standing scientific contributions while being 

 funded by AFOSR since 1956. Perhaps the 

 best known is his discovery in 1965 of the 

 first successful chemical laser, based on the 

 hydrogen-chlorine explosion. The matrix iso- 

 lation method was developed in Professor 

 Pimentel's laboratory to permit leisurely in- 

 frared spectroscopic studies of highly reac- 

 tive molecules which would be transient or 

 nonexistent under normal conditions. 



• Lt. Robert W. King, of the Terrestrial Sci- 

 ences Division of the Air Force Geophysics 

 Laboratory, has been analyzing laser ranging 

 observations of the moon to determine more 

 accurately certain geodetic parameters that 

 affect Air Force weapons systems. One of 

 these parameters is the earth's principal geo- 

 potential term, GM (G, the Newtonian gravi- 

 tational constant, and M, the earth mass). All 

 earth gravity models include this term as a 

 factor, and it is a key component of the geo- 

 detic and geophysical (G&G) error budgets 

 for Minuteman and the Advanced ICBM. In 

 July 1975, Lt. King reported an improved 

 value for GM to the Defense Mapping Agen- 

 cy (DMA). His analysis provided the most 

 accurate means for determining GM, and the 

 precision of his determination met DMA's 

 projected 1982 ICBM G&G error budget re- 

 quirements — seven years ahead of schedule. 

 Lt. King's analysis has also led to an experi- 

 mental result of fundamental scientific signifi- 

 cance: namely, that the mass responsible for 

 an object's inertia is equivalent to the mass 

 responsible for its gravity field. This is the 

 equivalence principle, the cornerstone of Ein- 

 stein's theory of relativity. According to sev- 

 eral recent theories of gravitation, however, 

 the gravitational and inertial masses of an 

 object are not exactly the same if the gravita- 

 tional self-energy of the object varies with its 

 position in a gravity field. Such a failure of 

 the equivalence principle could not be detect- 

 ed in a laboratory experiment, but it would 

 cause an anomalous monthly variation of one 

 meter or more in the moon's motion about the 

 earth. Lt. King's five-year analysis of lunar 

 ranging data has shown that there is no such 

 variation to within the accuracy of the range 

 observations, about 15 cm. 



• A program begun under the direction of Dr. 

 Paul Carr at the Air Force Cambridge Re- 

 search Laboratory (AFCRL) in 1968 has 

 provided major contributions to the establish- 

 ment of a sound scientific base for surface 

 acoustic wave (SAW) technology. The re- 

 search has involved studies of optimum 

 acoustic materials, wave propagation charac- 



teristics, and transducers for converting elec- 

 tromagnetic to acoustic energy. Other re- 

 search has concentrated on design and fabri- 

 cation techniques of SAW components, such 

 as delay lines, filters, and resonators. Re- 

 search is continuing in-house under the direc- 

 tion of the Rome Air Development Center. 

 • In 1971, the AFCRL Solid State Sciences 

 Laboratory began a program to identify, syn- 

 thesize, and grow a satisfactory high power 

 laser window material. Halide materials with 

 superior mechanical and optical properties 

 for 10.6 micrometer high energy laser win- 

 dow applications were produced. The halide 

 crystals were grown under ultrapure condi- 

 tions, hot forged into window configuration, 

 and their mechanical and optical properties 

 determined. A new casting technique was 

 discovered that permits the successful fabri- 

 cation of such experimental laser windows. 

 Basic research is now essentially complete, 

 and the program is being moved to the Air 

 Force Materials Laboratory for further inves- 

 tigation. 



Current and Future Research 

 Emphasis 



The most interesting projects involving basic 

 research currently in progress are in high energy 

 lasers, engine materials, rocket motor combus- 

 tion, flight training simulation, ultrahigh-power 

 microwave generation using relativistic electron 

 beams, and automated sensor data interpretation. 



Air Force research funding estimates for the 

 next three years are affected by priorities but also 

 by other factors such as the perceived opportuni- 

 ty for advancement in an area and whether re- 

 search in a particular area is being done by any 

 other organizations. Funding is greatest for re- 

 search in materials, mechanics, electronics, chem- 

 istry, mathematics, and physics. An intermediate 

 level of funding is carried for energy conversion, 

 atmospheric sciences, astronomy, and astrophys- 

 ics; and research in biological and medical sci- 

 ences, human resources, and terrestrial sciences 

 receives the lowest level of funding. This is not to 

 suggest the absolute priority of each area, but an 

 appropriate mix of areas of priority. 



Air Force research areas that will receive great- 

 er emphasis in the next three years are listed be- 

 low: 



• Aerospace sciences, with emphasis on turbu- 

 lence and transonic dynamics; heat transfer, 

 turbine blade cooling, and temperature distri- 

 bution; and environmental effects on com- 

 posites, and crack and failure mechanisms in 

 metallic and composite structures. 



DEFENSE 83 



