INVENTOR, SCIENTIST

“Charles Stark Draper, a complex genius of the twentieth century, was truly a modern version of the Renaissance man.”
-National Academies of Sciences

One of the brightest scientists in the history of the United States came from humble beginnings in west-central Missouri. The inventions of Charles Stark Draper are beyond the scope of what many people can understand, but they changed the way all of us live our lives.

He is best known as the “father of inertial navigation,” which allows airplanes to travel around the world with incredible accuracy.

THE EARLY YEARS

Charles Stark Draper was born on October 2, 1901, and grew up in the small west central Missouri town of Windsor. He showed an amazing aptitude in sciences early in life. In fact, he enrolled at the University of Missouri-Rolla at the age of 15 for two years, then transferred to Stanford University where he attained a degree in psychology in 1922.

Despite earning the “life sciences” degree, he turned his attention to engineering and technology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned an advanced degree in electrochemical engineering and a doctorate in physics at M-I-T in 1938. It was on that campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts where Doc Draper he would spend much of the rest of his illustrious career.

RISE TO FAME

***Draper as a Research Associate at MIT***

Dr. Draper’s time at MIT was spent perfecting his scientific knowledge, while also showing his entrepreneurial side by founding the Instrumentation Laboratory (later known as the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.). Even as a graduate student, “Doc” was recognized as a national expert on aeronautical and meteorological research instruments.

Eventually, he became the head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. It became apparent that he was becoming an expert in navigational technology. So more and more of his time became wrapped up in developing these guidance systems.

SHOW ME SUCCESS

Draper rose to national prominence about the same time World War II was breaking out. He was not well-known at the time, but his inventions were leading to technological advances that transformed anti-aircraft weapons.

Airplanes were still relatively new, and much of the technology that we rely on today was not yet invented. His gyroscopic technology allowed the military to calculate an aircraft’s future position, taking into account gravity, wind, and distance. This was vital for both defense purposes and for tracking our own aircraft. These technologies put the United States ahead of other countries as aircraft were becoming vital for defense and transportation.

His technological feats were good for space travel as well as air travel around the earth. While doing his work at MIT in the 1960s, his team of engineers and scientists developed guidance systems for Project Apollo. These scientific advancements aided with missile deployment systems while also helping send astronauts to the Moon and back from 1968 to 1972.

The technology he developed in the mid-1900s still impacts the way we travel. The navigational advances he developed for the military dramatically changed and accelerated the advent of mass transit and world travel. By the time Dr. Draper died in 1987, he had received more than 70 honors from all over the world. The Draper Laboratory is named in his honor and continues scientific work at the highest levels.