Ivan Getting earned his doctorate in astrophysics as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford in 1935. As a Harvard Fellow from 1935 to 1940, he designed and built the first high-speed binary counter, a basic component of the digital computer. While at Raytheon from 1951 to 1960, he developed the "time difference of arrival" concept for position location in three dimensions. In 1960, he became the founding president of the Aerospace Corporation, where he supervised the development of this concept into the revolutionary global positioning system for satellite-based navigation. Using satellite transmitters and atomic clocks to pinpoint locations, the system originally was aimed at enabling the precise delivery of bombs but grew to be employed in such uses as helping pilots navigate and aiding people in finding their way to their destinations. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) awarded Dr. Getting its Founders Medal in 1989 "for leadership of critical programs and enterprises in radar; advanced electronics, space and navigation as well as service to the engineering profession." He is also a recipient of the prestigious Goddard Aeronautics Award. Other awards include the U.S. Medal of Merit (1948), the Air Force Exceptional Service Award (1960), the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Pioneer Award (1975), and the Kitty Hawk Award (1975).
Inducted in 2002.
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