Robert Cornog (original) (raw)

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American physicist and engineer (1912–1998)

Robert Cornog
Cornog in 1941
Born Robert Alden Cornog(1912-07-07)July 7, 1912Portland, Oregon
Died July 17, 1998(1998-07-17) (aged 86)
Education University of Iowa, UC Berkeley
Works Hydrogen and Helium of Mass Three (PhD thesis)[1]

Robert Alden Cornog (July 7, 1912 – July 17, 1998) was an American physicist and engineer who helped develop the atomic bomb and missile systems, and made significant discoveries regarding isotopes of hydrogen and helium.

A native of Portland, Oregon, who grew up in Iowa City, Cornog earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Iowa. After working for the United States Bureau of Reclamation on the Boulder Dam design, he studied at UC Berkeley for his doctorate in physics.[1]

His graduate student research led to the co-discovery, with Luis Alvarez, that hydrogen of atomic mass 3 (tritium) was radioactive, and that helium of mass 3 (helium-3) occurs in nature.[2][3] He also assisted Emilio Segrè in the discovery of element 85, astatine.[4]

Cornog's ID badge photo from Los Alamos.

During World War II, Cornog designed magnetic equipment for ships and went to work on the Manhattan Project, successively at UC Berkeley, Princeton University and in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Cornog became chief engineer of the ordnance division of the atomic bomb development team and was involved in the development of the bomb's trigger mechanism.[5]: 244

Following World War II, he focused on aerodynamics, nuclear energy, and rocket engineering. He worked on missile systems for several Southern California companies, including Northrop, Space Technology Laboratories and Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation, which became TRW. Also an expert on vacuum technology, Cornog headed Vacuum Enterprises from 1967 to 1974 and managed product development for Torr Vacuum Products until 1984. He held several patents and served as a technical advisor on the film Fat Man and Little Boy, about the atomic bomb.

Envisioning peaceful uses for nuclear and space technology, Cornog in 1959 foresaw a world in 40 to 50 years with worldwide color television broadcasts, satellites assembled in space and accurate weather prediction.

Cornog was a close associate of rocket pioneer and occultist Jack Parsons.[5]: 244–257 Science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, a friend, dedicated his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land to Cornog. Donald Kingsbury dedicated his 1986 novel The Moon Goddess and the Son to several people including "Robert Cornog for discussing the economics of the leoport."

  1. ^ a b "Hydrogen and helium of mass three / by Robert Cornog". Berkeley Library, University of California. OCLC 21251948. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  2. ^ EFDA-JET (June 2005). "Discovery of D-D fusion". Retrieved 14 April 2007.
  3. ^ Goldhaber, Judith, ed. (1981). "Lawrence and His Laboratory".
  4. ^ Segrè, Emilio (1993). A Mind Always in Motion: The Autobiography of Emilio Segrè. p. 135.
  5. ^ a b Pendle, George (2006). Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons. Orlando, FL: Harcourt. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-297-84853-0. OCLC 55149255.