An ATI Staff Member who has not taken any ATI Radar Courses yet found a story in her Inbox about a highway officer in Texas who was operating a hand-held radar to catch speeders. As you can read in the following copy of the letter, the officer purportedly locked onto a USMC F/A-18 Hornet Jet. […]
An ATI Staff Member who has not taken any ATI Radar Courses yet found a story in her Inbox about a highway officer in Texas who was operating a hand-held radar to catch speeders. As you can read in the following copy of the letter, the officer purportedly locked onto a USMC F/A-18 Hornet Jet. The story purports that the Jet detected energy from the hand held radar, and automatic tactical systems on the Jet nearly fired on the radar/officer, but the pilot overrode those automatic systems preventing a catastrophic mishap.
Although this story is humorous, it also demonstrates that the writer, and some readers, are not familiar with how hand-held radars work, and how the Tactical Systems on the USMC Jet work. In fact, a Snopes article gives an excellent explanation of why this story, although humorous and entertaining, is not factual, and could not have actually occurred. A fascinating explanation of the fallacies associated with this story can be found at https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/police-radar-missile/
So, in order to better recognize articles like this for what they are, please consider learning more about Radar Systems. ATI offers 78 courses dealing with Radar, Missiles, and Defense, but our most popular Radar courses are Radar 101, Radar 201, and Radar Principles. More information on all of these courses can be found on the ATI web page at the following links.
Thomas Stanley Logsdon, 82, of Seal Beach, California, passed away on May 1, 2020. Tom was an internationally recognized rocket scientist, author, expert witness, keynote lecturer, and short course instructor. He used his extraordinary knowledge of mathematics and physics to help put a dozen astronauts on the moon and played an integral role in the […]
Thomas Stanley Logsdon, 82, of Seal Beach, California, passed away on May 1, 2020. Tom was an internationally recognized rocket scientist, author, expert witness, keynote lecturer, and short course instructor. He used his extraordinary knowledge of mathematics and physics to help put a dozen astronauts on the moon and played an integral role in the invention of the Global Positioning System (GPS), which is so vital to our modern world.
Tom was a well-recognized and praised Applied Technology Instructor for more than 30 years. Tom would typically come teach his courses in Columbia two or three times yearly, enjoying a long friendship during dinners with ATI’s President Jim Jenkins. A great friendship also developed between Lisa Badart and Tom, with over 13 years of working together to schedule and facilitate his courses. He loved to share with Lisa his adventures and stories. ATI Staff old and new loved working with him. He will be missed by all. See some links to his popular courses below.
Tom was born on September 27th, 1937 to George Stanley Logsdon and Margaret Buckman Logsdon, in Springfield Kentucky. After graduating from Springfield High School in 1955, he went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Math & Physics at Eastern Kentucky University and a Master’s degree in Point-Set Topology (Mathematics) from the University of Kentucky. He had many wonderful teachers, but always fondly recalled Prof. Robertson from Springfield High School, and his college mentor, Dr. Smith Park, a beloved Mathematics professor at EKU. In 1984, he was awarded an honorary PhD from EKU and was the Alumni of the year for EKU’s 100th anniversary.
After graduation, Tom landed his first job as an Aero-ballistics Engineer for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica, CA, kicking off a 32-year career in the aerospace industry. He was recruited by Rockwell International to become a Trajectory Mathematician on the Apollo Space program. When asked about his job on a television interview, he said, with his usual clever sense of humor, “before the flight, we predict where the rocket will go, and after the flight we try to explain why it didn’t go there!”
He went on to work on the Shuttle Spacecraft program and in the mid-1970s Tom employed his mathematical genius to determine the placement of 24 satellites (satellite constellation) which make up our worldwide GPS. He was recently recognized as one of 28 original Inventors of GPS. While at Rockwell, he also worked on the Saturn V moon rocket, Skylab flight maneuvers, and unmanned Mars missions. He was also awarded the Rockwell Presidential Award and held a patent centered around navigation of jetliners.
In addition, Tom was a well-respected author, writing over 30 books, from his first book about space travel, “A Rush Toward the Stars”, to some of the first computer programming books, to his best-selling “Six Simple Solutions that Shook the World.” He also taught computer science at USC for many years.
After retiring from Rockwell, Tom ran a full-time business up until his death, producing books, magazine articles, and technical papers; teaching GPS & Orbital Mechanics short courses for NASA & JPL, lecturing around the world, being a guest speaker for Crystal Cruises (averaging 8 cruises a year), and appearing on radio and TV.
He was passionate about playing tennis and did so until just prior to his death. His career and pleasure travel took him to over 100 countries, all seven continents, and around the globe several times over. In 2016, Tom was inducted into the Kentucky Aviation Museum Hall of Fame.
Tom wed Cynda (Cyndi) Hedrick in Newport Beach, CA and became stepfather to Chad Stephen Logsdon. Cyndi Logsdon actively supported Tom’s business by designing his charts & course materials; giving him feedback on his courses, books, and presentations; keeping him organized; and accompanying him to many exotic places to coordinate his appearances.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley and Margaret Logsdon, his wife Cynda, his sister, Ann Logsdon Sims of Bardstown, KY, and two sisters who died in infancy, Molly and Rose Mary. He is survived by daughter, Donna (Drew) Schilder, along with his stepson Chad, his brother, Pat (Patsy) Logsdon of Loretto, KY, seven nieces and nephews, and numerous great-nieces and nephews.
NOTE: If you have not used Zoom before, to see the video, you will need to download the App on your smartphone, Mac, or PC prior to joining the meeting. You can go here and choose the appropriate platform: https://zoom.us/download or when you click on the meeting link above, it will ask you to download the App. Or You can call in to the Telephone Dial-In number and just listen.
The world is changing, so maybe ATI should too. Applied Technology Institute (ATI) has conducted specialized training in satellite communications, space, defense, radar, sonar and acoustics, signal processing, and specialized engineering and systems engineering since 1984. Our clients include DOD, government agencies, military, government and military contractors, technical industries, NASA facilities, and aerospace contractors. A […]
A complete list of ATI’s offerings can
be found at https://www.aticourses.com/courses/ . At
a glance, it appears to be a comprehensive list of courses that would be of
interest to any Rocket Scientist, who, as the ATI tagline suggests, we believe
to be our core students.
The year is now 2020 and a lot of things
have changed since Applied Technology Institute was founded in 1984. Technology has advanced in ways that could
never have been anticipated, wars are no longer being fought in the same way,
and relationships between countries are no longer as stable as they had once
been. The world is changing, so maybe
ATI should too.
Perhaps, employees of our core customers
( DOD, government agencies, military, government and military contractors,
technical industries, NASA facilities, and aerospace contractors ) need to be
more than just Rocket Scientists today.
In addition to understanding Rocket Science, they may also need to be
familiar with the world in which the Rockets will be deployed, and the geo
political conditions under which they will be deployed. With this additional background, the Rocket
Scientist will be better able to understand the requirements of his Rockets,
and the needs of the soldiers who will be using those Rockets. Said differently, perhaps the Rocket needs to
be considered as a part of a larger system which includes the organizations
that use the Rocket, and the goals of those organizations.
So, through this blog, ATI is asking our
readers for their opinion. Should ATI
expand our course offerings to include more courses which will show Rocket
Scientists how and why their Rockets will be used?
One example of a possible new ATI course deals with Peacekeeping and Stability Operations. The following Course Description is from the syllabus of “Peacekeeping and Stability Operations”. The instructor for this course would be Mr. Stephen Phillips from JHU/APL.
Course Description ( Peacekeeping and Stability Operations ) Intelligence plays a pivotal role in the identification, preparation, and execution of peacekeeping and stability operations performed in a multinational context. Stability and peace operations are designed to prevent, contain, or resolve regional conflicts. These operations are increasingly becoming a core mission in supporting the overall goals and objectives of the current global conflict. This course examines the concepts of nation building, stabilization, reconstruction, and transition across the spectrum of peace operations and analyzes the role of various actors, including nongovernmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, private military companies, and government organizations, and how they interact in the stabilization mission and environment.
One example of an American intervention to stabilize
and reduce the expansion of conflict occurred in the Persian Gulf in the 1980s. Operation Earnest Will was the American Military
protection of Kuwaiti-owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987/1988, three
years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran-Iraq War. Steve recently presented an excellent
summary of Operation Earnest Will. This
presentation can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZUQiKDmhE8
ATI looks forward to growing our course
list, and growing our student body, through collaborations such as this. Again, we would love to hear what you think.
Although the term “Systems Engineering” dates back to the 1940s, and the concept was practiced even earlier than that, there seems to be a growing emphasis on System Engineering, perhaps because Systems have become more complex in recent times. During my early years of training and practice as an electrical engineer decades ago, I do […]
Although the term “Systems Engineering” dates back to the 1940s,
and the concept was practiced even earlier than that, there seems to be a
growing emphasis on System Engineering, perhaps because Systems have become
more complex in recent times. During my early
years of training and practice as an electrical engineer decades ago, I do not
recall hearing or learning much about Systems Engineering, but it seems to have
gotten much more well-deserved attention since then. Feel free to argue these points if you wish,
but this has been my observation.
So, what can go wrong if Systems Engineering principles are
ignored? What could possibly go wrong if
you have multiple engineers concentrating on their own aspect of the overall
design, and no one paying attention to the overall system? Take
a look at this humorous video and see what can happen…
But seriously, though…..
One of the best descriptions of Systems Engineering that I have
seen is from INCOSE ( International Council on Systems Engineering ). It says “Systems engineers are at the heart of creating successful new
systems. They are responsible for the system concept, architecture, and design.
They analyze and manage complexity and risk. They decide how to measure whether
the deployed system actually works as intended. They are responsible for a
myriad of other facets of system creation. Systems engineering is the
discipline that makes their success possible – their tools, techniques,
methods, knowledge, standards, principles, and concepts. The launch of
successful systems can invariably be traced to innovative and effective systems
engineering.”
So,
how can today’s busy and overworked engineer learn more about Systems
Engineering? Or, even if you think you
already know everything about Systems Engineering, how can you refresh your knowledge
so it is more relevant to the workplace of 2019?
Applied
Technology Institute may have exactly what you are looking for. ATI recently merged with Honourcode, Inc.,
and now offers a full line of Systems Engineering courses being taught by
original Honourcode instructors, including Eric Honour.
There is still time to register for our next
offering of Applied Systems Engineering, being offered in Columbia, Md starting
on September 23, 2019. This course
includes a hands-on class exercise conducted in small
groups. Part A analyzes a system concept and requirements, developing specific
test requirements,. Part B creates an effective test program and test
procedures for the product system. Part C builds the robotic systems per
assembly instructions. Part D implements the test program to evaluate the final
robots. It is a really fun and
informative in-class exercise. Here is a cool video of the System Product
built in this class.
Please
read more about this opportunity at the following link.
Since it has been 50 years since man first stepped on the Moon (Apollo 11), and since we are now winding down from the celebration of the 50th anniversary of that great event, we should remember that there are still physical remnants of that mission, and other missions, which remain on the surface of the […]
Since it has
been 50 years since man first stepped on the Moon (Apollo 11), and since we are
now winding down from the celebration of the 50th anniversary of
that great event, we should remember that there are still physical remnants of
that mission, and other missions, which remain on the surface of the moon, and
that this landing site, and similar landing sites, have significant historical
importance. In fact, there is an
organization called “For All Moonkind, Inc”, which has a stated mission to “protect
each of the six human lunar landing and similar sites in outer space as part of
our common human heritage.” Learn more
about this organization at https://www.forallmoonkind.org
So, what did
mankind leave on the moon, and why did we leave it there? A full catalog of items left behind can be
found at https://history.nasa.gov/FINAL%20Catalogue%20of%20Manmade%20Material%20on%20the%20Moon.pdf
It is a fascinating read, but why was so much left behind? Some of the things left behind were memorial
or tributary items. Other items were left
purely to lighten the load and facilitate the return trip to earth. And there were items left for scientific
experiments. For experiments, some items
were left because engineers are simply hoping to examine them in the future to
determine how they have fared after continuous exposure to the elevated
radiation levels on the moon. Other
items, however, were part of actual moon experiments which delivered data to
earth scientists. The only remaining
Apollo experiment that still returns data to earth after 50 years is NASA’s
Lunar Ranging Experiment, LURE.
The story of LURE is a fascinating one and can
be found at https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-history/one-apollo-11-experiment-is-still-going-50-years-later
LURE allows the precise measurement of the distance from the earth to
the moon using high power laser on earth, and an array of mirrors, or
retroreflectors, on the surface of the moon.
The first mirrors were placed on the moon by Apollo 11, but additional
mirrors were placed on the moon by later Apollo missions. Lunar laser ranging has allowed man to
monitor the distance to the moon for the past 50 years, and we have noted that
the distance to the moon increases by a very small amount each year. Additionally, LURE has increased mankind’s
fundamental understanding of things like the earth’s rotations, continental
drift, and gravity itself.
As it is now
2019, and the world is more waste-conscious than it has ever been, we can only
hope that there will be increased attention to reducing the amount we leave on
the lunar surface, and in space.
Although some material will certainly be left during upcoming planned lunar
landings, we can only hope that it will be done for rational reasons, and in a
sensible way.
To learn more about working in Space, consider taking one of the many Space, Satellite, or Aerospace courses offered by ATI. A complete listing of all ATI courses can be found at https://www.aticourses.com/courses ATI does not currently offer any Space Archeology classes, but if anyone knows a qualified instructor for this class, we would be happy to talk to them.
There are currently 5 branches of the Armed Forces, namely, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and the Coast Guard. However, in light of changing needs and priorities, President Trump issued a new directive in February to establish the US Space Force as the sixth military branch, which will be within the Department of the Air […]
There are currently 5 branches of the Armed Forces, namely, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and the Coast Guard. However, in light of changing needs and priorities, President Trump issued a new directive in February to establish the US Space Force as the sixth military branch, which will be within the Department of the Air Force.
The directive states that “ Although United States space systems have historically maintained a technological advantage over those of our potential adversaries, those potential adversaries are now advancing their space capabilities and actively developing ways to deny our use of space in a crisis or conflict. It is imperative that the United States adapt its national security organizations, policies, doctrine, and capabilities to deter aggression and protect our interests.”
The directive provides the following priorities for the Space Force:
(a) Protecting the Nation’s interests in space and the peaceful use of space for all responsible actors, consistent with applicable law, including international law;
(b) Ensuring unfettered use of space for United States national security purposes, the United States economy, and United States persons, partners, and allies;
(c) Deterring aggression and defending the Nation, United States allies, and United States interests from hostile acts in and from space;
(d) Ensuring that needed space capabilities are integrated and available to all United States Combatant Commands;
(e) Projecting military power in, from, and to space in support of our Nation’s interests; and
(f) Developing, maintaining, and improving a community of professionals focused on the national security demands of the space domain.
The directive specifies that Space Force will be lead by a civilian to be known as the Undersecretary of the Air Force for Space, and will be appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. The directive specifies that a senior military officer ( General or Admiral ) will serve as the Chief of Staff of the Space Force, and will serve as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Applied Technology Institute looks forward to providing training to the workforce which will be needed to support the US Space Force.
A list of all the Space Related Courses offered by ATI can be found at
If your organization requires Space-Related Training which you do not currently see in our Course Offerings, please give us a call and we will try to accommodate your needs.
We are halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, also known as, Groundhog day! If you want to know more about the origins of this tradition, you can find that at the link below, but the story involves bears and badgers, and Germans and Christians, and superstition and science. You can’t make this […]
We are halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, also known as, Groundhog day! If you want to know more about the origins of this tradition, you can find that at the link below, but the story involves bears and badgers, and Germans and Christians, and superstition and science. You can’t make this stuff up, and you can’t tell the story any better than The Old Farmers Almanac. Check it out at….
There are so many Space Exploration Missions that are on the front page of the papers now, New Horizons for example. Let us not forget about ongoing missions that are no longer getting as much publicity at they may deserve, JPL Mars Science Lab Curiosity Rover Mission for example.The Curiosity Rover Mission was launched in […]
There are so many Space Exploration Missions that are on the front page of the papers now, New Horizons for example. Let us not forget about ongoing missions that are no longer getting as much publicity at they may deserve, JPL Mars Science Lab Curiosity Rover Mission for example.
The Curiosity Rover Mission was launched in November 2011 for an 8-month trip to Mars. Once on Mars, the Curiosity Mission was expected to last 2 years. Amazingly, the Curiosity Rover Mission is still in progress, and periodic updates on the status of that mission are still being posted at https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/mars-rover-curiosity-mission-updates/
The success of that mission did not start when the Rover started sending back amazing pictures from Mars. The success of that mission started when the Rocket and Launch Vehicle propelled Rover into Space. The Atlas V-541 Rocket selected for this mission and built by Boeing Corp and Lockheed Martin Corp. performed as designed. If it had not performed as well as it did, the entire mission could have been in jeopardy. Rockets and Launch Vehicles are truly acritical component of every mission.
ATI is offering a Course on Rocket and Launch Vehicles in Columbia, Maryland from February 11 to 14, 2019. The course is being taught by Edward Keith, a multi-discipline Launch Vehicle System Engineer, specializing in integration of launch vehicle technology, design, modeling and business strategies. There is still time to enroll in this class, and you will be finished in time to get home for dinner on Valentine’s day!
Speaking for myself, I always considered the nuclear triad to include bombers, submarines, and missiles, but, I was wrong. Sandra Erwin points out in her Space News article, we really need to remember that these three components of the triad could not be effective without two other complimentary components, a competent work force to operate […]
Speaking for myself, I always considered the nuclear triad to include bombers, submarines, and missiles, but, I was wrong. Sandra Erwin points out in her Space News article, we really need to remember that these three components of the triad could not be effective without two other complimentary components, a competent work force to operate them, and a modern and reliable Nuclear Command, Control and Communications ( NC3 ) network.
Lt. Gen Jack Weinstein, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration recently pointed out that nuclear modernization efforts cannot be strictly focused on subs, bombers, and missiles, but must also be concerned about modernizing the NC3 system, causing him to remark “The Triad also means space capability.” The Nuclear Posture Review reported that many of the components of the current NC3 system are antiquated technology which has not been modernized in almost 30 years.
Sandra Erwin reports that the Air Force does have programs under way to modernize communications and early-warning satellites, but integration of these new systems will be very complex, and highly trained work force will be needed to build the systems.
Interestingly, Lt. Gen Weinstein has confidence in the military’s ability to train their people to operate these systems, but he expresses concern about educating the civilian workforce which will also need to be involved.
Applied Technology Institute (ATI) can play an important role in preparing the workforce which will support the future nuclear Triad since it offers a diverse collection of courses which cover all of the domains where the Triad will need to operate; air, sea, and space. Please consider looking at the current set of course offerings at ATI and consider taking some of our courses to better position yourself to make significant contributions to solving the complex problems associated with Strategic Deterrence in the future.
Happy 118th Birthday US Submarine Force! Happy 118th Birthday US Submarine Force! Take a look at an inspirational video at https://www.facebook.com/SUBLANT/videos/2214786651871777/ made by COMSUBLANT commemorating this anniversary. My first inclination after watching this video was to join the US Navy and become a submariner. If you want to do that, you can go to the […]
My first inclination after watching this video was to join the US Navy and become a submariner. If you want to do that, you can go to the US Navy homepage. The Navy is always looking for good people.
Since I am too old to join the Navy, my second inclination was to learn more about Submarines and Submariners. Lucky for me, ATI has just such a course. You can learn by taking the ATI “Submarines and Submariners Course” taught by two retired Submarine Commanders. Check out the Submarine Course at https://www.aticourses.com/Submarines_and_Submariners_Introduction.html
