Leonard Reiffel
Leonard Reiffel | |
---|---|
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | September 30, 1927
Died | April 15, 2017 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 89)
Alma mater | Illinois Institute of Technology |
Known for | Deputy director of Peabody Award (1968) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics |
Institutions | University of Chicago in Pisa Illinois Institute of Technology NASA |
Leonard Reiffel (September 30, 1927 – April 15, 2017) was an American physicist, author and educator. Born in Chicago, Reiffel was an electrical engineering student for a number of years before entering into research fields. He collaborated with Enrico Fermi, Carl Sagan, and members of Operation Paperclip.
Reiffel also worked for
Early life
Reiffel was born in Chicago on September 30, 1927.
Career
Universities and inventions
Reiffel began his career at the University of Chicago's Institute for Nuclear Studies, helping Enrico Fermi construct a 450-inch cyclotron.[4] From there, Reiffel returned to the university at which he had studied, the Illinois Institute of Technology. Here, Reiffel was Group Vice President of the IIT Research Institute (formerly known as the Armour Research Foundation). During his tenure at the university, Reiffel created and patented over fifty different inventions, which earned him four separate R&D 100 Awards.[4][5] Reiffel also collaborated with German scientists recruited in America as part of Operation Paperclip, working on an early prototype for a railgun.[3]
NASA
Reiffel was involved in several positions in NASA's Apollo program, moving from being a consultant on the possibility of life on the Moon[6] to become deputy director of the project,[7] a post he held from 1965 to 1969.[4] During this time, Reiffel was also put in charge of Project A119, a United States Air Force project intending to detonate a nuclear warhead on the Moon. Reiffel worked alongside Carl Sagan and Gerard Kuiper on the project.[8][9] Reiffel also chaired the Interagency Manned Space Flight Experiments Board for several years, a body which worked alongside NASA, the United States Air Force, and the United States Department of Defense.[4]
Broadcasting
Reiffel's work on radio and television has included Backyard Safari, Dimensions on Tomorrow's Living and The World Tomorrow.
Other work
Reiffel also worked as an artwork authenticator for the
Death
Reiffel died of complications from pancreatic cancer in Chicago on April 15, 2017. He was survived by his second wife Nancy Reiffel, and sons Evan and David.[10]
Bibliography
Novels
- The contaminant. 1978.
Critical studies and reviews of Reiffel's work
- The contaminant
- Kaufsek, Thomas (July–August 2020). "[Untitled review]". Curiosities. F&SF. 139 (1&2): 258.
Footnotes
- ^ Kalte & Nemeh 2003, p. 122.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (April 26, 2017). "Leonard Reiffel, Who Studied Potential of a Lunar Nuclear Bomb, Dies at 89". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Johnsson, Julie (October 14, 2002). "From the moon to the end zone; This inventor helped run NASA, split atoms with Fermi, and even changed the way we watch football. And he's not done yet". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved April 13, 2012.[dead link] (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e f "Leonard Reiffel". American Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on August 21, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ "R&D Mag". R&D Magazine. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ a b "The Peabody Awards | An International Competition for Electronic Media, honoring achievement in Television, Radio, Cable and the Web". Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ^ "About IIT | Hall of Fame | Leonard Reiffel". Illinois Institute of Technology. September 7, 2011. Archived from the original on January 18, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ^ Barnett, Antony (May 14, 2000). "US planned one big nuclear blast for mankind". The Guardian. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
- ^ Ulivi & Harland 2004, pp. 19–21.
- ^ a b c Goldsborough, Bob (April 20, 2017). "Leonard Reiffel, inventor of telestrator used to show NFL replays, dies at 89". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
References
- Kalte, Pamela M.; Nemeh, Katherine H. (2003). American Men & Women of Science: Q-S. Thomson/Gale. ISBN 0787665290.
- Ulivi, Paolo; Harland, David Michael (2004). Lunar Exploration: Human Pioneers and Robotic Surveyors. Springer. ISBN 1-85233-746-X.