Jerome Pearson
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Jerome Pearson (19 April 1938 – 27 Jan 2021) was an American engineer and
space scientist The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview and topical guide to space science: Space science – field that encompasses all of the branches of science, scientific disciplines that involve space exploration and study nat ...
best known for his work on
space elevators A space elevator, also referred to as a space bridge, star ladder, and orbital lift, is a proposed type of planet-to-space transportation system, often depicted in science fiction. The main component would be a cable (also called a tether) anc ...
, including a
lunar space elevator A lunar space elevator or lunar spacelift is a proposed transportation system for moving a mechanical climbing vehicle up and down a ribbon-shaped tethered cable that is set between the surface of the Moon "at the bottom" and a docking port suspe ...
. He was president of STAR, Inc., and has developed aircraft and spacecraft technology for the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
,
DARPA The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adva ...
, and
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
. He held several patents and was the author of nearly 100 publications in aircraft, spacecraft, electrodynamic tethers, SETI, and global climate control.


Biography

Pearson received his
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in engineering from
Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...
in 1961, and his master's degree in geology from
Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio, United States. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in ...
in
Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
, in 1977. After serving in the
U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...
, he became an aerospace engineer for the
NASA Langley The Langley Research Center (LaRC or NASA Langley), located in Hampton, Virginia, near the Chesapeake Bay front of Langley Air Force Base, is the oldest of NASA's field centers. LaRC has focused primarily on aeronautical research but has also t ...
and
Ames AMES, short Air Ministry Experimental Station, was the name given to the British Air Ministry's radar development team at Bawdsey Manor (afterwards RAF Bawdsey) in the immediate pre-World War II era. The team was forced to move on three occasion ...
research centers during the Apollo Program. He joined the
Air Force Research Laboratory The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research and development detachment of the United States Air Force Air Force Materiel Command, Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of direct- ...
(AFRL) in 1971, and developed vibration control for high-power lasers and a kinetic-kill vehicle concept for President Reagan's
Strategic Defense Initiative The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic nuclear missiles. The program was announced in 1983, by President Ronald Reagan. Reagan called for a ...
in the 1980s. As Chief of the AFRL Structural Dynamics Branch, he led the development of the high-temperature acoustics test facility at
Wright-Patterson AFB Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...
in Ohio, which was used for high-speed missile testing and the
National Aerospace Plane The Rockwell X-30 was an advanced technology demonstrator project for the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP), part of a United States project to create a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) spacecraft and passenger spaceliner. Started in 1986, it was can ...
development. In the 1980s he consulted for
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
in Florida, and consulted on the
CommuniCore CommuniCore was a pavilion dedicated to technological advance located at EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World, Florida. It occupied two semi-circular buildings behind Spaceship Earth at the center of Future World (today World Celebration). The tw ...
Pavilion. In 1998 he founded Star Technology and Research, Inc., a small business in Mount Pleasant, SC, for aerospace research and development, and currently serves as its president. Pearson is an Associate Fellow of the
AIAA The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of ...
, a Fellow of the
British Interplanetary Society The British Interplanetary Society (BIS), founded in Liverpool in 1933 by Philip E. Cleator, is the oldest existing space advocacy organisation in the world. Its aim is exclusively to support and promote astronautics and space exploration. St ...
, and a
Tau Beta Pi The Tau Beta Pi Association (commonly Tau Beta Pi, , or TBP) is the oldest engineering honor society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States. It honors engineering students in American universities who have shown a ...
"Eminent Engineer". As President of STAR, Inc., he received the U.S. Small Business Administration National
Tibbetts Award The Tibbetts Award ("Tibbie") is a national award made annually to those small firms, projects, organizations, and individuals judged to exemplify the very best in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) achievement. The award was established i ...
in 2001. Sponsored by Sir
Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. Clarke co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A ...
, he was elected Member of the
International Academy of Astronautics The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) is a Paris-based non-government association for the field of astronautics. It was founded in Stockholm, Sweden) on August 16, 1960, by Dr. Theodore von Kármán. It was recognised by the United Nation ...
in 2002.


Selected publications

Pearson was an early co-inventor of the space elevator. His publication in ''Acta Astronautica'' in 1975 introduced the concept to the world spaceflight community.
Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. Clarke co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A ...
then contacted Pearson for the technical background of his novel, "
The Fountains of Paradise ''The Fountains of Paradise'' is a 1979 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the 22nd century, it describes the construction of a space elevator. This "orbital tower" is a giant structure rising from the ground and l ...
", published in 1978, and acknowledged this contribution in the Afterword. Shortly thereafter, Pearson invented the
lunar space elevator A lunar space elevator or lunar spacelift is a proposed transportation system for moving a mechanical climbing vehicle up and down a ribbon-shaped tethered cable that is set between the surface of the Moon "at the bottom" and a docking port suspe ...
, balanced about the
Lagrangian points In celestial mechanics, the Lagrange points (; also Lagrangian points or libration points) are points of equilibrium for small-mass objects under the gravitational influence of two massive orbiting bodies. Mathematically, this involves t ...
in the Moon-Earth system, and extended the concept on a contract with the
NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), formerly NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC), is a NASA program for development of far reaching, long term advanced concepts by "creating breakthroughs, radically better or entirely new aerospa ...
. He then applied rotating tethers for mining asteroids, proposed a rotating space tether plus a rocket or gun for Earth-to-space launches, and tethers for orbit propellantless maneuvering space vehicles. Pearson wrote invited articles on space elevators and tethers for ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' and ''New Scientist'', was featured discussing space elevators in the Discovery Channel series "Science of the Impossible", and proposed the rarity of Earth-like planets as an explanation for the lack of success of SETI. Pearson developed a space-based solar shield to counteract global warming and control Earth's climate, and multi-winglets for improved aircraft performance. Pearson has also written about the origins of the concept of the space elevator, and how it has been mistakenly attributed to Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.Konstantin Tsiolkovski and the Origin of the Space Elevator, IAF-97-IAA.2.1.09, 48th IAF Congress, Torino, Italy, October 6–10, 1997.


References


External links


Jerome's bio


{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Jerome 1938 births 2021 deaths Wright State University alumni American scientists McKelvey School of Engineering alumni