Moon-measurer, laser inventor celebrated for Apollo 11 contributions
July 16, 2019
When NASA scientists wanted to measure the distance from Earth to the moon for the first time, they shone a high-powered laser off of a reflecting disk placed on the moon by the astronauts during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission. The laser they used — from its position on earth — was co-designed by Theodore (Ted) Maiman, inventor of the first laser in 1960 and a former adjunct professor in ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV’s School of Engineering Science.
As scientists and citizens commemorate the moon landing this year, the impact of the laser’s invention knows no bounds.