deep space communications complex."
* He is also remembered (in ESOC) for reputedly remarking that
*:''"Times can only improve if designers have their noses forced down on the grindstone of operations."''